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The Meters of Boethius: Meter 17

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 30 sections

1. 0

   Hwæt, eorðwaran ealle hæfden,

2. 1

   foldbuende, fruman gelicne;

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   hi of anum twæm ealle comon,

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   were and wife, on woruld innan,

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   and hi eac nu get ealle gelice

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   on woruld cumað, wlance and heane.

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   Nis þæt nan wundor, forðæm witan ealle

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   þæt an god is ealra gesceafta,

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   frea moncynnes, fæder and scippend.

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    Se ðære sunnan leoht seleð of heofonum,

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    monan and þyssum mærum steorrum.

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    Se milda metod gesceop men on eorðan,

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    and gesamnade sawle to lice

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    æt fruman ærest, folc under wolcnum

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    emnæðele gesceop æghwilcne mon.

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    Hwy ge þonne æfre ofer oðre men

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    ofermodigen buton andweorce,

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    nu ge unæðelne nænigne metað?

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    Hwy ge eow for æþelum up ahebben,

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    nu on þæm mode bið monna gehwilcum

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    þa rihtæþelo þe ic ðe recce ymb,

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    nales on ðæm flæsce foldbuendra?

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    Ac nu æghwilc mon þe mid ealle bið

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    his unþeawum underðieded,

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    he forlæt ærest lifes frumsceaft

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    and his agene æþelo swa selfe,

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    and eac þone fæder þe hine æt fruman gesceop.

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    Forðæm hine anæþelað ælmihtig god,

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    þæt he unæþele a forð þanan

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    wyrð on weorulde, to wuldre ne cymð.

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.