Chapter 1
Oft him ānhagaāre gebīdeð,
Metudes miltse,þēah þe hē mōdcearig
geond lagulādelonge sceolde
hrēran mid hondumhrīmcealde sǣ,
wadan wrǣclāstas;wyrd bið ful ārǣd. Swā cwæð eardstapaearfeþa gemyndig,
wrāþra wælsleahta,winemāga hryre: Oft ic sceolde ānaūhtna gehwylce
mīne ceare cwīþan;nis nū cwicra nān
þe ic him mōdsefanmīnne durre
sweotule āsecgan.Ic tō sōþe wāt
þæt biþ in eorleindryhten þēaw
þæt hē his fer(h)ðlocanfæste binde,
healde his hordcofan,hycge swā hē wille. Ne mæg wērig mōdwyrde wiðstondan,
ne se hrēo hygehelpe gefremman; for ðon dōmgeornedrēorigne oft
in hyra brēostcofanbindað fæste. Swā ic mōdsefanmīnne sceolde
oft earmcearig,ēðle bidǣled,
frēomǣgum feorfeterum sǣlan,
siþþan gēara iūgoldwine mīn(n)e
hrūsan heolster biwrāhond ic hēan þonan
wōd wintercearigofer waþema gebind,
sōhte sele drēorigsinces bryttan,
hwǣr ic feor oþþe nēahfindan meahte
þone þe in meoduheallemīn(n)e wisse,
oþþe mec frēondlēas(n)efrēfran wolde,
wenian mid wynnum.Wāt sē þe cunnað
hū slīþen biðsorg tō gefēran
þām þe him lȳt hafaðlēofra geholena; warað hine wrǣclāst,nales wunden gold,
fer(h)ðloca frēorig,nalæs foldan blǣd; gemon hē selesecgasond sincþege,
hū hine on geoguðehis goldwine
wenede tō wiste;wyn eal gedrēas. For þon wāt sē þe scealhis winedryhtnes
lēofes lārcwidumlonge forþolian,
ðonne sorg ond slǣpsomod ætgædre
earmne ānhoganoft gebindað —
ðinceð him on mōdeþæt hē his mondryhten
clyppe ond cysseond on cnēo lecge
honda ond hēafod,swā hē hwīlum ǣr
in gēardagumgiefstōlas brēac. Ðonne onwæcneð eftwinelēas guma,
gesihð him biforanfealwe wēgas,
baþian brimfuglas,brǣdan feþra,
hrēosan hrīm ond snāwhagle gemenged. Þonne bēoð þȳ hefigranheortan benne,
sāre æfter swǣsum;sorg bið genīwad
þonne māga gemyndmōd geondhweorfeð; grēteð glīwstafum,georne geondscēawað
secga geseldan;swimmað eft on weg,
flēotendra fer(h)ðnō þǣr fela bringeð
cūðra cwidegiedda;cearo bið genīwad
þām þe sendan scealswīþe geneahhe
ofer waþema gebindwērigne sefan. For þon ic geþencan ne mæggeond þās woruld
for hwan mōdsefamīn ne gesweorce
þonne ic eorla līfeal geondþence,
hū hī fǣrlīceflet ofgēafon,
mōdge maguþegnas.Swā þes middangeard
ealra dōgra gehwāmdrēoseð ond fealleþ; for þon ne mæg weorðan wīswer ǣr hē āge
wintra dǣl in woruldrīce.Wita sceal geþyldig,
ne sceal nō tō hātheort,ne tō hrædwyrde,
ne tō wāc wiga,ne tō wanhȳdig,
ne tō forht, ne tō fægen,ne tō feohgīfre,
ne nǣfre gielpes tō georn,ǣr hē geare cunne. Beorn sceal gebīdan,þonne hē bēot spriceð,
oþ þæt collenfer(h)ðcunne gearwe
hwider hreþra gehygdhweorfan wille. Ongietan sceal glēaw hælehū gæstlic bið,
þonne ealre þisse worulde welawēste stondeð,
swā nū missenlīcegeond þisne middangeard
winde biwāuneweallas stondaþ,
hrīme bihrorene,hrȳðge þā ederas. Wōriað þā wīnsalo,waldend licgað
drēame bidrorene;duguð eal gecrong
wlonc bī wealle;sume wīg fornōm,
ferede in forðwege;sumne fugel oþbær
ofer hēanne holm;sumne se hāra wulf
dēaðe gedǣlde;sumne drēorighlēor
in eorðscræfeeorl gehȳdde. Ȳþde swā þisne eardgeardælda Scyppend,
oþ þæt burgwarabreahtma lēase,
eald enta geweorcīdlu stōdon. Sē þonne þisne wealstealwīse geþohte
ond þis deorce līfdēope geondþenceð,
frōd in fer(h)ðe,feor oft gemon
wælsleahta wornond þās word ācwið: ‘Hwǣr cwōm mearg? hwǣr cwōm mago?hwǣr cwōm māþþumgyfa? ‘hwǣr cwōm symbla gesetu?hwǣr sindon seledrēamas? ‘Ēalā, beorht bune!ēalā, byrnwiga! ‘ēalā, þēodnes þrym!hū sēo þrāg gewāt,
‘genāp under nihthelmswā hēo nō wǣre! ‘Stondeð nū on lāstelēofre duguþe
‘weal wundrum hēah,wyrmlīcum fāh; ‘eorlas fornōmanasca þrȳþe,
‘wǣpen wælgīfru,wyrd sēo mǣre,
‘ond þās stānhleoþustormas cnyssað; ‘hrīð hrēosendehrūsan binde,
‘wintres wōma,þonne won cymeð,
‘nīpeð nihtscūa,norþan onsendeð
‘hrēo hæglfarehæleþum on andan. ‘Eall is earfoðliceorþan rīce,
‘onwendeð wyrda gesceaftweoruld under heofonum; ‘hēr bið feoh lǣne,hēr bið frēond lǣne,
‘hēr bið mon lǣne,hēr bið mǣg lǣne; ‘eal þis eorþan gestealīdel weorþeð.’
Swā cwæð snottor on mōde,gesæt him sundor æt rūne. Til biþ sē þe his trēowe gehealdeð;ne sceal nǣfre his torn tō rycene
beorn of his brēostum ācȳþan,nemþe hē ǣr þā bōte cunne,
eorl mid elne gefremman.Wēl bið þām þe him āre sēceð,
frōfre tō Fæder on heofonum,þǣr ūs eal sēo fæstnung stondeð.
Metudes miltse,þēah þe hē mōdcearig
geond lagulādelonge sceolde
hrēran mid hondumhrīmcealde sǣ,
wadan wrǣclāstas;wyrd bið ful ārǣd. Swā cwæð eardstapaearfeþa gemyndig,
wrāþra wælsleahta,winemāga hryre: Oft ic sceolde ānaūhtna gehwylce
mīne ceare cwīþan;nis nū cwicra nān
þe ic him mōdsefanmīnne durre
sweotule āsecgan.Ic tō sōþe wāt
þæt biþ in eorleindryhten þēaw
þæt hē his fer(h)ðlocanfæste binde,
healde his hordcofan,hycge swā hē wille. Ne mæg wērig mōdwyrde wiðstondan,
ne se hrēo hygehelpe gefremman; for ðon dōmgeornedrēorigne oft
in hyra brēostcofanbindað fæste. Swā ic mōdsefanmīnne sceolde
oft earmcearig,ēðle bidǣled,
frēomǣgum feorfeterum sǣlan,
siþþan gēara iūgoldwine mīn(n)e
hrūsan heolster biwrāhond ic hēan þonan
wōd wintercearigofer waþema gebind,
sōhte sele drēorigsinces bryttan,
hwǣr ic feor oþþe nēahfindan meahte
þone þe in meoduheallemīn(n)e wisse,
oþþe mec frēondlēas(n)efrēfran wolde,
wenian mid wynnum.Wāt sē þe cunnað
hū slīþen biðsorg tō gefēran
þām þe him lȳt hafaðlēofra geholena; warað hine wrǣclāst,nales wunden gold,
fer(h)ðloca frēorig,nalæs foldan blǣd; gemon hē selesecgasond sincþege,
hū hine on geoguðehis goldwine
wenede tō wiste;wyn eal gedrēas. For þon wāt sē þe scealhis winedryhtnes
lēofes lārcwidumlonge forþolian,
ðonne sorg ond slǣpsomod ætgædre
earmne ānhoganoft gebindað —
ðinceð him on mōdeþæt hē his mondryhten
clyppe ond cysseond on cnēo lecge
honda ond hēafod,swā hē hwīlum ǣr
in gēardagumgiefstōlas brēac. Ðonne onwæcneð eftwinelēas guma,
gesihð him biforanfealwe wēgas,
baþian brimfuglas,brǣdan feþra,
hrēosan hrīm ond snāwhagle gemenged. Þonne bēoð þȳ hefigranheortan benne,
sāre æfter swǣsum;sorg bið genīwad
þonne māga gemyndmōd geondhweorfeð; grēteð glīwstafum,georne geondscēawað
secga geseldan;swimmað eft on weg,
flēotendra fer(h)ðnō þǣr fela bringeð
cūðra cwidegiedda;cearo bið genīwad
þām þe sendan scealswīþe geneahhe
ofer waþema gebindwērigne sefan. For þon ic geþencan ne mæggeond þās woruld
for hwan mōdsefamīn ne gesweorce
þonne ic eorla līfeal geondþence,
hū hī fǣrlīceflet ofgēafon,
mōdge maguþegnas.Swā þes middangeard
ealra dōgra gehwāmdrēoseð ond fealleþ; for þon ne mæg weorðan wīswer ǣr hē āge
wintra dǣl in woruldrīce.Wita sceal geþyldig,
ne sceal nō tō hātheort,ne tō hrædwyrde,
ne tō wāc wiga,ne tō wanhȳdig,
ne tō forht, ne tō fægen,ne tō feohgīfre,
ne nǣfre gielpes tō georn,ǣr hē geare cunne. Beorn sceal gebīdan,þonne hē bēot spriceð,
oþ þæt collenfer(h)ðcunne gearwe
hwider hreþra gehygdhweorfan wille. Ongietan sceal glēaw hælehū gæstlic bið,
þonne ealre þisse worulde welawēste stondeð,
swā nū missenlīcegeond þisne middangeard
winde biwāuneweallas stondaþ,
hrīme bihrorene,hrȳðge þā ederas. Wōriað þā wīnsalo,waldend licgað
drēame bidrorene;duguð eal gecrong
wlonc bī wealle;sume wīg fornōm,
ferede in forðwege;sumne fugel oþbær
ofer hēanne holm;sumne se hāra wulf
dēaðe gedǣlde;sumne drēorighlēor
in eorðscræfeeorl gehȳdde. Ȳþde swā þisne eardgeardælda Scyppend,
oþ þæt burgwarabreahtma lēase,
eald enta geweorcīdlu stōdon. Sē þonne þisne wealstealwīse geþohte
ond þis deorce līfdēope geondþenceð,
frōd in fer(h)ðe,feor oft gemon
wælsleahta wornond þās word ācwið: ‘Hwǣr cwōm mearg? hwǣr cwōm mago?hwǣr cwōm māþþumgyfa? ‘hwǣr cwōm symbla gesetu?hwǣr sindon seledrēamas? ‘Ēalā, beorht bune!ēalā, byrnwiga! ‘ēalā, þēodnes þrym!hū sēo þrāg gewāt,
‘genāp under nihthelmswā hēo nō wǣre! ‘Stondeð nū on lāstelēofre duguþe
‘weal wundrum hēah,wyrmlīcum fāh; ‘eorlas fornōmanasca þrȳþe,
‘wǣpen wælgīfru,wyrd sēo mǣre,
‘ond þās stānhleoþustormas cnyssað; ‘hrīð hrēosendehrūsan binde,
‘wintres wōma,þonne won cymeð,
‘nīpeð nihtscūa,norþan onsendeð
‘hrēo hæglfarehæleþum on andan. ‘Eall is earfoðliceorþan rīce,
‘onwendeð wyrda gesceaftweoruld under heofonum; ‘hēr bið feoh lǣne,hēr bið frēond lǣne,
‘hēr bið mon lǣne,hēr bið mǣg lǣne; ‘eal þis eorþan gestealīdel weorþeð.’
Swā cwæð snottor on mōde,gesæt him sundor æt rūne. Til biþ sē þe his trēowe gehealdeð;ne sceal nǣfre his torn tō rycene
beorn of his brēostum ācȳþan,nemþe hē ǣr þā bōte cunne,
eorl mid elne gefremman.Wēl bið þām þe him āre sēceð,
frōfre tō Fæder on heofonum,þǣr ūs eal sēo fæstnung stondeð.