← Library

Dream of the Rood

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 156 sections

1. 0

   Hwæt! Ic swefna cyst secgan wylle,

2. 1

   hwæt me gemætte to midre nihte,

3. 2

   syðþan reordberend reste wunedon!

4. 3

   þuhte me þæt ic gesawe syllicre treow

5. 4

   on lyft lædan, leohte bewunden,

6. 5

   beama beorhtost. Eall þæt beacen wæs

7. 6

   begoten mid golde. Gimmas stodon

8. 7

   fægere æt foldan sceatum, swylce þær fife wæron

9. 8

   uppe on þam eaxlegespanne. Beheoldon þær engel dryhtnes ealle,

10. 9

    fægere þurh forðgesceaft. Ne wæs ðær huru fracodes gealga,

11. 10

    ac hine þær beheoldon halige gastas,

12. 11

    men ofer moldan, ond eall þeos mære gesceaft.

13. 12

    Syllic wæs se sigebeam, ond ic synnum fah,

14. 13

    forwunded mid wommum. Geseah ic wuldres treow,

15. 14

    wædum geweorðode, wynnum scinan,

16. 15

    gegyred mid golde; gimmas hæfdon

17. 16

    bewrigene weorðlice wealdendes treow.

18. 17

    Hwæðre ic þurh þæt gold ongytan meahte

19. 18

    earmra ærgewin, þæt hit ærest ongan

20. 19

    swætan on þa swiðran healfe. Eall ic wæs mid sorgum gedrefed,

21. 20

    forht ic wæs for þære fægran gesyhðe. Geseah ic þæt fuse beacen

22. 21

    wendan wædum ond bleom; hwilum hit wæs mid wætan bestemed,

23. 22

    beswyled mid swates gange, hwilum mid since gegyrwed.

24. 23

    Hwæðre ic þær licgende lange hwile

25. 24

    beheold hreowcearig hælendes treow,

26. 25

    oððæt ic gehyrde þæt hit hleoðrode.

27. 26

    Ongan þa word sprecan wudu selesta:

28. 27

    "þæt wæs geara iu, (ic þæt gyta geman),

29. 28

    þæt ic wæs aheawen holtes on ende,

30. 29

    astyred of stefne minum. Genaman me ðær strange feondas,

31. 30

    geworhton him þær to wæfersyne, heton me heora wergas hebban.

32. 31

    Bæron me ðær beornas on eaxlum, oððæt hie me on beorg asetton,

33. 32

    gefæstnodon me þær feondas genoge. Geseah ic þa frean mancynnes

34. 33

    efstan elne mycle þæt he me wolde on gestigan.

35. 34

    þær ic þa ne dorste ofer dryhtnes word

36. 35

    bugan oððe berstan, þa ic bifian geseah

37. 36

    eorðan sceatas. Ealle ic mihte

38. 37

    feondas gefyllan, hwæðre ic fæste stod.

39. 38

    Ongyrede hine þa geong hæleð, (þæt wæs god ælmihtig),

40. 39

    strang ond stiðmod. Gestah he on gealgan heanne,

41. 40

    modig on manigra gesyhðe, þa he wolde mancyn lysan.

42. 41

    Bifode ic þa me se beorn ymbclypte. Ne dorste ic hwæðre bugan to eorðan,

43. 42

    feallan to foldan sceatum, ac ic sceolde fæste standan.

44. 43

    Rod wæs ic aræred. Ahof ic ricne cyning,

45. 44

    heofona hlaford, hyldan me ne dorste.

46. 45

    þurhdrifan hi me mid deorcan næglum. On me syndon þa dolg gesiene,

47. 46

    opene inwidhlemmas. Ne dorste ic hira nænigum sceððan.

48. 47

    Bysmeredon hie unc butu ætgædere. Eall ic wæs mid blode bestemed,

49. 48

    begoten of þæs guman sidan, siððan he hæfde his gast onsended.

50. 49

    Feala ic on þam beorge gebiden hæbbe

51. 50

    wraðra wyrda. Geseah ic weruda god

52. 51

    þearle þenian. þystro hæfdon

53. 52

    bewrigen mid wolcnum wealdendes hræw,

54. 53

    scirne sciman, sceadu forðeode,

55. 54

    wann under wolcnum. Weop eal gesceaft,

56. 55

    cwiðdon cyninges fyll. Crist wæs on rode.

57. 56

    Hwæðere þær fuse feorran cwoman

58. 57

    to þam æðelinge. Ic þæt eall beheold.

59. 58

    Sare ic wæs mid sorgum gedrefed, hnag ic hwæðre þam secgum to handa,

60. 59

    eaðmod elne mycle. Genamon hie þær ælmihtigne god,

61. 60

    ahofon hine of ðam hefian wite. Forleton me þa hilderincas

62. 61

    standan steame bedrifenne; eall ic wæs mid strælum forwundod.

63. 62

    Aledon hie ðær limwerigne, gestodon him æt his lices heafdum,

64. 63

    beheoldon hie ðær heofenes dryhten, ond he hine ðær hwile reste,

65. 64

    meðe æfter ðam miclan gewinne. Ongunnon him þa moldern wyrcan

66. 65

    beornas on banan gesyhðe; curfon hie ðæt of beorhtan stane,

67. 66

    gesetton hie ðæron sigora wealdend. Ongunnon him þa sorhleoð galan

68. 67

    earme on þa æfentide, þa hie woldon eft siðian,

69. 68

    meðe fram þam mæran þeodne. Reste he ðær mæte weorode.

70. 69

    Hwæðere we ðær greotende gode hwile

71. 70

    stodon on staðole, syððan stefn up gewat

72. 71

    hilderinca. Hræw colode,

73. 72

    fæger feorgbold. þa us man fyllan ongan

74. 73

    ealle to eorðan. þæt wæs egeslic wyrd!

75. 74

    Bedealf us man on deopan seaþe. Hwæðre me þær dryhtnes þegnas,

76. 75

    freondas gefrunon,

77. 76

    ond gyredon me golde ond seolfre.

78. 77

    Nu ðu miht gehyran, hæleð min se leofa,

79. 78

    þæt ic bealuwara weorc gebiden hæbbe,

80. 79

    sarra sorga. Is nu sæl cumen

81. 80

    þæt me weorðiað wide ond side

82. 81

    menn ofer moldan, ond eall þeos mære gesceaft,

83. 82

    gebiddaþ him to þyssum beacne. On me bearn godes

84. 83

    þrowode hwile. Forþan ic þrymfæst nu

85. 84

    hlifige under heofenum, ond ic hælan mæg

86. 85

    æghwylcne anra, þara þe him bið egesa to me.

87. 86

    Iu ic wæs geworden wita heardost,

88. 87

    leodum laðost, ærþan ic him lifes weg

89. 88

    rihtne gerymde, reordberendum.

90. 89

    Hwæt, me þa geweorðode wuldres ealdor

91. 90

    ofer holmwudu, heofonrices weard!

92. 91

    Swylce swa he his modor eac, Marian sylfe,

93. 92

    ælmihtig god for ealle menn

94. 93

    geweorðode ofer eall wifa cynn.

95. 94

    Nu ic þe hate, hæleð min se leofa,

96. 95

    þæt ðu þas gesyhðe secge mannum,

97. 96

    onwreoh wordum þæt hit is wuldres beam,

98. 97

    se ðe ælmihtig god on þrowode

99. 98

    for mancynnes manegum synnum

100. 99

     ond Adomes ealdgewyrhtum.

Next → — showing 1–100 of 156

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.