‘Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better
to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.
For everyone of us, living in this world
means waiting for our end. Let whoever can
win glory before death. When a warrior is gone,
that will be his best and only bulwark.’
– Beowulf, Seamus Heaney (trans.)
Lines 1384-1389: Beowulf’s statement of the heroic code, in which he tells Hrothgar to ensure his name lives on by glorious deeds before his death. Beowulf is speaking after Grendel’s mother has killed Aeschere.
