← Library

The Meters of Boethius: Meter 19

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 47 sections

1. 0

   Eala, þæt is hefig dysig, hygeð ymbe se ðe wile,

2. 1

   and frecenlic fira gehwilcum

3. 2

   þæt ða earman men mid ealle gedwæleð,

4. 3

   of ðæm rihtan wege recene alæded.

5. 4

   Hwæðer ge willen on wuda secan

6. 5

   gold ðæt reade on grenum triowum?

7. 6

   Ic wat swa ðeah þæt hit witena nan

8. 7

   þider ne seceð, forðæm hit þær ne wexð,

9. 8

   ne on wingeardum wlitige gimmas.

10. 9

    Hwy ge nu ne settan on sume dune

11. 10

    fiscnet eowru, þonne eow fon lysteð

12. 11

    leax oððe cyperan? Me gelicost ðincð

13. 12

    þætte ealle witen eorðbuende

14. 13

    þoncolmode ðæt hi þær ne sint.

15. 14

    Hwæþer ge nu willen wæþan mid hundum

16. 15

    on sealtne sæ, þonne eow secan lyst

17. 16

    heorotas and hinda? þu gehicgan meaht

18. 17

    þæt ge willað ða on wuda secan

19. 18

    oftor micle þonne ut on sæ.

20. 19

    Is ðæt wundorlic, þæt we witan ealle,

21. 20

    þæt mon secan sceal be sæwaroðe

22. 21

    and be eaofrum æþele gimmas,

23. 22

    hwite and reade and hiwa gehwæs.

24. 23

    Hwæt, hi eac witon hwær hi eafiscas

25. 24

    secan þurfan, and swylcra fela

26. 25

    weoruldwelena; hi þæt wel doð,

27. 26

    geornfulle men, geara gehwilce.

28. 27

    Ac ðæt is earmlicost ealra þinga

29. 28

    þæt þa dysegan sint on gedwolan wordene,

30. 29

    efne swa blinde þæt hi on breostum ne magon

31. 30

    eaðe gecnawan hwær þa ecan good,

32. 31

    soða gesælða, sindon gehydda.

33. 32

    Forþæm hi æfre ne lyst æfter spyrian,

34. 33

    secan þa gesælða. Wenað samwise

35. 34

    þæt hi on ðis lænan mægen life findan

36. 35

    soða gesælða, þæt is selfa god.

37. 36

    Ic nat hu ic mæge nænige ðinga

38. 37

    ealles swa swiðe on sefan minum

39. 38

    hiora dysig tælan swa hit me don lysteð,

40. 39

    ne ic þe swa sweotole gesecgan ne mæg,

41. 40

    forðæm hi sint earmran and eac dysegran,

42. 41

    ungesæligran, þonne ic þe secgan mæge.

43. 42

    Hi wilniað welan and æhta

44. 43

    and weorðscipes to gewinnanne;

45. 44

    þonne hi habbað þæt hiora hige seceð,

46. 45

    wenað þonne swa gewitlease

47. 46

    ðæt hi þa soðan gesælða hæbben.

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.