Þe Ƿanderer

Þis is an Anglisc of þe Old Englisc  knoƿn to us nu as Þe Ƿanderer, fund in þe Exeter Book, a great gaþering of Old Englisc. Þe book ƿas likely ƿritten in þe late tenþ, and þe itself is older, þoug hu muc so is unknoƿn. Þe Ƿanderer is abute a murnful hƿose hƿole ƿorld has scattered and must ƿander þe earþ alone and lost. He tells þe tale of hƿat befell him and hƿat he ƿent þruge after, and has a deep on mens lifes hƿic he has becum ƿise for. I haf kept þe  of Old Englisc in þis,  and kennings. I haf also put slants betƿeen eac half line to þe scort  in speec. beside lines lead to helpful notes on þe bottom.

Þe Ƿanderer

Often þe loner /  for himself,

þe makers, / þoug

þe / he had to long

roam þe rimecold sea, / riding by hands,

roƿ þe ƿrecces paþ. / is full.

So þe earþstepper said, / mindful of ,

of ƿroþ slaugters, / and dear kins :

"Oft I had to bemoan my ƿoe / all by myself

efery. / Þere isnt anyone alife nu

hƿom I dare tell / my deepest feelings

openly and. / I knoƿ

þat among þains / it is

þat he bind fast / his lifebox,

hold his þougthoard, / þink as he ƿill.

A ƿeary mood cannot / ƿiþstand

nor a harroƿed mind / any help.

Þus þe / often deeply

bind deariness / in þeir breastcofe.

So I had to do / þe same to mine,

often and, /  from ,

far from free kinsmen, / and sealed it ƿiþ fetters

sins formerly / my goldfreend  1

I in earþs, / and þens I, ƿrecced,

ƿent ƿinterƿorn / ofer þe ƿafes bond,  2

hallsore, I sougt / a silfer gifer,

hƿere I, far or nige, / migt find

þe one in þe meadhall / hƿo kneƿ my

or ƿoold / freendless me,

me to. / He hƿo undergoes þis knoƿs

Hu stern a / is sorroƿ

for him hƿo has feƿ / fond for himself.

Þe ƿrecces paþ ƿorries him, / not at all ƿund gold,

nor frosen lifelocker, / not at all þe lands.

He þe  / and  of ,

hu ago in his yeƿþ / his goldgifer

him to. / All died.

He hƿo scall long forgo / þe

of his nige / knoƿs þereof. Hƿen sorroƿ and sleep / at þe same time

often bind / þe alone þinker,

It seems to him in his mind / þat his

he clips and kisses / and on his knee lays

his hands and head, / as he ,

in þe days of yore, / þe giftstool. 3

Þen þe freendless /  aƿakes

and sees before him / falloƿ ƿafes,

seabirds baþe / and broaden þeir feaþers,

hoarfrost and snoƿ fall, / ƿiþ hail.

Þen þe heafier / are þe hearts ƿunds,

sore after its belufed. / Sorroƿ is

hƿen þe of mays / crosses þe mind,

he greets þem ƿiþ glee / and gladly

þe. / Again þey sƿim aƿay.

Þe floating souls / nefer bring þere   4

cuþe yeddings. / Care is

for him hƿo must send, / often,

his ƿeary heart / ofer þe ƿafes bond.

For þis I cannot þink / hƿy þrugeute þis ƿorld

my soulbox / does not blacken

hƿen I / all þains lifes

hu þey / gafe up þe floor,

. / So þis middelearþ,

dƿindels and dies / a bit eac day.

Þerefore a cant be ƿise / before he oƿns

a of ƿinters in þis ƿorld. / A ƿit sculd be ,

he sculdnt be too hothearted, / nor too ,

nor too ƿeak a, / nor too ƿanton,

nor too, nor too fain, / nor too ,

nor efer too to, / ere he knoƿs yappings.

A sculd  / hƿen he speaks a ,

until þat  / knoƿs þorougly

hƿere his hearts ƿisc / ƿill to. 5

A ƿise must  / hu  it is,

hƿen all þis ƿorlds ƿealþ / stands ,

as nu /  þis middelearþ

ƿalls stand / bloƿn by ƿind,

rime, / þe snoƿsƿept.

Þe ƿinehalls ƿiþer, / ƿeelders lie

mirþ bereft, / all þe lords men died,

prude by þe ƿall. / Ƿye sum,

ferried onto þe forþƿay, / a bird fleƿ one off

ofer þe hige sea, / anoþer þe hoar ƿulf

scared deaþ ƿiþ, / one ƿas ,

an hidden / in an earþen.

So þe of men /  þis

until þe / busteling ƿas lost

and þe old ƿorks of ents / stood idel and alone.

He þen has a ƿise þougt / of þis

and deeply / þis dark life,

in, / he often þe far gone

sƿarm of slaugters, / and says þese ƿords:

Hƿat became of þe horse? / Hƿat became of þe knigt?

Hƿat became of þe ?

Hƿat became of þe seats? / Hƿere is þe glee?

þe brigt cup! / þe  !

þe ! / Hu þat ,

darkened under nigts scrude / as if it nefer ƿere.

In þe  /  nu stands

a ƿall ƿunderfully hige, / ƿiþ ƿormlikenesses.

of ascen spears / took þe ,

bloodþirsty ƿeapons, / þe.

And storms strike / þese stone slopes,

falling frost / freses þe earþ,

ƿinters din. / Þen darkness cums,

þe nigtscadoƿ groƿs, / it sends from þe norþ

a harsc hailstorm / in hatred to men.

Earþs kingdom / is all

/ þe ƿorld under þe heafens.

Here is fleeting, / here freends are fleeting,

here man is fleeting, / here are fleeting,

all þis Earþs / goes ƿorþless and idel."

So said þe in head, / sat asunder by himself in.

Good is he hƿo holds his, / a sculd nefer  his

too rascly from his breast / before þe knoƿs

hu to its  ƿiþ. / Ƿell is he hƿo seeks for himself,

from þe faþer in þe heafens, / hƿere þe stands for us all.

Notes:

1. Goldfreend is a kenning for his lord, alike kennings ƿill scoƿ up þrugeute þe.

2. Ƿafes bond likely means ise.

3. Giftstool means.

4. Þe floating souls are þe seabirds abute him, hƿom he þougt ƿere his gone hƿile he ƿas dreaming but came to  þey ƿerent as he came ute of his dased.

5. His ƿaryness of yelping and folloƿing talk abute a land is likely telling us þat his homelands dunefall has sumþing to do ƿiþ a.