I came to my choice town,
followed by my trustworthy pet hound.
Fine merry expense, an excellent place for dinner,
I took to a pretty dignified mead hall,
I was a fine young man,
and I had some mead.
I spotted a fair slender maid
in the house, my one fair sweetheart.
I set my mind entirely upon
my slender darling, colour of the rising sun,
I bought roast and expensive mead,
for me and the beauty over there.
Us young men love playing games,
I called the girl, a mead maid, to the bench,
and we had a very grand dinner,
greater than a wedding feast.
I whispered,
two alluring words.
After the obstacle was cleared,
With some more whispering,
we made an agreement!
To come to the lovely girl
when the crowds had gone
to sleep; she was a blonde browed beauty.
When everyone but me and the girl
had gone to sleep,
I tried most skillfully to make my way
to the girl’s bed, but.. it turned out disastrously.
I had a nasty fall making a commotion,
there was no good accomplishment..
I hurt my shin -
I didn’t jump high enough - above the ankle,
on the edge of a stupid oaken stool,
Left there by the inn-keeper.
I hit my forehead,
Where I ended up after my tumble,
utterly confused with my wild crashing
on the end of the long table,
where there was an empty basin now
and a noisy iron pan.
The table fell, a heavy piece,
and the two trestles and all the utensils.
The pan let out a clang,
which could be heard a long way from it.
The basin boomed and the dogs barked.
It’s easier to get up awkwardly
than swiftly.
I came up
by thick walls where there were
three Riding men in one stinking bed
worrying about their three packs,
Éorlor and Ethelin and Eorack.
The blonde haired slobber-chops
hissed to the other two.
‘There’s a Snake, causing deceitful commotion,
roaming around here most cunningly;
he’s a thief, if we allow it,
watch out, keep clear of him’
The inn-keeper roused up all the host,
and it was a woeful tale.
Nine at a time they searched for me
scowling all around me,
whilst I, covered in painful bruises,
kept quiet in the darkness.
I begged, not in pitiful fashion,
in hiding, like one afraid,
and through the power of dear sincere hope,
and through the grace of Béma,
I got back without any gain to my own lair.
I escaped, I thank Béma for forgiveness.
