The Exeter Book (Jebson)/The Wife's Lament
Ic þis giedd wrece bī mē ful gēomorre,
mīnre sylfre sīð. Ic þæt secgan mæg,
hwæt ic yrmþa gebād, siþþan ic ūp āwēox,[1]
nīwes oþþe ealdes, nō mā þonne nū.
Ā ic wite wonn mīnra wræcsīþa. 5
Ǣrest mīn hlāford gewāt heonan of lēodum
ofer ȳþa gelāc; hæfde ic ūhtceare
hwǣr mīn lēodfruma londes wǣre.
Ðā ic mē fēran gewāt folgað sēcan,
winelēas wræcca, for mīnre wēaþearfe. 10
Ongunnon þæt þæs monnes māgas hycgan
þurh dyrne geþōht, þæt hȳ tōdǣlden unc,
þæt wit gewīdost in woruldrīce
lifdon lāðlicost, ond mec longade.
Hēt mec hlāford mīn herheard niman, 15
āhte ic lēofra lȳt on þissum londstede,
holdra frēonda. Forþon is mīn hyge gēomor.
Ðā ic mē ful gemæcne monnan funde,
heardsǣligne, hygegēomorne,
mōd mīþendne, morþor hycgendne[2] 20
blīþe gebǣro. Ful oft wit bēotedan
þæt unc ne gedǣlde nemne dēað āna
ōwiht elles; eft is þæt onhworfen,
is nū swa hit nǣfre[3] wǣre
frēondscipe uncer. Sceal[4] ic feor ge nēah 25
mīnes felalēofan fǣhðu drēogan.
Heht mec mon wunian on wuda bearwe,
under āctrēo in þām eorðscræfe.
Eald is þes eorðsele, eal ic eom oflongad,
sindon dena dimme, dūna ūphēa, 30
bitre burgtūnas, brērum beweaxne,
wīc wynna lēas. Ful oft mec hēr wrāþe begeat
fromsīþ frēan. Frȳnd sind on eorþan,
lēofe lifgende, leger weardiað,
þonne ic on uhtan āna gonge 35
under āctrēo geond þās eorðscrafu.
Þǣr ic sittan[5] mōt sumorlangne dæg,
þǣr ic wēpan mæg mīne wræcsīþas,
earfoþa fela; forþon ic ǣfre ne mæg
þǣre mōdceare mīnre gerestan, 40
ne ealles þæs longaþes þe mec on þissum līfe begeat.
Ā scyle geong mon wesan gēomormōd,
heard heortan geþōht, swylce habban sceal
blīþe gebǣro, ēac þon brēostceare,
sinsorgna gedreag. Sȳ æt him sylfum gelong 45
eal his worulde wyn, sȳ ful wīde fāh
feorres folclondes, þæt mīn frēond siteð
under stānhliþe storme behrīmed,
wine wērigmōd, wætre beflōwen
on drēorsele, drēogeð se mīn wine 50
micle mōdceare; hē gemon tō oft
wynlicran wīc. Wā bið þām þe sceal
of langoþe lēofes ābīdan.
Notes[edit]