Arts & Sciences
Riddle 42 (Old English)
From The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records, ed. Krapp and Dobbie, vol. III (1936)
Ic seah wyhte wrætlice twa
undearnunga ute plegan
hæmedlaces; hwitloc anfeng
wlanc under wædum, gif þæs weorces speow,
fæmne fyllo. Ic on flette mæg
þurh runstafas rincum secgan,
þam þe bec witan, bega ætsomne
naman þara wihta. þær sceal Nyd wesan
twega oþer ond se torhta æsc
an an linan, Acas twegen,
Hægelas swa some. Hwylc þæs hordgates
cægan cræfte þa clamme onleac
þe þa rædellan wið rynemenn
hygefæste heold heortan bewrigene
orþoncbendum? Nu is undyrne
werum æt wine hu þa wihte mid us,
heanmode twa, hatne sindon.
Codex Note
Old English text as in ASPR; hand-keyed e-text via sacred-texts.com.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 42 (Old English).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/113/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 42 (Old English).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/113/.
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