Arts & Sciences

Riddle 5 (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 eom anhaga iserne wund,
bille gebennad, beadoweorca sæd,
ecgum werig. Oft ic wig seo,
frecne feohtan. Frofre ne wene,
þæt me geoc cyme guðgewinnes,
ær ic mid ældum eal forwurðe,
ac mec hnossiað homera lafe,
heardecg heoroscearp, hondweorc smiþa,
bitað in burgum; ic abidan sceal
laþran gemotes. Næfre læcecynn
on folcstede findan meahte,
þara þe mid wyrtum wunde gehælde,
ac me ecga dolg eacen weorðað
þurh deaðslege dagum ond nihtum.

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

MLA

Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 5 (Old English).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/76/.

Chicago

Anonymous (Old English). “Riddle 5 (Old English).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-old-english/76/.

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