Walt Whitman
Member
- Joined
- Jan 4, 2012
- Member Type
- English Teacher
- Native Language
- Italian
- Home Country
- Italy
- Current Location
- Italy
This is a simplified version of “Beowulf’s Fight with Grendel”. It’s for kids aged 12, elementary level. Would you check it, please? Any suggestion and improvement would be very welcome.
From the moors and through the mist
Grendel comes out of the darkness
and creeps towards Heorot.
He smashes the iron door of the shining Hall
with his bare hands and enters the great building.
His heart is joyful.
The Hall-guards are all asleep, except one.
It is Beowulf. He carefully observes.
The monster is full of hate in his dreadful eyes
and hungry for flesh.
Suddenly he bits into a warrior’s body with his sharp teeth
and completely swallows the unfortunate soldier,
even the hands and feet.
The blood flows everywhere.
Then he moves to kill Beowulf
but the hero is not asleep.
He jumps up from his bench with lightning speed
and begins to wrestle with the demon.
The Hall starts to shake.
Tables and benches are smashed against the walls.
The creature of the night desperately wants to be free,
run back to the moors, hide in the mist and go home,
but Beowulf is both strong and bold.
The beast roars with pain and fear –
it is the cry of the defeated.
Beowulf’s men are all awake now
and rush to help their brave master with their swords.
They don’t know that human weapons cannot wound the beast.
The din of the fight is dreadful to hear –
the shrieks of the monster, the shouts of men.
Outside the Hall, the Danes hear it and tremble with fear.
The hero pulls the demon’s arm off. With a scream Grendel runs away,
disappears into the darkness and dies alone in the marsh.
The following morning, Beowulf nails Grendel’s arm,
from the shoulder to the claws, high up under the roof.
Thank you very much.
WW
From the moors and through the mist
Grendel comes out of the darkness
and creeps towards Heorot.
He smashes the iron door of the shining Hall
with his bare hands and enters the great building.
His heart is joyful.
The Hall-guards are all asleep, except one.
It is Beowulf. He carefully observes.
The monster is full of hate in his dreadful eyes
and hungry for flesh.
Suddenly he bits into a warrior’s body with his sharp teeth
and completely swallows the unfortunate soldier,
even the hands and feet.
The blood flows everywhere.
Then he moves to kill Beowulf
but the hero is not asleep.
He jumps up from his bench with lightning speed
and begins to wrestle with the demon.
The Hall starts to shake.
Tables and benches are smashed against the walls.
The creature of the night desperately wants to be free,
run back to the moors, hide in the mist and go home,
but Beowulf is both strong and bold.
The beast roars with pain and fear –
it is the cry of the defeated.
Beowulf’s men are all awake now
and rush to help their brave master with their swords.
They don’t know that human weapons cannot wound the beast.
The din of the fight is dreadful to hear –
the shrieks of the monster, the shouts of men.
Outside the Hall, the Danes hear it and tremble with fear.
The hero pulls the demon’s arm off. With a scream Grendel runs away,
disappears into the darkness and dies alone in the marsh.
The following morning, Beowulf nails Grendel’s arm,
from the shoulder to the claws, high up under the roof.
Thank you very much.
WW