Genesis A, B
- 300
Hete hæfde he æt his hearran gewunnen, hyldo hæfde his ferlorene,
- 301
gram wearð him se goda on his mode. Forþon he sceolde grund gesecean
- 302
heardes hellewites, þæs þe he wann wið heofnes waldend.
- 303
Acwæð hine þa fram his hyldo and hine on helle wearp,
- 304
on þa deopan dala, þær he to deofle wearð,
- 305
se feond mid his geferum eallum. Feollon þa ufon of heofnum
- 306
þurhlonge swa þreo niht and dagas,
- 307
þa englas of heofnum on helle, and heo ealle forsceop
- 308
drihten to deoflum. Forþon heo his dæd and word
- 309
noldon weorðian, forþon he heo on wyrse leoht
- 310
under eorðan neoðan, ællmihtig god,
- 311
sette sigelease on þa sweartan helle.
- 312
þær hæbbað heo on æfyn ungemet lange,
- 313
ealra feonda gehwilc, fyr edneowe,
- 314
þonne cymð on uhtan easterne wind,
- 315
forst fyrnum cald. Symble fyr oððe gar,
- 316
sum heard geswinc habban sceoldon.
- 317
Worhte man hit him to wite, (hyra woruld wæs gehwyrfed),
- 318
forman siðe, fylde helle
- 319
mid þam andsacum. Heoldon englas forð
- 320
heofonrices hehðe, þe ær godes hyldo gelæston.
- 321
Lagon þa oðre fynd on þam fyre, þe ær swa feala hæfdon
- 322
gewinnes wið heora waldend. Wite þoliað,
- 323
hatne heaðowelm helle tomiddes,
- 324
brand and brade ligas, swilce eac þa biteran recas,
- 325
þrosm and þystro, forþon hie þegnscipe
- 326
godes forgymdon. Hie hyra gal beswac,
- 327
engles oferhygd, noldon alwaldan
- 328
word weorþian, hæfdon wite micel,
- 329
wæron þa befeallene fyre to botme
- 330
on þa hatan hell þurh hygeleaste
- 331
and þurh ofermetto, sohton oþer land,
- 332
þæt wæs leohtes leas and wæs liges full,
- 333
fyres fær micel. Fynd ongeaton
- 334
þæt hie hæfdon gewrixled wita unrim
- 335
þurh heora miclan mod and þurh miht godes
- 336
and þurh ofermetto ealra swiðost.
- 337
þa spræc se ofermoda cyning, þe ær wæs engla scynost,
- 338
hwitost on heofne and his hearran leof,
- 339
drihtne dyre, oð hie to dole wurdon,
- 340
þæt him for galscipe god sylfa wearð
- 341
mihtig on mode yrre. Wearp hine on þæt morðer innan,
- 342
niðer on þæt niobedd, and sceop him naman siððan,
- 343
cwæð se hehsta hatan sceolde
- 344
Satan siððan, het hine þære sweartan helle
- 345
grundes gyman, nalles wið god winnan.
- 346
Satan maðelode, sorgiende spræc,
- 347
se ðe helle forð healdan sceolde,
- 348
gieman þæs grundes. Wæs ær godes engel,
- 349
hwit on heofne, oð hine his hyge forspeon
- 350
and his ofermetto ealra swiðost,
- 351
þæt he ne wolde wereda drihtnes
- 352
word wurðian. Weoll him on innan
- 353
hyge ymb his heortan, hat wæs him utan
- 354
wraðlic wite. He þa worde cwæð:
- 355
"Is þæs ænga styde ungelic swiðe
- 356
þam oðrum ham þe we ær cuðon,
- 357
hean on heofonrice, þe me min hearra onlag,
- 358
þeah we hine for þam alwaldan agan ne moston,
- 359
romigan ures rices. Næfð he þeah riht gedon
- 360
þæt he us hæfð befælled fyre to botme,
- 361
helle þære hatan, heofonrice benumen;
- 362
hafað hit gemearcod mid moncynne
- 363
to gesettanne. þæt me is sorga mæst,
- 364
þæt Adam sceal, þe wæs of eorðan geworht,
- 365
minne stronglican stol behealdan,
- 366
wesan him on wynne, and we þis wite þolien,
- 367
hearm on þisse helle. Wa la, ahte ic minra handa geweald
- 368
and moste ane tid ute weorðan,
- 369
wesan ane winterstunde, þonne ic mid þys werode--
- 370
Ac licgað me ymbe irenbenda,
- 371
rideð racentan sal. Ic eom rices leas;
- 372
habbað me swa hearde helle clommas
- 373
fæste befangen. Her is fyr micel,
- 374
ufan and neoðone. Ic a ne geseah
- 375
laðran landscipe. Lig ne aswamað,
- 376
hat ofer helle. Me habbað hringa gespong,
- 377
sliðhearda sal siðes amyrred,
- 378
afyrred me min feðe; fet synt gebundene,
- 379
handa gehæfte. Synt þissa heldora
- 380
wegas forworhte, swa ic mid wihte ne mæg
- 381
of þissum lioðobendum. Licgað me ymbe
- 382
heardes irenes hate geslægene
- 383
grindlas greate. Mid þy me god hafað
- 384
gehæfted be þam healse, swa ic wat he minne hige cuðe;
- 385
and þæt wiste eac weroda drihten,
- 386
þæt sceolde unc Adame yfele gewurðan
- 387
ymb þæt heofonrice, þær ic ahte minra handa geweald.
- 388
Ac ðoliaþ we nu þrea on helle, (þæt syndon þystro and hæto),
- 389
grimme, grundlease. Hafað us god sylfa
- 390
forswapen on þas sweartan mistas; swa he us ne mæg ænige synne gestælan,
- 391
þæt we him on þam lande lað gefremedon, he hæfð us þeah þæs leohtes bescyrede,
- 392
beworpen on ealra wita mæste. Ne magon we þæs wrace gefremman,
- 393
geleanian him mid laðes wihte þæt he us hafað þæs leohtes bescyrede.
- 394
He hæfð nu gemearcod anne middangeard, þær he hæfð mon geworhtne
- 395
æfter his onlicnesse. Mid þam he wile eft gesettan
- 396
heofona rice mid hluttrum saulum. We þæs sculon hycgan georne,
- 397
þæt we on Adame, gif we æfre mægen,
- 398
and on his eafrum swa some, andan gebetan,
- 399
onwendan him þær willan sines, gif we hit mægen wihte aþencan.
← Previous · Next → — showing 301–400 of 2,936
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.