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The Meters of Boethius: Meter 5

Old English · Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records · 45 sections

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   ðu meaht be ðære sunnan sweotole geþencean

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   and be æghwelcum oðrum steorran

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   þara þe æfter burgum beorhtost scineð.

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   Gif him wan fore wolcen hangað,

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   ne mægen hi swa leohtne leoman ansendan,

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   ær se þicca mist þynra weorðe.

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   Swa oft smylte sæ suðerne wind

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   græge glashlutre grimme gedrefeð,

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   þonne hie gemengað micla ysta,

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    onhrerað hronmere; hrioh bið þonne

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    seo þe ær gladu onsiene wæs.

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    Swa oft æspringe ut awealleð

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    of clife harum col and hlutor,

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    and gereclice rihte floweð,

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    irneð wið his eardes, oð him on innan felð

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    muntes mægenstan, and him on middan geligeð,

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    atrendlod of ðæm torre. He on tu siððan

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    tosceaden wyrð, scir bið gedrefed,

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    burna geblonden, broc bið onwended

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    of his rihtryne, ryðum toflowen.

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    Swa nu þa þiostro þinre heortan

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    willað minre leohtan lare wiðstondan

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    and ðin modgeþonc miclum gedrefan.

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    Ac gif ðu nu wilnast, þæt ðu wel mæge,

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    þæt soðe leoht sweotole oncnawan,

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    leohte geleafan, ðu forlætan scealt

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    idle ofersælða, unnytne gefean.

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    þu scealt eac yfelne ege an forlætan,

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    woruldearfoða, ne most ðu wesan for ðæm

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    ealles to ormod, ne ðu ðe æfre ne læt

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    wlenca gewæcan, þe læs þu weorðe for him

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    mid ofermettum eft gescended,

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    and to up ahafen for orsorgum

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    woruldgesælðum, ne eft to waclice

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    geortreowe æniges godes,

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    þonne þe for worulde wiðerwearda mæsð

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    þinga þreage and þu ðe selfum

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    swiðost onsitte. Forðæm simle bið

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    se modsefa miclum gebunden

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    mid gedrefnesse, gif hine dreccean mot

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    þissa yfla hwæðer, innan swencan.

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    Forðæm þa twegen tregan teoð tosomne

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    wið þæt mod foran mistes dwoleman,

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    þæt hit seo ece ne mot innan geondscinan

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    sunne for ðæm sweartum mistum, ærðæm hi geswiðrad weorðen.

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.