Beowulf's Fight with Grendel

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Walt Whitman

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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
 

Tdol

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In a modernised text, not starting a line with a capital letter looks odd to me.
 

Walt Whitman

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You're absolutely right, Tdol.
I'll fix it right away.
How about grammar and vocabulary?
This version is for elementary level Italian students (I mean, no more than present simple).
WW
 

Tdol

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There will probably be words they don't get, but overall the text seems good to me.
 

Walt Whitman

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Italian
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They'll do it in class with me.
I think I'll provide them with a list of difficult words and explainations of their meanings.
Thank you very much ideed, Tdol.
WW
 
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