Arts & Sciences

Riddle 53 (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 seah on bearwe beam hlifian,
tanum torhtne. þæt treow wæs on wynne,
wudu weaxende. Wæter hine ond eorþe
feddan fægre, oþþæt he frod dagum
on oþrum wearð aglachade
deope gedolgod, dumb in bendum,
wriþen ofer wunda, wonnum hyrstum
foran gefrætwed. Nu he fæcnum weg
þurh his heafdes mægen hildegieste
oþrum rymeð. Oft hy an yste strudon
hord ætgædre; hræd wæs ond unlæt
se æftera, gif se ærra fær
genamnan in nearowe neþan moste.

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

MLA

Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 53 (Old English).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/124/.

Chicago

Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 53 (Old English).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/124/.

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