Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/Annotated/29

29 (k-d 15)

My neck is white,     my head is tawny and so are my sides.     I am swift in my stride. I bear weapons of battle.     On my back there is hair and the same on my cheeks.     Over my eyes two ears stand up.     I walk on my toes in the green grass.     My doom is certain if anyone finds me,     if a slaughterous fighter finds me hidden     where I make my home, bold with my bairns.     And there I abide with my little family     when the stranger comes to my very doors.     Death is their doom. I must carry them off,     save them by flight with fear in my heart     away from my home. If he crowds me hard,     moving on his belly, I dare not abide     that fierce one in my burrow (that would be surely     not a good counsel) but bravely I must     with both hands and feet create a path     through the high hill. Easily I can save them,     my beloved kin, if I can bring my household     by a secret way through the hollow hill;     for there I need fear never a whit     the murderous whelp. If the hateful foe     follows me hard through the narrow track     he shall have no lack of the clash of battle     when we meet in the burrow; when I get to the top     of the hill and turn on him with weapons of war,     whom I formerly fled from.

10 20

Hals is min hwit     ⁊ heafod fealo sidan swa some     swift ic eom on feþe beadowæpen bere     me on bæce standað her swylce swe on leorum     hlifiað tu earan ofer eagum     ordum ic steppe in grenne græs     me bið gyrn witod gif mec onhæle     an onfindeð wælgrim wiga     þær ic wic buge blod mid bearnum     ⁊ ic bide þær mid geoguðcnosle     hwonne gæst cume to durum minū     him biþ deað witod · forþon ic sceal of eðle     eaforan mine forhtmod fergan     fleame nergan gif he me æfter weard     ealles wearþeð hineberað breost     ic his biddan ne dear reþes on geruman     nele þæt ræd teale ac ic sceal fromlice     feþemundū þurh steapne beorg     stræte wyrcan eaþe ic mæg freora     feorh genergan gif ic mægburge mot     mine gelædan onde golne weg     þurh dum þyrel swæse ⁊ gesibbe     ic me siþþan ne þearf wælhwelpes wig     wiht onsittan gifre niðsceaþa     nearwe stige me on swaþe seceþ     ne tosæleþ hī on þam gegnpaþe     guþgemotes siþþan ic þurh hylles     hrof geræce ⁊ þurh hest hrino     hildepilum laðgewinnum     þam þe ic longe fleah

Badger. The coloring is not quite accurate, but near enough, and some allowance must be made for evasive detail. The word hildepilum in l. 28 properly means ‘javelins’ or ‘darts’ and has suggested that the porcupine was meant. But the riddler has a good answer. He has loaded his lines with epic compounds—six of them hapaxes—evidently to create an atmosphere of heroic battle. When the badger gets into the open he fights the dog as man to man.