A little trial balloon:

Listen! The Spear-Danes in olden times:
we've heard about the glories of those kings,
princes that did deeds of valour then.
Scyld of the Sheaf line – often from enemy warbands,
many nations of them, he tore away their mead benches,
terrorized their fighters, from the time he was first found,
a helpless child. Fortune made it up to him,
he grew up beneath the skies, earned honours,
to the point that every one of the peoples settled round about,
across the whales' roads, was obliged to obey him,
yield tribute – that was a good king for you!