← Library

Deor

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 42 sections

1. 0

   Welund him be wurman wræces cunnade,

2. 1

   anhydig eorl earfoþa dreag,

3. 2

   hæfde him to gesiþþe sorge ond longaþ,

4. 3

   wintercealde wræce; wean oft onfond,

5. 4

   siþþan hine Niðhad on nede legde,

6. 5

   swoncre seonobende on syllan monn.

7. 6

   þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg!

8. 7

   Beadohilde ne wæs hyre broþra deaþ

9. 8

   on sefan swa sar swa hyre sylfre þing,

10. 9

    þæt heo gearolice ongieten hæfde

11. 10

    þæt heo eacen wæs; æfre ne meahte

12. 11

    þriste geþencan, hu ymb þæt sceolde.

13. 12

    þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg!

14. 13

    We þæt Mæðhilde monge gefrugnon

15. 14

    wurdon grundlease Geates frige,

16. 15

    þæt hi seo sorglufu slæp ealle binom.

17. 16

    þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg!

18. 17

    ðeodric ahte þritig wintra

19. 18

    Mæringa burg; þæt wæs monegum cuþ.

20. 19

    þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg!

21. 20

    We geascodan Eormanrices

22. 21

    wylfenne geþoht; ahte wide folc

23. 22

    Gotena rices. þæt wæs grim cyning.

24. 23

    Sæt secg monig sorgum gebunden,

25. 24

    wean on wenan, wyscte geneahhe

26. 25

    þæt þæs cynerices ofercumen wære.

27. 26

    þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg!

28. 27

    Siteð sorgcearig, sælum bidæled,

29. 28

    on sefan sweorceð, sylfum þinceð

30. 29

    þæt sy endeleas earfoða dæl.

31. 30

    Mæg þonne geþencan, þæt geond þas woruld

32. 31

    witig dryhten wendeþ geneahhe,

33. 32

    eorle monegum are gesceawað,

34. 33

    wislicne blæd, sumum weana dæl.

35. 34

    þæt ic bi me sylfum secgan wille,

36. 35

    þæt ic hwile wæs Heodeninga scop,

37. 36

    dryhtne dyre. Me wæs Deor noma.

38. 37

    Ahte ic fela wintra folgað tilne,

39. 38

    holdne hlaford, oþþæt Heorrenda nu,

40. 39

    leoðcræftig monn londryht geþah,

41. 40

    þæt me eorla hleo ær gesealde.

42. 41

    þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg!

The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records, transcribed by sacred-texts.com (sacred-texts.com/neu/ascp/), via CLTK's old_english_text_sacred_texts mirror; released into the public domain. Licence: Public domain (Unlicense). Source.