If you're looking to read Beowulf anytime soon, you've got to check out: Beowulf Translations dot net and Editor Eric Greatest Literature of All Time (Beowulf page) You can not only sample from a variety of translations, these sites will help you decide if you prefer reading this great story in poem form or in prose. Even if you choose to read it in prose, this site gives great background into the original poetic form this story was written in. And it will help you to not feel like such a dummy for having a hard time understanding this rich poem when trying to read an older translation.
After attempting to read it aloud (which wasn't exactly difficult, it was just a little flat), we ended up listening to a fantastic audio recording of this translation:
Excuse me, did I say it was fantastic? It was epic.
