Þe Ƿanderer

Þis is an Anglisc ƿend of þe Old Englisc leeþ knoƿn to us nu as Þe Ƿanderer, by Runok13/Heystan. It is fund in þe Exeter Book, a great gaþering of Old Englisc leeþs. Þe book ƿas likely ƿritten in þe late tenþ yearhundred, and þe leeþ itself is older, þoug hu muc so is unknoƿn. Þe Ƿanderer is abute a murnful ƿyer 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 beþinking on mens lifes hƿic he has becum ƿise for. I haf kept þe leeþcraft ƿuns of Old Englisc in þis ƿend, onsetsaming and kennings. I haf also put slants betƿeen eac half line to betoken þe scort stints in speec. Tales beside lines lead to helpful notes on þe leafs bottom.

Þe Ƿanderer

Often þe loner / abides ore for himself,

þe makers milse, / þoug moodceary

yond þe layƿay / he had to long

roam þe rimecold sea, / riding by hands,

roƿ þe ƿrecces paþ. / Ƿeerd is full oneread.

So þe earþstepper said, / mindful of arfeþnesses,

of ƿroþ slaugters, / and dear kins ƿrack:

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

efery ugten. / Þere isnt anyone alife nu

hƿom I dare tell / my deepest feelings

openly and suttel. / I forsooþ knoƿ

þat among þains / it is aþel þeƿ

þat he bind fast / his lifebox,

hold his þougthoard, / þink as he ƿill.

A ƿeary mood cannot / ƿiþstand ƿeerd

nor a harroƿed mind / frem any help.

Þus þe doomyern / often deeply

bind deariness / in þeir breastcofe.

So I had to do / þe same to mine,

often arm and ceary, / dealt from eþel,

far from free kinsmen, / and sealed it ƿiþ fetters

sins formerly / my goldfreend 1

I ƿried in earþs hulster, / 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 mays

or ƿoold frefer / freendless me,

ƿun me to ƿin. / He hƿo undergoes þis knoƿs

Hu stern a fere / is sorroƿ

for him hƿo has feƿ / fond þofts for himself.

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

nor frosen lifelocker, / not at all þe lands fairness.

He muns þe sallmen / and underfangings of maþems,

hu ago in his yeƿþ / his goldgifer

ƿunned him to simbeling. / All ƿin died.

He hƿo scall long forgo / þe leef lorecƿids

of his nige drigten / knoƿs þereof.

Hƿen sorroƿ and sleep / at þe same time

often bind / þe arm alone þinker,

It seems to him in his mind / þat his mandrigten

he clips and kisses / and on his knee lays

his hands and head, / as he erehƿile,

in þe days of yore, / brooked þe giftstool. 3

Þen þe freendless ƿere / eft aƿakes

and sees before him / falloƿ ƿafes,

seabirds baþe / and broaden þeir feaþers,

hoarfrost and snoƿ fall, / mincged ƿiþ hail.

Þen þe heafier / are þe hearts ƿunds,

sore after its belufed. / Sorroƿ is aneƿed

hƿen þe min of mays / crosses þe mind,

he greets þem ƿiþ glee / and gladly hoƿs

þe sallfelloƿs. / Again þey sƿim aƿay.

Þe floating souls / nefer bring þere fele 4

cuþe yeddings. / Care is aneƿed

for him hƿo must send, / sƿiþ often,

his ƿeary heart / ofer þe ƿafes bond.

For þis I cannot þink / hƿy þrugeute þis ƿorld

my soulbox / does not blacken

hƿen I beþink / all þains lifes

hu þey ferly / gafe up þe floor,

higemoody hirdmen. / So þis middelearþ,

dƿindels and dies / a bit eac day.

Þerefore a ƿere cant be ƿise / before he oƿns

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

he sculdnt be too hothearted, / nor too ƿordraþe,

nor too ƿeak a ƿyer, / nor too ƿanton,

nor too afrigt, nor too fain, / nor too feegreedy,

nor efer too yern to yelp, / ere he knoƿs yappings yeeld.

A bern sculd bide / hƿen he speaks a beet,

until þat þrist goast / knoƿs þorougly

hƿere his hearts ƿisc / ƿill ƿend to. 5

A ƿise gum must underyet / hu goastly it is,

hƿen all þis ƿorlds ƿealþ / stands aƿrack,

as nu missly / yond þis middelearþ

ƿalls stand / bloƿn by ƿind,

rime besƿaþed, / þe ards snoƿsƿept.

Þe ƿinehalls ƿiþer, / ƿeelders lie

mirþ bereft, / all þe lords men died,

prude by þe ƿall. / Ƿye fornam sum,

ferried onto þe forþƿay, / a bird fleƿ one off

ofer þe hige sea, / anoþer þe hoar ƿulf

scared deaþ ƿiþ, / one ƿas drearyleered,

an aþel hidden / in an earþen scraff.

So þe scaper of men / ƿeasted þis ard

until þe borougers / busteling ƿas lost

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

He þen has a ƿise þougt / of þis ƿallstead

and deeply beþinks / þis dark life,

frood in goast, / he often muns þe far gone

sƿarm of slaugters, / and says þese ƿords:

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

Hƿat became of þe maþemgifer?

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

Ƿellaƿay þe brigt cup! / Ƿellaƿay þe birnclad ƿyer!

Ƿellaƿay þe þeedens ƿulder! / Hu þat þroƿ ƿote,

darkened under nigts scrude / as if it nefer ƿere.

In þe leef duþes / last nu stands

a ƿall ƿunderfully hige, / faƿ ƿiþ ƿormlikenesses.

Þriþes of ascen spears / took þe aþels,

bloodþirsty ƿeapons, / þe meer ƿeerd.

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 arfeþ

ƿeerds scaft ƿends / þe ƿorld under þe heafens.

Here fee is fleeting, / here freends are fleeting,

here man is fleeting, / here mays are fleeting,

all þis Earþs staddel / goes ƿorþless and idel."

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

Good is he hƿo holds his troþ, / a gum sculd nefer kiþe his grame

too rascly from his breast / before þe aþel knoƿs

hu to frem its boot ƿiþ elne. / Ƿell is he hƿo seeks ore for himself,

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

Notes:

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

2. Ƿafes bond likely means ise.

3. Giftstool means kinstool.

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

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