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The Meters of Boethius: Meter 24

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 64 sections

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   Ic hæbbe fiðru fugle swiftran,

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   mid ðæm ic fleogan mæg feor fram eorðan

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   ofer heane hrof heofones þisses,

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   ac ðær ic nu moste mod gefeðran,

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   ðinne ferðlocan, feðrum minum,

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   oððæt ðu meahte þisne middangeard,

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   ælc eorðlic ðing, eallunga forsion.

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   Meahtes ofer rodorum gereclice

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   feðerum lacan, feor up ofer

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    wolcnu windan, wlitan siððan

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    ufan ofer ealle. Meahtes eac faran

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    ofer ðæm fyre ðe fela geara

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    for lange betweox lyfte and rodere,

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    swa him æt frymðe fæder getiode.

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    ðu meahtest ðe siððan mid ðære sunnan

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    faran betweox oðrum tunglum.

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    Meahtest ðe full recen on ðæm rodere ufan

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    siððan weorðan, and ðonne samtenges

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    æt ðæm ælcealdan anum steorran,

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    se yfmest is eallra tungla,

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    ðone Saturnus sundbuende

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    hatað under heofonum; he is se cealda

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    eallisig tungl, yfemest wandrað

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    ofer eallum ufan oðrum steorrum.

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    Siððan ðu ðonne ðone up a hafast

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    forð oferfarenne, ðu meaht feorsian;

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    ðonne bist ðu siððan sona ofer uppan

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    rodere ryneswiftum. Gif ðu on riht færest,

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    ðe ðone hehstan heofon behindan lætst,

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    ðonne meaht ðu siððan soðes leohtes

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    habban þinne dæl, ðonan an cyning

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    rume ricsað ofer roderum up

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    and under swa same eallra gesceafta,

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    weorulde waldeð. þæt is wis cyning,

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    þæt is se ðe waldeð giond werðioda

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    ealra oðra eorðan cyninga,

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    se mid his bridle ymbebæted hæfð

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    ymbhwyrft ealne eorðan and heofones.

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    He his gewaldleðer wel gemetgað,

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    se stioreð a þurg ða strongan meaht

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    ðæm hrædwæne heofones and eorðan.

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    Se an dema is gestæððig,

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    unawendendlic, wlitig and mære.

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    Gif ðu weorðest on wege rihtum

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    up to ðæm earde, þæt is æðele stow,

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    ðeah ðu hi nu geta forgiten hæbbe,

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    gif ðu æfre eft þær an cymest,

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    ðonne wilt þu secgan and sona cweðan:

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    "ðis is eallunga min agen cyð,

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    eard and eðel. Ic wæs ær hionan

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    cumen and acenned ðurh ðisses cræftgan meaht.

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    Nylle ic æfre hionan ut witan,

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    ac ic symle her softe wille

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    mid fæder willan fæste stondan."

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    Gif ðe ðonne æfre eft geweorðeð

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    þæt ðu wilt oððe most weorolde ðiostro

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    eft fandian, ðu meaht eaðe gesion

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    unrihtwise eorðan cyningas

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    and þa ofermodan oðre rican

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    ðe þis werige folc wyrst tuciað,

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    þæt hi symle bioð swiðe earme,

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    unmehtige ælces ðinges,

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    emne ða ilcan þe þis earme folc

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    sume hwile nu swiðost ondrædæð.

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.