Se Wīdfarend
Oft him ānhaga āre gebīdeð,
Metudes miltse, þēah þe he mōdcearig
geond lagulāde longe sceolde
hreran mid hondum hrīmcealde sǣ,
wadan wræclāstas. wyrd bið ful ārǣd!
Swā cwæð eardstapa, earfeþa gemyndig,
wrāþra wælsleahta, winemǣga hryre:
'Oft ic sceolde āna ūhtna gehwylce
mīne ceare cwīþan; nis nū cwicra nān,
þe ic him mōdsefan mīnne durre
sweotule āsecgan. Ic tō sāþe wāt
þæt biþ in eorle indryhten þeaw,
þæt hē his ferðlocan fæste binde,
healde his hordcofan, hycge swā hē wille.
Ne mæg wērig mōd wyrde wiðstondan,
nē sē hrēo hyge helpe gefremman:
for ðon dōmgeorne drēorigne oft
in hyra brēostcofan bindað fæste.
Swā ic mōdsefan mīnne sceolde,
oft earmcearig, ēðle bidǣled,
frēomǣgum feor feterum sǣlan,
siþþan gēara īu goldwine mīnne
hrūsan heolster biwrāh, and ic hēan þonan
wōd wintercearig ofer waþema gebind,
sōhte sele drēorig sinces bryttan,
hwǣr ic feor oþþe nēah findan meahte
þone þe in meoduhealle minne wisse,
oþþe mec frēondlēasne frēfran wolde,
wenian mid wynnum. Wāt sē þe cunnað,
hū slīþen bið sorg tō geferan
þām þe him lȳt hafað lēofra geholena:
warað hine wræclāst, nāles wunden gold,
ferðloca frēorig, nālæs foldan blǣd;
gemon hē selesecgas ond sincþege,
hū hine on geoguðe his goldwine
wenede tō wiste: wyn eal gedrēas!
For þon wāt sē þe sceal his winedryhtnes
lēofes lārcwidum longe forþolian,
ðonne sorg ond slǣp somod ætgædre
earmne ānhogan oft gebindað:
þinceð him on mōde þæt he his mondryhten
clyppe ond cysse, ond on cnēo lecge
honda ond hēafod, swā hē hwīlum ǣr
in gēardagum giefstōlas brēac;
ðonne onwæcneð eft winelēas guma,
gesihð him biforan fealwe wǣgas,
baþian brimfuglas, brǣdan feþra,
hrēosan hrīm and snāw, hagle gemenged.
þonne bēoð þȳ hefigran heortan benne,
sāre æfter swǣsne, sorg bið genīwad,
þonne māga gemynd mod geondhweorfeð;
greteð glīwstafum, georne geondscēawað
secga geseldan: swimmað eft on weg;
flēotendra ferð nō þǣr fela bringeð
cūðra cwidegiedda; cearo bið geniwad
þām þe sendan sceal swīþe geneahhe
ofer waþema gebind wērigne sefan.
For þon ic geþencan ne mæg geond þās woruld
for hwan mōdsefa mīn ne gesweorce,
þonne ic eorla līf eal geondþence,
hū hī fǣrlīce flet ofgēafon,
mōdge maguþegnas. Swā þēs middangeard
ealra dōgra gehwām drēoseð ond fealleþ;
for þon ne mæg weorþan wīs wer, ǣr hē āge
wintra dǣl in woruldrīce. Wita sceal geþyldig,
nē sceal nō tō hātheort nē tō hrædwyrde,
nē tō wāc wiga nē to wanhȳdig,
nē tō forht nē tō fægen, nē tō feohgīfre
nē nǣfre gielpes tō georn, ǣr hē geare cunne.
Beorn sceal gebīdan, þonne hē bēot spriceð,
oþ þæt collenferð cunne gearwe
hwider hreþra gehygd hweorfan wille.
Ongietan sceal glēaw hæle hū gæstlīc bið,
þonne ealre þisse worulde wela wēste stondeð,
swā nū missenlīce geond þisne middangeard
winde biwāune weallas stondaþ,
hrīme bihrorene, hryðge þā ederas.
Wōriað þa wīnsalo, waldend licgað
drēame bidrorene, duguþ eal gecrong,
wlonc bī wealle: sume wīg fornōm,
ferede in forðwege, sumne fugel oþbær
ofer hēanne holm, sumne sē hāra wulf
dēaðe gedǣlde, sumne drēorighlēor
in eorðscræfe eorl gehȳdde:
ȳþde swā þisne eardgeard ælda Scyppend
oþ þæt burgwara breahtma lēase
eald enta geweorc īdlu stōdon.
Sē þonne þisne wealsteal wēse geþōhte
ond þis deorce lēf dēope geondþenceð,
frōd in ferðe, feor oft gemon
wælsleahta worn, and þās word ācwið:
‘Hwǣr cwōm mearg? hwǣr cwōm mago? Hwǣr cwōm māþþumgyfa?
hwǣr cwōm symbla gesetu? hwǣr sindon seledrēamas?
Ēala beorht bune! ēalā byrnwiga!
ēala þēodnes þrym! hū sēo þrāg gewāt,
genāp under nihthelm, swā hēo nō wǣre!
Stondeð nū on lāste lēofre duguþe
weal wundrum hēah, wyrmlīcum fāh:
eorlas fōrnoman asca þrȳþe,
wǣpen wælgīfru, wyrd sēo mǣre;
and þās stānhleoþu stormas cnyssað,
hrīð hrēosende hrūsan bindeð,
wintres wōma, þonne won cymeð,
nīpeð nihtscūa, norþan onsendeð
hrēo hæglfare hæleþum on andan.
Eall is earfoðlic eorþan rīce,
onwendeð wyrda gesceaft weoruld under heofonum.
Hēr bið feoh lǣne, hēr bið frēond lǣne,
hēr bið mon lǣne, hēr bið mæg lǣne;
eal þis eorþan gesteal īdel weorþeð! ’
Swā cwæð snottor on mōde, gesæt him sundor æt rūne.
Til biþ sē þe his trēowe gehealdeþ, ne sceal nǣfre his torn tō rycene
beorn of his brēostum ācȳþan, nemþe hē ǣr þā bōte cunne,
eorl mid elne gefremman. Wel bið þām þe him āre sēceð,
frofre tō Fæder on heofonum, þǣr ūs eal sēo fæstnung stondeð.