Arts & Sciences

Riddle 43 (Old English)

by Anonymous (Old English) c. 7th–11th century

From The Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records, ed. Krapp and Dobbie, vol. III (1936)

Arts & Sciences

Ic wat indryhtne æþelum deorne
giest in geardum, þam se grimma ne mæg
hungor sceððan ne se hata þurst,
yldo ne adle. Gif him arlice
esne þenað, se þe agan sceal
on þam siðfate, hy gesunde æt ham
findað witode him wiste ond blisse,
cnosles unrim, care, gif se esne
his hlaforde hyreð yfle,
frean on fore. Ne wile forht wesan
broþor oþrum; him þæt bam sceðeð,
þonne hy from bearme begen hweorfað
anre magan ellorfuse,
moddor ond sweostor. Mon, se þe wille,
cyþe cynewordum hu se cuma hatte,
eðþa se esne, þe ic her ymb sprice.

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Old English text as in ASPR; hand-keyed e-text via sacred-texts.com.

MLA

Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 43 (Old English).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/114/.

Chicago

Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 43 (Old English).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/114/.

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