The Meters of Boethius: Meter 20

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 281 sections

0
Eala, min drihten, þæt þu eart ælmihtig,
1
micel, modilic, mærþum gefræge,
2
and wundorlic witena gehwylcum.
3
Hwæt, ðu, ece god, ealra gesceafta
4
wundorlice wel gesceope,
5
ungesewenlica, and eac swa same
6
gesewenlicra softe wealdest
7
scirra gesceafta mid gesceadwisum
8
mægne and cræfte. þu þysne middangeard
9
from fruman ærest forð oð ende
10
tidum totældes, swa hit getæsost wæs,
11
endebyrdes, þæt hi æghwæðer
12
ge ær farað ge eft cumað.
13
þu þe unstilla agna gesceafta
14
to ðinum willan wislice astyrest,
15
and þe self wunæst swiðe stille
16
unanwendendlic a forð simle.
17
Nis nan mihtigra ne nan mærra
18
ne geond ealle þa gesceaft efnlica þin,
19
ne þe ænig nedþearf næs æfre giet
20
ealra þara weorca þe þu geworht hafast;
21
ac mid þinum willan þu hit worhtes eall,
22
and mid anwalde þinum agenum
23
weorulde geworhtest and wuhta gehwæt,
24
þeah ðe nænegu nedðearf wære
25
eallra þara mærþa. Is ðæt micel gecynd
26
þines goodes, þencð ymb se ðe wile,
27
forðon hit is eall an ælces þincges,
28
þu and þæt ðin good. Hit is þin agen,
29
forðæm hit his utan ne com auht to ðe,
30
ac ic georne wat þæt ðin goodnes is,
31
ælmihtig good, eall mid ðe selfum.
32
Hit is ungelic urum gecynde;
33
us is utan cymen eall þa we habbað
34
gooda on grundum from gode selfum.
35
Næfst þu to ænegum andan genumenne,
36
forðam þe nan þing nis þin gelica,
37
ne huru ænig ælcræftigre,
38
forðæm þu ealgood anes geþeahte
39
þines geþohtest, and hi þa worhtest.
40
Næs æror ðe ænegu gesceaft
41
þe auht oððe nauht auðer worhte,
42
ac ðu butan bysne, brego moncynnes,
43
ælmihtig god, eall geworhtest
44
þing þearle good; eart þe selfa
45
þæt hehste good. Hwæt, ðu, halig fæder,
46
æfter þinum willan woruld gesceope,
47
ðisne middangeard, meahtum þinum,
48
weorada drihten, swa þu woldest self,
49
and mid ðinum willan wealdest ealles;
50
forðæm þu, soða god, selfa dælest
51
gooda æghwilc. Forðæm þu geara ær
52
ealla gesceafta ærest gesceope
53
swiðe gelice, sumes hwæðre þeah
54
ungelice, nemdest eall swa ðeah
55
mid ane noman ealle togædre
56
woruld under wolcnum. Hwæt, þu, wuldres god,
57
þone anne naman eft todældes,
58
fæder, on feower; wæs þara folde an
59
and wæter oðer worulde dæles,
60
and fyr is þridde and feowerðe lyft;
61
þæt is eall weoruld eft togædere.
62
Habbað þeah þa feower frumstol hiora,
63
æghwilc hiora agenne stede,
64
þeah anra hwilc wið oðer sie
65
miclum gemenged, and mid mægne eac
66
fæder ælmihtiges fæste gebunden
67
gesiblice softe togædre
68
mid bebode þine, bilewit fæder,
69
þætte heora ænig oðres ne dorste
70
mearce ofergangan for metodes ege;
71
ac geþweorod sint ðegnas togædre,
72
cyninges cempan, cele wið hæto,
73
wæt wið drygum, winnað hwæðre.
74
Wæter and eorðe wæstmas brengað;
75
þa sint on gecynde cealda ba twa,
76
wæter wæt and ceald. Wangas ymbelicgað,
77
eorðe ælgreno, eac hwæðre ceald.
78
Lyft is gemenged, forþæm hio on middum wunað;
79
nis þæt nan wundor þæt hio sie wearm and ceald,
80
wæt wolcnes tier, winde geblonden,
81
forðæm hio is on midle, mine gefræge,
82
fyres and eorðan. Fela monna wat
83
þætte yfemest is eallra gesceafta
84
fyr ofer eorðan, folde neoðemest.
85
Is þæt wundorlic, weroda drihten,
86
þæt ðu mid geþeahte þinum wyrcest
87
þæt ðu þæm gesceaftum swa gesceadlice
88
mearce gesettest, and hi gemengdest eac.
89
Hwæt, ðu þæm wættere wætum and cealdum
90
foldan to flore fæste gesettest,
91
forðæm hit unstille æghwider wolde
92
wide toscriðan wac and hnesce.
93
Ne meahte hit on him selfum, soð ic geare wat,
94
æfre gestandan, ac hit sio eorðe hylt
95
and swelgeð eac be sumum dæle,
96
þæt hio siðþan mæg for ðæm sype weorðan
97
geleht lyftum. Forðæm leaf and gærs
98
bræd geond Bretene, bloweð and groweð
99
eldum to are. Eorðe sio cealde

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.