Chapter 1
Mæg ic be mē sylfumsōðgied wrecan,
sīþas secgan,hū ic geswincdagum
earfoðhwīleoft þrōwade,
bitre brēostcearegebiden hæbbe,
gecunnad in cēolecearselda fela,
atol ȳþa gewealc,þǣr mec oft bigeat
nearo nihtwacoæt nacan stefnan,
þonne hē be clifum cnossað.Calde geþrungen
mīne fēt wǣron,forste gebunden,
caldum clommum;þǣr þā ceare seofedun
hāt ymb heortan;hungor innan slāt
merewērges mōd.Þæt se mon ne wāt,
þe him on foldanfægrost limpeð,
hū ic earmcearigīscealdne sǣ
winter wunadewræccan lāstum,
(. . . . .),winemǣgum bidroren,
bihongen hrīmgicelum;hægl scūrum flēag. Þǣr ic ne gehȳrdebūtan hlimman sǣ,
īscaldne wǣg,hwīlum ylfete song; dyde ic mē tō gomeneganetes hlēoþor
ond huilpan swēgfore hleahtor wera,
mǣw singendefore medodrince. Stormas þǣr stānclifu bēotan,þǣr him stearn oncwæð
īsigfeþera;ful oft þæt earn bigeal
ūrigfeþra(. . . .
. . . . .).Nǣnig hlēomǣga,
fēasceaftig fer(h)ð,fēran meahte. For þon him gelȳfeð lȳtsē þe āh līfes wyn,
gebiden in burgumbealosīþa hwōn,
wlonc ond wīngāl,hū ic wērig oft
in brimlādebīdan sceolde. Nāp nihtscūa,norþan snīwde,
hrīm hrūsan bond,hægl fēol on eorþan,
corna caldast.For þon cnyssað nū
heortan geþohtas,þæt ic hēan strēamas,
sealtȳþa gelāc,sylf cunnige; monað mōdes lustmǣla gehwylce
fer(h)ð tō fēran,þæt ic feor heonan
elþēodigraeard gesēce. For þon nis þæs mōdwloncmon ofer eorþan
ne his gifena þæs gōd,ne in geoguþe tō þæs hwæt,
ne in his dǣdum tō þæs dēor,ne him his dryhten tō þæs hold,
þæt hē ā his sǣfōresorge næbbe,
tō hwon hine dryhtengedōn wille. Ne biþ him tō hearpan hygene tō hringþege
ne tō wīfe wynne tō worulde hyht
ne ymbe ōwiht ellesnefne ymb ȳða gewealc,
ac ā hafað longungesē þe on lagu fundað. Bearwas blōstmum nimað,byrig fægriað,
wongas wlitig(i)að,woruld ōnetteð; ealle þā gemoniaðmōdes fūsne
sefan tō sīðe,þām þe swā þenceð
on flōdwegasfeor gewītan; swylce gēac monaðgeōmran reorde,
singeð sumeres weard,sorge bēodeð
bitter in brēosthord.Þæt se beorn ne wāt,
secg ēstēadig,hwæt þā sume drēogað
þe þā wrǣclāstaswīdost lecgað. For þon nū mīn hyge hweorfeðofer hreþerlocan,
mīn mōdsefamid mereflōde
ofer hwæles ēþelhweorfeð wīde,
eorþan scēatas;cymeð eft tō mē
gīfre ond grǣdig,gielleð ānfloga,
hweteð on (h)wælweghreþer unwearnum
ofer holma gelagu;for þon mē hātran sind
Dryhtnes drēamasþonne þis dēade līf,
lǣne on londe;ic gelȳfe nō
þæt him eorðwelanēce stondað. Simle þrēora sumþinga gehwylce,
ǣr his tīd āgā,tō twēon weorþeð: ādl oþþe yldooþþe ecghete
fǣgum fromweardumfeorh oðþringeð. For þon (is) þæt eorla gehwāmæftercweþendra,
lof lifgendra,lāstworda betst,
þæt hē gewyrce,ǣr hē on weg scyle: fremman on foldanwið fēonda nīþ
dēorum dǣdumdēofle tōgēanes
þæt hine ælda bearnæfter hergen
ond his lof siþþanlifge mid englum
āwa tō ealdre,ēcan līfes blǣd,
drēam mid dugeþum.Dagas sind gewitene,
ealle onmēdlaneorþan rīces; ne (a)ron nū cyningasne cāseras
ne goldgiefanswylce iū wǣron,
þonne hī mǣst mid himmǣrþa gefremedon
ond on dryhtlicestumdōme lifdon; gedroren is þēos duguð eal,drēamas sind gewitene; wuniað þā wācranond þās woruld healdaþ,
brūcað þurh bisgo.Blǣd is gehnǣged,
eorþan indryhtoealdað ond searað,
swā nū monna gehwylcgeond middangeard; yldo him on fareð,onsȳn blācað,
gomelfeax gnornað,wāt his iūwine,
æþelinga bearn,eorþan forgiefene. Ne mæg him þonne se flǣschoma,þonne him þæt feorg losað,
ne swēte forswelganne sār gefēlan
ne hond onhrēranne mid hyge þencan. Þēah hē græf willegolde strēgan,
brōþor his geborenum,bycgan be dēadum
māþmum mislicumþæt hē ne mid wille,
ne mæg þǣre sāwleþe biþ synna ful
gold tō gēocefor Godes egsan,
þonne hē hit ǣr hȳdeð,þenden hē hēr leofað. . . . . . . . . . .
sīþas secgan,hū ic geswincdagum
earfoðhwīleoft þrōwade,
bitre brēostcearegebiden hæbbe,
gecunnad in cēolecearselda fela,
atol ȳþa gewealc,þǣr mec oft bigeat
nearo nihtwacoæt nacan stefnan,
þonne hē be clifum cnossað.Calde geþrungen
mīne fēt wǣron,forste gebunden,
caldum clommum;þǣr þā ceare seofedun
hāt ymb heortan;hungor innan slāt
merewērges mōd.Þæt se mon ne wāt,
þe him on foldanfægrost limpeð,
hū ic earmcearigīscealdne sǣ
winter wunadewræccan lāstum,
(. . . . .),winemǣgum bidroren,
bihongen hrīmgicelum;hægl scūrum flēag. Þǣr ic ne gehȳrdebūtan hlimman sǣ,
īscaldne wǣg,hwīlum ylfete song; dyde ic mē tō gomeneganetes hlēoþor
ond huilpan swēgfore hleahtor wera,
mǣw singendefore medodrince. Stormas þǣr stānclifu bēotan,þǣr him stearn oncwæð
īsigfeþera;ful oft þæt earn bigeal
ūrigfeþra(. . . .
. . . . .).Nǣnig hlēomǣga,
fēasceaftig fer(h)ð,fēran meahte. For þon him gelȳfeð lȳtsē þe āh līfes wyn,
gebiden in burgumbealosīþa hwōn,
wlonc ond wīngāl,hū ic wērig oft
in brimlādebīdan sceolde. Nāp nihtscūa,norþan snīwde,
hrīm hrūsan bond,hægl fēol on eorþan,
corna caldast.For þon cnyssað nū
heortan geþohtas,þæt ic hēan strēamas,
sealtȳþa gelāc,sylf cunnige; monað mōdes lustmǣla gehwylce
fer(h)ð tō fēran,þæt ic feor heonan
elþēodigraeard gesēce. For þon nis þæs mōdwloncmon ofer eorþan
ne his gifena þæs gōd,ne in geoguþe tō þæs hwæt,
ne in his dǣdum tō þæs dēor,ne him his dryhten tō þæs hold,
þæt hē ā his sǣfōresorge næbbe,
tō hwon hine dryhtengedōn wille. Ne biþ him tō hearpan hygene tō hringþege
ne tō wīfe wynne tō worulde hyht
ne ymbe ōwiht ellesnefne ymb ȳða gewealc,
ac ā hafað longungesē þe on lagu fundað. Bearwas blōstmum nimað,byrig fægriað,
wongas wlitig(i)að,woruld ōnetteð; ealle þā gemoniaðmōdes fūsne
sefan tō sīðe,þām þe swā þenceð
on flōdwegasfeor gewītan; swylce gēac monaðgeōmran reorde,
singeð sumeres weard,sorge bēodeð
bitter in brēosthord.Þæt se beorn ne wāt,
secg ēstēadig,hwæt þā sume drēogað
þe þā wrǣclāstaswīdost lecgað. For þon nū mīn hyge hweorfeðofer hreþerlocan,
mīn mōdsefamid mereflōde
ofer hwæles ēþelhweorfeð wīde,
eorþan scēatas;cymeð eft tō mē
gīfre ond grǣdig,gielleð ānfloga,
hweteð on (h)wælweghreþer unwearnum
ofer holma gelagu;for þon mē hātran sind
Dryhtnes drēamasþonne þis dēade līf,
lǣne on londe;ic gelȳfe nō
þæt him eorðwelanēce stondað. Simle þrēora sumþinga gehwylce,
ǣr his tīd āgā,tō twēon weorþeð: ādl oþþe yldooþþe ecghete
fǣgum fromweardumfeorh oðþringeð. For þon (is) þæt eorla gehwāmæftercweþendra,
lof lifgendra,lāstworda betst,
þæt hē gewyrce,ǣr hē on weg scyle: fremman on foldanwið fēonda nīþ
dēorum dǣdumdēofle tōgēanes
þæt hine ælda bearnæfter hergen
ond his lof siþþanlifge mid englum
āwa tō ealdre,ēcan līfes blǣd,
drēam mid dugeþum.Dagas sind gewitene,
ealle onmēdlaneorþan rīces; ne (a)ron nū cyningasne cāseras
ne goldgiefanswylce iū wǣron,
þonne hī mǣst mid himmǣrþa gefremedon
ond on dryhtlicestumdōme lifdon; gedroren is þēos duguð eal,drēamas sind gewitene; wuniað þā wācranond þās woruld healdaþ,
brūcað þurh bisgo.Blǣd is gehnǣged,
eorþan indryhtoealdað ond searað,
swā nū monna gehwylcgeond middangeard; yldo him on fareð,onsȳn blācað,
gomelfeax gnornað,wāt his iūwine,
æþelinga bearn,eorþan forgiefene. Ne mæg him þonne se flǣschoma,þonne him þæt feorg losað,
ne swēte forswelganne sār gefēlan
ne hond onhrēranne mid hyge þencan. Þēah hē græf willegolde strēgan,
brōþor his geborenum,bycgan be dēadum
māþmum mislicumþæt hē ne mid wille,
ne mæg þǣre sāwleþe biþ synna ful
gold tō gēocefor Godes egsan,
þonne hē hit ǣr hȳdeð,þenden hē hēr leofað. . . . . . . . . . .