Solomon and Saturn (Old English) · c. 10th century
Lines 370–489
Salomon cuæð:
"Ac forhwam næron eorðwelan ealle gedæled
leodum gelice? Sum to lyt hafað,
godes grædig; hine god seteð
ðurh geearnunga eadgum to ræste."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Ac forhwan beoð ða gesiðas somod ætgædre,
wop and hleahtor? Full oft hie weorðgeornra
sælða toslitað; hu gesæleð ðæt?"
Salomon cuæð:
"Unlæde bið and ormod se ðe a wile
geomrian on gihðe; se bið gode fracoðast."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Forhwon ne moton we ðonne ealle mid onmedlan
gegnum gangan in godes rice?"
Salomon cwæð:
"Ne mæg fyres feng ne forstes cile,
snaw ne sunne somod eardian,
aldor geæfnan, ac hira sceal anra gehwylc
onlutan and onliðigan ðe hafað læsse mægn."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Ac forhwon ðonne leofað se wyrsa leng?
Se wyrsa ne wat in woroldrice
on his mægwinum maran are."
Salomon cwæð:
"Ne mæg mon forildan ænige hwile
ðone deoran sið, ac he hine adreogan sceall."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Ac hu gegangeð ðæt? Gode oððe yfle,
ðonne hie beoð ðurh ane idese acende,
twegen getwinnas, ne bið hira tir gelic.
Oðer bið unlæde on eorðan, oðer bið eadig,
swiðe leoftæle mid leoda duguðum;
oðer leofað lytle hwile,
swiceð on ðisse sidan gesceafte, and ðonne eft mid sorgum gewiteð.
Fricge ic ðec, hlaford Salomon, hwæðres bið hira folgoð betra?"
Salomon cuæð:
"Modor ne rædeð, ðonne heo magan cenneð,
hu him weorðe geond worold widsið sceapen.
Oft heo to bealwe bearn afedeð,
seolfre to sorge, siððan dreogeð
his earfoðu orlegstunde.
Heo ðæs afran sceall oft and gelome
grimme greotan, ðonne he geong færeð,
hafað wilde mod, werige heortan,
sefan sorgfullne, slideð geneahhe,
werig, wilna leas, wuldres bedæled,
hwilum higegeomor healle weardað,
leofað leodum feor; locað geneahhe
fram ðam unlædan agen hlaford.
Forðan nah seo modor geweald, ðonne heo magan cenneð,
bearnes blædes, ac sceall on gebyrd faran
an æfter anum; ðæt is eald gesceaft."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Ac forhwan nele monn him on giogoðe georne gewyrcan
deores dryhtscipes and dædfruman,
wadan on wisdom, winnan æfter snytro?"
Salomon cwæð:
"Hwæt! Him mæg eadig eorl eaðe geceosan
on his modsefan mildne hlaford,
anne æðeling. Ne mæg don unlæde swa."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Ac forhwam winneð ðis wæter geond woroldrice,
dreogeð deop gesceaft? Ne mot on dæg restan,
neahtes neðyð, cræfte tyð,
cristnað and clænsað cwicra manigo,
wuldre gewlitigað. Ic wihte ne cann
forhwan se stream ne mot stillan neahtes."
"his lifes fæðme. Simle hit bið his lareowum hyrsum;
full oft hit eac ðæs deofles dugoð gehnægeð,
ðær weotena bið worn gesamnod.
ðonne snottrum men snæd oððglideð,
ða he be leohte gesihð, luteð æfter,
gesegnað and gesyfleð and him sylf friteð.
Swilc bið seo an snæd æghwylcum men
selre micle, gif heo gesegnod bið,
to ðycgganne, gif he hit geðencan cann,
ðonne him sie seofon daga symbelgereordu.
Leoht hafað heow and had haliges gastes,
Cristes gecyndo; hit ðæt gecyðeð full oft.
Gif hit unwitan ænige hwile
healdað butan hæftum, hit ðurh hrof wædeð,
bryceð and bærneð boldgetimbru,
seomað steap and geap, stigeð on lenge,
clymmeð on gecyndo, cunnað hwænne mote
fyr on his frumsceaft on fæder geardas,
eft to his eðle, ðanon hit æror cuom.
Hit bið eallenga eorl to gesihðe,
ðam ðe gedælan can dryhtnes ðecelan,
forðon nis nænegu gecynd cuiclifigende,
ne fugel ne fisc ne foldan stan,
ne wæteres wylm ne wudutelga,
ne munt ne mor ne ðes middangeard,
ðæt he forð ne sie fyrenes cynnes."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Full oft ic frode menn fyrn gehyrde
secggan and swerian ymb sume wisan,
hwæðer wære twegra butan tweon strengra,
wyrd ðe warnung, ðonne hie winnað oft
mid hira ðreamedlan, hwæðerne aðreoteð ær.
Ic to soðon wat; sægdon me geara
Filistina witan, ðonne we on geflitum sæton,
bocum tobræddon and on bearm legdon,
meðelcwidas mengdon, moniges fengon,
ðæt nære nænig manna middangeardes
ðæt meahte ðara twega tuion aspyrian."
Salomon cwæð:
"Wyrd bið wended hearde, wealleð swiðe geneahhe;
heo wop weceð, heo wean hladeð,
heo gast scyð, heo ger byreð,
and hwæðre him mæg wissefa wyrda gehwylce
gemetigian, gif he bið modes gleaw
and to his freondum wile fultum secan,
ðeh hwæðre godcundes gæstes brucan."
Saturnus cwæð:
"Ac hwæt witeð us wyrd seo swiðe,
eallra fyrena fruma, fæhðo modor,
weana wyrtwela, wopes heafod,
frumscylda gehwæs fæder and modor,
deaðes dohtor? Ac tohwan drohtað heo mid us?
Cite this text
MLA
Anonymous (Old English). Solomon and Saturn (Old English), Lines 370–489. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/work/solomon-and-saturn-oe/3/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Old English). Solomon and Saturn (Old English), Lines 370–489. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/work/solomon-and-saturn-oe/3/.