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Christ and Satan (Old English) · c. 9th century (poet unknown)

Lines 248–369

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


'Ic can eow læran langsumne ræd,
gif ge willað minre mihte gelefan.
Uta oferhycgan helm þone micclan,
weroda waldend, agan us þis wuldres leoht,
eall to æhte. þis is idel gylp
þæt we ær drugon ealle hwile.'
ða gewearð usic þæt we woldon swa
drihten adrifan of þam deoran ham,
cyning of cestre. Cuð is wide
þæt wreclastas wunian moton,
grimme grundas. God seolfa him
rice haldeð. He is ana cyning,
þe us eorre gewearð, ece drihten,
meotod mihtum swið. Sceal nu þeos menego her
licgan on leahtrum, sume on lyft scacan,
fleogan ofer foldan; fyr bið ymbutan
on æghwylcum, þæh he uppe seo.
Ne mot he þam sawlum þe ðær secað up,
eadige of eorþan æfre gehrinan,
ah ic be hondum mot hæþenre sceale
gripan to grunde, godes andsacan.
Sume sceolon hweorfan geond hæleða land
and unsibbe oft onstyrian
monna mægðum geond middaneard.
Ic her geþolian sceal þinga æghwylces,
bitres niðæs beala gnornian,
sic and sorhful, þæs ic seolfa weold,
þonne ic on heofonum ham staðelode,
hwæðer us se eca æfre wille
on heofona rice ham alefan,
eðel to æhte, swa he ær dyde."
Swa gnornedon godes andsacan,
hate on helle. Him wæs hælend god
wrað geworden for womcwidum.
Forþon mæg gehycgan, se ðe his heorte deah,
þæt he him afirre frecne geþohtas,
laðe leahtras, lifigendra gehwylc.
Gemunan symle on mode meotodes strengðo;
gearwian us togenes grene stræte
up to englum, þær is se ælmihtiga god.
And us befæðman wile freobearn godes,
gif we þæt on eorðan ær geþencað,
and us to þam halgan helpe gelefað.
þonne he us no forlæteð, ah lif syleð
uppe mid englum, eadigne dream.
Tæceð us se torhta trumlicne ham,
beorhte burhweallas. Beorhte scinað
gesælige sawle, sorgum bedælde,
þær heo æfre forð wunian moten
cestre and cynestol. Uton cyþan þæt!
Deman we on eorðan, ærror lifigend,
onlucan mid listum locen waldendes,
ongeotan gastlice! Us ongean cumað
þusend engla, gif þider moton,
and þæt on eorðan ær gewyrcað.
Forþon se bið eadig se ðe æfre wile
man oferhycgen, meotode cweman,
synne adwæscan. Swa he sylfa cwæð:
"Soðfæste men, sunnan gelice,
fægre gefrætewod in heora fæder rice
scinað in sceldbyrig." þær heo sceppend seolf
friðe befæðmeð, fæder mancynnes,
ahefeð holdlice in heofones leoht,
þær heo mid wuldorcyninge wunian moton
awa to aldre,
agan dreama dream mid drihtne gode,
a to worulde a buton ende.
Eala hwæt! Se awyrgda wraðe geþohte
þæt he heofencyninge heran ne wolde,
fæder frefergendum. Flor attre weol,
hat under hæftum; hreopan deofla,
wide geond windsele wean cwanedon,
man and morður. Wæs seo menego þær
swylce onæled; wæs þæt eall full strong,
þonne wæs heora aldor, þe ðær ærest com
forð on feþan, fæste gebunden
fyre and lige. þæt wæs fæstlic þreat;
ec sceoldon his þegnas þær gewunian
atolan eðles, nalles up þanon
geheran in heofonum haligne dream,
þær heo oft fægerne folgað hæfdon
uppe mid englum. Wæron þa alles þæs
goda lease, ah nymþe gryndes ad
wunian ne moten and þone werigan sele
þær is wom and wop wide gehered,
and gristbitungc and gnornungc mecga.
Nabbað he to hyhte nymþe cyle and fyr,
wean and witu and wyrma þreat,
dracan and næddran and þone dimman ham.
Forðon mihte geheran, se ðe æt hylle wæs
twelf milum neh, þæt ðær wæs toða geheaw,
hlude and geomre. Godes andsacan
hweorfan geond helle hate onæled
ufan and utan (him wæs æghwær wa),
witum werige, wuldres bescyrede,
dreamum bedælde. Heofon deop gehygd,
þa heo on heofonum ham staðelodon,
þæt hie woldon benæman nergendne Crist
rodera rices, ah he on riht geheold
hired heofona and þæt halige seld.
Nis nænig swa snotor ne swa cræftig,
ne þæs swa gleaw, nymþe god seolfa,
þæt asecgan mæge swegles leoman,
hu scima þær scineð ymbutan
meotodes mihte, geond þæt mære cynn,
þær habbað englas eadigne dream,
sanctas singað (þæt is se seolfa) for god.
þonne beoð þa eadigan þe of eorðan cumað,
bringað to bearme blostman stences,
wyrte wynsume (þæt synd word godes),
þonne hie befæðmeð fæder mancynnes,
and hie gesegnað mid his swiðran hond,
lædeð to lihte, þær hi lif agon
a to aldre, uplicne ham,
byrhtne burhstyde. Blæd bið æghwæm
þæm ðe hælende heran þenceð,
and wel is þam ðe þæt wyrcan mot.
Wæs þæt encgelcyn ær genemned,
Lucifer haten, leohtberende,
on geardagum in godes rice.
þa he in wuldre wrohte onstalde
þæt he oferhyda agan wolde.

MLA

Anonymous (Old English). Christ and Satan (Old English), Lines 248–369. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/work/christ-and-satan-oe/2/.

Chicago

Anonymous (Old English). Christ and Satan (Old English), Lines 248–369. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/work/christ-and-satan-oe/2/.

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