Arts & Sciences
Riddle LVII. Gnats
Translated by J. Duncan Spaeth, Old English Poetry (Princeton University Press, 1921) · From Exeter Book Riddles (selection)
There's a troop of tiny folk travelling swift,
Brought by the breeze o'er the brink of the hill.
Buzzing black-coated bold little people, --
Noisy musicians; well-known is their song.
They scour the thickets, but sometimes invade
The rooms of the town. Now tell me their names.
Codex Note
One of roughly ninety riddles preserved in the Exeter Book; this is one of a further selection translated by J. Duncan Spaeth. The manuscript gives no solutions — titles here follow the translator's own guesses.
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle LVII. Gnats.” Translated by J. Duncan Spaeth, Old English Poetry. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/34/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle LVII. Gnats.” Translated by J. Duncan Spaeth, Old English Poetry. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/34/.
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