The Meters of Boethius: Meter 11

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 102 sections

0
An sceppend is butan ælcum tweon.
1
Se is eac wealdend woruldgesceafta,
2
heofones and eorðan and heare sæ
3
and ealra þara þe ðær in wuniað,
4
ungesæwenlicra, and eac swa same
5
ðara ðe we eagum on lociað,
6
ealra gesceafta. Se is ælmihtig,
7
þæm oleccað ealle gesceafte
8
þe þæs ambehtes awuht cunnon,
9
ge eac swa same þa ðæs auht nyton
10
þæt hi þæs ðeodnes þeowas sindon.
11
Se us gesette sido and þeawas,
12
eallum gesceaftum unawendende,
13
singallice sibbe gecynde,
14
þa þa he wolde, þæt þæt he wolde,
15
swa lange swa he wolde þæt hit wesan sceolde.
16
Swa hit eac to worulde sceal wunian forð,
17
forþæm æfre ne magon þa unstillan
18
woruldgesceafta weorðan gestilde,
19
of ðæm ryne onwend ðe him rodera weard
20
endebyrdes eallum gesette.
21
Hæfð se alwealda ealle gesceafta
22
gebæt mid his bridle, hafað butu gedon,
23
ealle gemanode and eac getogen,
24
þæt hi ne moten ofer metodes est
25
æfre gestillan, ne eft eallunga
26
swiðor stirian, þonne him sigora weard
27
his gewealdleðer wille onlæten.
28
He hafað þe bridle butu befangen
29
heofon and eorðan and eall holma begong.
30
Swa hæfð geheaðærod hefonrices weard
31
mid his anwealde ealle gesceafta,
32
þæt hiora æghwilc wið oðer winð,
33
and þeah winnende wreðiað fæste,
34
æghwilc oðer utan ymbclyppeð,
35
þy læs hi toswifen. Forðæm hi symle sculon
36
ðone ilcan ryne eft gecyrran
37
þe æt frymðe fæder getiode,
38
and swa edniwe eft gewiorðan.
39
Swa hit nu fagað, frean ealdgeweorc,
40
þætte winnende wiðerweard gesceaft
41
fæste sibbe forð anhealdað.
42
Swa nu fyr and wæter, folde and lagustream,
43
manigu oðru gesceaft efnswiðe him
44
giond þas widan worulde winnað betweox him,
45
and swa þeah magon hiora þegnunga
46
and geferscipe fæste gehealdan.
47
Nis hit no þæt an þæt swa eaðe mæg
48
wiðerweard gesceaft wesan ætgædere
49
symbel geferan, ac hit is sellicre
50
þæt hiora ænig ne mæg butan oþrum bion.
51
Ac sceal wuhta gehwilc wiðerweardes hwæthwugu
52
habban under heofonum, þæt his hige durre
53
gemetgian, ær hit to micel weorðe.
54
Hæfð se ælmihtiga eallum gesceaftum
55
ðæt gewrixle geset þe nu wunian sceal,
56
wyrta growan, leaf grenian,
57
þæt on hærfest eft hrest and wealuwað.
58
Winter bringeð weder ungemet cald,
59
swifte windas. Sumor æfter cymeð,
60
wearm gewideru. Hwæt, þa wonnan niht
61
mona onlihteð, oððæt monnum dæg
62
sunne bringeð giond þas sidan gesceaft.
63
Hæfð se ilca god eorðan and wætere
64
mearce gesette. Merestream ne dear
65
ofer eorðan sceat eard gebrædan
66
fisca cynne butan frean leafe,
67
ne hio æfre ne mot eorðan þyrscwold
68
up ofersteppan, ne ða ebban þon ma
69
foldes mearce oferfaran moton.
70
þa gesetnessa sigora wealdend,
71
lifes leohtfruma, læt þenden he wile
72
geond þas mæran gesceaft mearce healden.
73
Ac þonne se eca and se ælmihtiga
74
þa gewealdleðeru wile onlætan
75
efne þara bridla þe he gebætte mid
76
his agen weorc eall æt frymðe,
77
(þæt is wiðerweardnes wuhte gehwelcre
78
þe we mid þæm bridle becnan tiliað);
79
gif se ðioden læt þa toslupan,
80
sona hi forlætað lufan and sibbe,
81
ðæs geferscipes freondrædenne;
82
tilaþ anra gehwilc agnes willan,
83
woruldgesceafta winnað betweox him,
84
oððæt ðios eorðe eall forweorðeð,
85
and eac swa same oðra gesceafta
86
weorðað him selfe siððan to nauhte.
87
Ac se ilca god, se þæt eall metgað,
88
se gefehð fela folca tosomne,
89
and mid freondscipe fæste gegadrað,
90
gesamnað sinscipas, sibbe gemengeð,
91
clænlice lufe. Swa se cræftga eac
92
geferscipas fæste gesamnað,
93
þæt hi hiora freondscipe forð on symbel
94
untweofealde treowa gehealdað,
95
sibbe samrade. Eala, sigora god,
96
wære þis moncyn miclum gesælig,
97
gif hiora modsefa meahte weorðan
98
staðolfæst gereaht þurh þa strongan meaht,
99
and geendebyrd, swa swa oðra sint

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.