1
& Hrothgar / builds largest meadhall known
in northland
central tower powering visibility & gasping awe
see that his meadhall’s gaping facade
one new penal centrality of this recent dominant chosen
king bigdick social order
“looky everyone in society has a place . . . ”
& for Germanic tribes / everyone has sum value
& wrongdoers offer hard cash / gold baby /
for expressing serious grief articulated from those unvoiced beasts
& see Hrothgar wants to give his people everything / except slaves & common land /
see he’s generally idealistic & wants his society up & utopic
but that eventually burned down / sometime in future / (hinted at in text)
& grand opening / this poet sings abt creation
creator made “awl dis fer us awl”
& GRENDAL / from that race of Cain cursed since origin
attacks Herot bc he’s excluded / velvetroped off
& again bc he’s powerful hungry
somewhat apish in posture / w/ slants for brows & hairy shoulders one ungrateful biped
& he rips 30 warriors to shreds while sleeping in deep drunken sleep
& he of course eats these pigs gassy piece by gassy piece
then turns for continuous regular rounds of sweeps & ultimately
ruins the good times of house of erection Herot Hall every night for twelve
agonizing dry years
& thusly Hrothgar’s civilization has problems w/ a monster impotence
so these Geats hear abt Grendal
& Beowulf proud warrior chooses fourteen of his best men
to travel to Herot & help helpless Hrothgar
safely redistribute his powerful hand over those
unexpected labor expenditures lost in Grendal’s troubling jaws
& these great Geats arrive / thank gods / for “helpin”
them make that cold path on black asphalted whaleroad
windy & winedark as documented / & as they toast their warm frothy meads
& rip into their bags of teriyaki jerky & spiced pistachios
as some coast guardian in a helmet arrives
& he notes something to himself
under his breath abt how one must judge a man’s words w/ his works
& this helmeted guardian’s dazed
by big Beowulf’s brassclub / BEOWULF / Edgetheow’s son / & Beowulf
pours out his mead into a figure eight on the cold ground
cold gray ground rocky & sez grimly “we’re Healock’s hearth
companions / we’re what ye call nobles” & from awestruck
to starstruck this helmeted guardian scratches his ass
& he then sez “well got-daim / whynt ye say so /
step yrself right disway” & they did step right that way
& straight away these warriors arrive at Hrothgar’s castle
shimmering gold / & the receptionist Wulfgar / some foreigner
receives them / “uma where’d you buy that magnificent bodyarmor?
But first state yr business”
& Beowulf: “shut up.”
& Wulfgar: “come again?”
& Beowulf: “let me tell that king who I am. He’ll be happy. Now shut the fuck up.”
Hrothgar knew Beowulf as a young buck
knew of Beowulf’s strength of thirty warriors / legendary enough
& Hrothgar reminds Beowulf he owes him a favor / plays Brando /
& Beowulf will pay his daddy’s deep debt
but mark there gazes cast B-ward from unpeaceful implacable nonsensical Unferth positioned at his majesty’s feet yea he’d heard of Beowulf’s swim
who hadn’t really? & Beowulf’s second place to Brecca
& well Unferth thinks his stance
stood firm & his thoughts strong so he recounts
sd swim match between Brecca & Beowulf / that horrific
swim for three days in complete armor & constantly
attacked by seamonsters . . . & who won that race again?
& B notices something in Unferth’s squinty constitution
sez he’s heard of Unferth around how he killed his own brother
& that’s criticism enough where I’m from . . . but
let us see what Geats can do since Danes aint done
a gotdamned thing & Beowulf turns to Queen Weltheow
& he sez it’s all or nothing baby
this brings hope to Hrothgar indeed & why wdn’t it?
2
everyone asleep except one Grendal out in dark sees Herot’s high beams reaching eating his fingers
touch door it blows open Grendal swipes one warrior two turns & reaches Beowulf Beowulf in return
swipes Grendal Grendal’s bloody shoulder & when
Beowulf turns to stab Grendal
Grendal . . . escapes yes Beowulf pulled off Grendal’s arm
3
issue of monsters: but let’s go back just one moment
to unpeaceful Unferth & his teases toward Beowulf
that social pact of linguistic power enacted
& embodied in their communicative performances
historically situated / always already socially &c / & how later
after Beowulf blew him off Unferth took notes by candle’s
light in his study later that cold night to uncover
more digs to stick to this Geat warrior so badass
& when he sees Beowulf again he’ll give him another little
tease taste this time abt how it feels having a father
die of discontent / low blow o yea / esp bc everyone
knows no son can avenge his father’s death
if his father’s killer is that same son / little logical
paradox that maybe Dedalus wd sey leads
to Shakespeare’s third cousin Titus Andronicus
well let that pass let that be until that rearrives just keep all that in mind:
now / mind: Herot Hall that pleasure dome & stately palace
represents unity / a center of monumental sausage civilization
imposed on his own people by King Hrothgar
Hrothgar good lord who protects his Danes
& his Danes loyal to this lord’s sword
serve this lord
love this lord
Danes owe this lord total allegiance
& Hrothgar rewards his Danes for their allegiance he sez
by contracting his people against their wills to build
their hearts into Herot making his imagined penis visible for all this universe
that textured symbolic allegiance between masculine master & his divided people
weaver of peace & all his royal women married off to forge
alliances / symbolic specimens of peace / fine pieces
all for these big burly hairy men / & think of Grendal’s
mama / that unkeeper of peace / & how all queens pass
brimming cups of jeweled mead as peace treaties of sorts
that mystery . . .
4
—as to why Cain slew
his brother was he angry w/ God or not pleased
w/ his offerings of veggies or jealous of his brother
whom he felt God loved more?
5
Beowulf (short sayings)
fight between Grendal & Beowulf / constant focalizing shifts
to maximize drama like an early film
meanwhile . . .
at that awards banquet
Beowulf sits himself down between Hrothgar’s sons
Hrothgar starts calling Beowulf Sun / his Sun
& Beowulf perceives receiving many many futures of gifts
& Weltheow looking on asks Beowulf to please
support her boys if need be—& around his thick
neck she clasps a gold & emerald necklace / one fine one mind
found lost in battle / from one of Beowulf’s ancient kings’
lines so strong love all around until
Grendal’s angry mama appears after her monsterprice
& she takes at least one person one of Hrothgar’s good
no name meading buddies & Beowulf says
no good / it’s better to avenge death in this case
for fate often saves the undoomed man if his courage is good
so we’ll fight & let our lord god decide
Beowulf sez to Hrothgar / watch over mis güeyes here
if I die . . . well . . . chingao & he turns . . . & to Unferth he gives his old sword
to use in battle / sword forged by giants folks sey
but let us recall that monsters can’t get to Beowulf bc of his mail
his grandfather’s mail
so Beowulf goes ahead & seizes a giant sword from the wall / cuts
Grendal’s mama in two then another third / then finishes
off Grendal cutting off his head & as he does so
this sword melts to its hilt
6
on shore the folk see hot blood bubbling
at sea surface
©
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& lament for Beowulf Beuwolf is dead
O why not me O why not me?
& Danes get set to leave but these Geats sey wait on & let’s just wait & see
7
four carry Grendal’s head on spears
throw head on meadhall floor
& Beowulf hands his sword’s hilt to Hrothgar
& Hrothgar pontificates his parting speech / to Beowulf he sez
you’d be a good king yes
& Beowulf please do send yr kids by when they’re older
don’t you be a stranger
leaders like us can offer one another sound protection & rewards
when others offer us their allegiance & we split profits
think it over my burning Sun
8
a new entity—a birthday cake
& not some other kind of cake
9
equal opportunity structured unequally in Bardic societies bc competition inherently creates strategies for undermining equality
regarded as an exception
strengths for his literary prestiges
hundreds of readers
envy envy
all this world & some hate him
for his outbursts & anger
& how his features for himself
& his mainstream characters
& his beaconhood of literary mirrors
& his process begun in his earliest pomes
& his interesting reflections & much great prizes
10
B returns U’s sword
& basks in his own graces & curtsies
kindly cuz he cd have been snide
after all B wdn’t be one of those unthoughtful warriors
NOW Beowulf goes home
to Healot’s Hall / praise Danes /
gives his intelligence report
gives his report on Hrothgar’s daughter
who’s engaged for diplomatic purposes they sey
w/ Hethobards—“nay” sez Beowulf
“it’ll never work . . . ” & he describes
why / & that princess as we all know
wd take her bodyguards w/ her
& Hethobards will see guards w/ swift swords
& surely surely surely they’ll be something angry
no doubt
11
for Beowulf his king killed
so Beowulf becomes king
King Beowulf sees his kind king die in battle
so to protect his king’s boy / this dead king’s son / B swims home
carries the armor of like a dozen warriors
& when he charges up to this castle
fully erect his queen sez be w/ me Beowulf
be my rey
what else cd Beowulf sey?
he sez “nay madame / not if yr boy’s still
alive” but that son dies so Beowulf becomes
KING BEOWULF & rules in peace for fifty years
12
sewn swirled together like can-do Celtic graphics
snaky winds around itself
13
slave thrown out by master
discovers cave where there’s much
treasure guarded by some dragon & treasure does nothing if not circulating
this foul dragon hoarding
gold & while sleeping this valorous
slave steals a cup & this certainly
wakes this dragon who proceeds
to devastating the countryside
& destroying Beowulf Hall
& Beowulf keeping w/ that family
tradition decides to fight this dragon
14
makes a metal shield along w/ that slave who stole that cup
15
beginning of fights w/ dragon / leads men
Wiglaf calls them chickenshits / goes to help
Beowulf / Beowulf tries to stab dragon
w/ sword / useless / & that bastard
bites Beowulf on his neck
& Hrothgar / builds largest meadhall known
in northland
central tower powering visibility & gasping awe
see that his meadhall’s gaping facade
one new penal centrality of this recent dominant chosen
king bigdick social order
“looky everyone in society has a place . . . ”
& for Germanic tribes / everyone has sum value
& wrongdoers offer hard cash / gold baby /
for expressing serious grief articulated from those unvoiced beasts
& see Hrothgar wants to give his people everything / except slaves & common land /
see he’s generally idealistic & wants his society up & utopic
but that eventually burned down / sometime in future / (hinted at in text)
& grand opening / this poet sings abt creation
creator made “awl dis fer us awl”
& GRENDAL / from that race of Cain cursed since origin
attacks Herot bc he’s excluded / velvetroped off
& again bc he’s powerful hungry
somewhat apish in posture / w/ slants for brows & hairy shoulders one ungrateful biped
& he rips 30 warriors to shreds while sleeping in deep drunken sleep
& he of course eats these pigs gassy piece by gassy piece
then turns for continuous regular rounds of sweeps & ultimately
ruins the good times of house of erection Herot Hall every night for twelve
agonizing dry years
& thusly Hrothgar’s civilization has problems w/ a monster impotence
so these Geats hear abt Grendal
& Beowulf proud warrior chooses fourteen of his best men
to travel to Herot & help helpless Hrothgar
safely redistribute his powerful hand over those
unexpected labor expenditures lost in Grendal’s troubling jaws
& these great Geats arrive / thank gods / for “helpin”
them make that cold path on black asphalted whaleroad
windy & winedark as documented / & as they toast their warm frothy meads
& rip into their bags of teriyaki jerky & spiced pistachios
as some coast guardian in a helmet arrives
& he notes something to himself
under his breath abt how one must judge a man’s words w/ his works
& this helmeted guardian’s dazed
by big Beowulf’s brassclub / BEOWULF / Edgetheow’s son / & Beowulf
pours out his mead into a figure eight on the cold ground
cold gray ground rocky & sez grimly “we’re Healock’s hearth
companions / we’re what ye call nobles” & from awestruck
to starstruck this helmeted guardian scratches his ass
& he then sez “well got-daim / whynt ye say so /
step yrself right disway” & they did step right that way
& straight away these warriors arrive at Hrothgar’s castle
shimmering gold / & the receptionist Wulfgar / some foreigner
receives them / “uma where’d you buy that magnificent bodyarmor?
But first state yr business”
& Beowulf: “shut up.”
& Wulfgar: “come again?”
& Beowulf: “let me tell that king who I am. He’ll be happy. Now shut the fuck up.”
Hrothgar knew Beowulf as a young buck
knew of Beowulf’s strength of thirty warriors / legendary enough
& Hrothgar reminds Beowulf he owes him a favor / plays Brando /
& Beowulf will pay his daddy’s deep debt
but mark there gazes cast B-ward from unpeaceful implacable nonsensical Unferth positioned at his majesty’s feet yea he’d heard of Beowulf’s swim
who hadn’t really? & Beowulf’s second place to Brecca
& well Unferth thinks his stance
stood firm & his thoughts strong so he recounts
sd swim match between Brecca & Beowulf / that horrific
swim for three days in complete armor & constantly
attacked by seamonsters . . . & who won that race again?
& B notices something in Unferth’s squinty constitution
sez he’s heard of Unferth around how he killed his own brother
& that’s criticism enough where I’m from . . . but
let us see what Geats can do since Danes aint done
a gotdamned thing & Beowulf turns to Queen Weltheow
& he sez it’s all or nothing baby
this brings hope to Hrothgar indeed & why wdn’t it?
2
everyone asleep except one Grendal out in dark sees Herot’s high beams reaching eating his fingers
touch door it blows open Grendal swipes one warrior two turns & reaches Beowulf Beowulf in return
swipes Grendal Grendal’s bloody shoulder & when
Beowulf turns to stab Grendal
Grendal . . . escapes yes Beowulf pulled off Grendal’s arm
3
issue of monsters: but let’s go back just one moment
to unpeaceful Unferth & his teases toward Beowulf
that social pact of linguistic power enacted
& embodied in their communicative performances
historically situated / always already socially &c / & how later
after Beowulf blew him off Unferth took notes by candle’s
light in his study later that cold night to uncover
more digs to stick to this Geat warrior so badass
& when he sees Beowulf again he’ll give him another little
tease taste this time abt how it feels having a father
die of discontent / low blow o yea / esp bc everyone
knows no son can avenge his father’s death
if his father’s killer is that same son / little logical
paradox that maybe Dedalus wd sey leads
to Shakespeare’s third cousin Titus Andronicus
well let that pass let that be until that rearrives just keep all that in mind:
now / mind: Herot Hall that pleasure dome & stately palace
represents unity / a center of monumental sausage civilization
imposed on his own people by King Hrothgar
Hrothgar good lord who protects his Danes
& his Danes loyal to this lord’s sword
serve this lord
love this lord
Danes owe this lord total allegiance
& Hrothgar rewards his Danes for their allegiance he sez
by contracting his people against their wills to build
their hearts into Herot making his imagined penis visible for all this universe
that textured symbolic allegiance between masculine master & his divided people
weaver of peace & all his royal women married off to forge
alliances / symbolic specimens of peace / fine pieces
all for these big burly hairy men / & think of Grendal’s
mama / that unkeeper of peace / & how all queens pass
brimming cups of jeweled mead as peace treaties of sorts
that mystery . . .
4
—as to why Cain slew
his brother was he angry w/ God or not pleased
w/ his offerings of veggies or jealous of his brother
whom he felt God loved more?
5
Beowulf (short sayings)
fight between Grendal & Beowulf / constant focalizing shifts
to maximize drama like an early film
meanwhile . . .
at that awards banquet
Beowulf sits himself down between Hrothgar’s sons
Hrothgar starts calling Beowulf Sun / his Sun
& Beowulf perceives receiving many many futures of gifts
& Weltheow looking on asks Beowulf to please
support her boys if need be—& around his thick
neck she clasps a gold & emerald necklace / one fine one mind
found lost in battle / from one of Beowulf’s ancient kings’
lines so strong love all around until
Grendal’s angry mama appears after her monsterprice
& she takes at least one person one of Hrothgar’s good
no name meading buddies & Beowulf says
no good / it’s better to avenge death in this case
for fate often saves the undoomed man if his courage is good
so we’ll fight & let our lord god decide
Beowulf sez to Hrothgar / watch over mis güeyes here
if I die . . . well . . . chingao & he turns . . . & to Unferth he gives his old sword
to use in battle / sword forged by giants folks sey
but let us recall that monsters can’t get to Beowulf bc of his mail
his grandfather’s mail
so Beowulf goes ahead & seizes a giant sword from the wall / cuts
Grendal’s mama in two then another third / then finishes
off Grendal cutting off his head & as he does so
this sword melts to its hilt
6
on shore the folk see hot blood bubbling
at sea surface
©
©
©
© ©©©
© © ©
©
©
©
© ©©©
© © ©
& lament for Beowulf Beuwolf is dead
O why not me O why not me?
& Danes get set to leave but these Geats sey wait on & let’s just wait & see
7
four carry Grendal’s head on spears
throw head on meadhall floor
& Beowulf hands his sword’s hilt to Hrothgar
& Hrothgar pontificates his parting speech / to Beowulf he sez
you’d be a good king yes
& Beowulf please do send yr kids by when they’re older
don’t you be a stranger
leaders like us can offer one another sound protection & rewards
when others offer us their allegiance & we split profits
think it over my burning Sun
8
a new entity—a birthday cake
& not some other kind of cake
9
equal opportunity structured unequally in Bardic societies bc competition inherently creates strategies for undermining equality
regarded as an exception
strengths for his literary prestiges
hundreds of readers
envy envy
all this world & some hate him
for his outbursts & anger
& how his features for himself
& his mainstream characters
& his beaconhood of literary mirrors
& his process begun in his earliest pomes
& his interesting reflections & much great prizes
10
B returns U’s sword
& basks in his own graces & curtsies
kindly cuz he cd have been snide
after all B wdn’t be one of those unthoughtful warriors
NOW Beowulf goes home
to Healot’s Hall / praise Danes /
gives his intelligence report
gives his report on Hrothgar’s daughter
who’s engaged for diplomatic purposes they sey
w/ Hethobards—“nay” sez Beowulf
“it’ll never work . . . ” & he describes
why / & that princess as we all know
wd take her bodyguards w/ her
& Hethobards will see guards w/ swift swords
& surely surely surely they’ll be something angry
no doubt
11
for Beowulf his king killed
so Beowulf becomes king
King Beowulf sees his kind king die in battle
so to protect his king’s boy / this dead king’s son / B swims home
carries the armor of like a dozen warriors
& when he charges up to this castle
fully erect his queen sez be w/ me Beowulf
be my rey
what else cd Beowulf sey?
he sez “nay madame / not if yr boy’s still
alive” but that son dies so Beowulf becomes
KING BEOWULF & rules in peace for fifty years
12
sewn swirled together like can-do Celtic graphics
snaky winds around itself
13
slave thrown out by master
discovers cave where there’s much
treasure guarded by some dragon & treasure does nothing if not circulating
this foul dragon hoarding
gold & while sleeping this valorous
slave steals a cup & this certainly
wakes this dragon who proceeds
to devastating the countryside
& destroying Beowulf Hall
& Beowulf keeping w/ that family
tradition decides to fight this dragon
14
makes a metal shield along w/ that slave who stole that cup
15
beginning of fights w/ dragon / leads men
Wiglaf calls them chickenshits / goes to help
Beowulf / Beowulf tries to stab dragon
w/ sword / useless / & that bastard
bites Beowulf on his neck
