Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/11

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search

An annotated version of this text is available.

3420697Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book — Riddle 11 (K-D 40)1963Paull Franklin Baum


11 (K-D 40)

Eternal is the Creator    who controls this earth now
on its foundations …    [and] holds the world.
Strong is the Ruler    and King by right,
mighty over all.    The earth and the heavens
He holds and wields    as He encircles them about.
Me he wondrously    made at the beginning
when at the first    he established this universe.
He bade me to live    long unsleeping
that I slumber not    forever after.
And me suddenly    sleep overcomes;10
both my eyes    are quickly closed.
All this world    the mighty Lord
moves with mastery    in all its parts;
so that I at the world    of the mighty ruler
all this universe    encircle about.
I am so timid    that a fleeting phantom
terribly can    fill me with fright;
and I am everywhere    bolder than a boar
when swollen with fury    it stands at bay.
No banner-bearer    can overcome me20
throughout the world    save God alone
who holds and rules    this high heaven.
My fragrance is stronger    . . . .
than any incense    or any rose
in the field of earth    . . . .
beautifully blooms;    I am stronger than that.
Although the lily    is precious to men,
and bright of blossom    I am better than it;
thus the odor of nard    I (quite) overcome
with my very sweetness    ever and everywhere.30
And I am fouler    than this black fen
that here evilly    smells of filth.
And I govern    under heaven’s expanse
as the beloved Father    taught me at the start,
that I must rule    with right justice
over thick and thin,    and everywhere hold
the form and feature    of every thing.
I am brighter than heaven;    the high King bids me
to hold and cherish    his secret treasures.
I scan all things also    under the earth,40
the dirty dens    of evil spirits.
I am very much older    than this universe
or this middle-world    could ever be.
I was yesterday born,    a child begotten
to the glory of man,    from my mother’s womb.
Fairer I am    than ornaments of gold,
although they be covered    with delicate work.
I am filthier too    than this foul wood
or this seaweed    that lies cast up here.
I am wider than the world    any and everywhere50
and extend farther    than this green meadow.
A hand can seize me    and three fingers
can easily embrace me    all round about.
I am harder and colder    than the hard frost;
the grim rime    when it comes on the ground.
[I am] hotter than Vulcan’s    up-ascending
fire and brightly    shining flame.
I am on the palate    of men sweeter
than the honeycomb    when filled with honey.
Just so am I bitterer    than wormwood is60
that darkly stands    here in the forest.
Feed I can    even more mightily
and eat just as much    as an old giant,
and I always can live    a happy life
though I see no food    my whole life long.
I can fly more boldly    than the pernex[1] can
or eagle or hawk    ever could.
There is no Zephyrus,    that rapid wind,
that can anywhere    so boldly move.
The snail is swifter than I,    the earthworm faster,70
the swamp frog    more active in movement
and the offspring of dung    is quicker in stirring,
which we call “beetle,”    when we give it a name.
I am heavier far    than the gray stone
or a lump of lead    which is not small.
I am much lighter    than this little bug
which walks on the water    with dry feet;
than the flint I am harder    which drives this fire
from this strong,    this hard, steel.
I am softer far    than the downy feather80
that here in the wind    flutters on the air.
I am everywhere    broader than all the earth
and farther extend    than this green meadow.[2]
I encircle …    all round about
wondrously woven    with wonderful skill.
Under me there is    no other
more powerful wight    among living things.
I am above    the creatures all
which our Lord    did create
who can me alone    by His eternal power90
restrain by force    from exceeding my bounds.
I am greater and stronger    than the large whale
which looks on the bottom    of the sea-deeps
with dim vision;    I am mightier than he
even as I am less    in my own strength
than the handworm which    the sons of men
in skilful manner    dig out with a knife.
I have on my head    no white locks,
cunningly curled,    but I am quite bald;
nor could I enjoy    eyelids or eyebrows.90
But me the Creator    deprived of them all.
Now wondrously    grow on my head
so that they may    shine on my shoulders,
full wondrously,    curly locks.
I am bigger and fatter    than the masty swine,
the grunting boar    in the beech forest
that dark and rooting    happy lives,
so that he …    . . . .

This is a fairly close rendering of Aldhelm’s hundredth and final riddle, De Creatura. The method is the same as that in 50 (K-D 35), q.v., which is based on Aldhelm’s De Lorica and perhaps the same man was the translator: generally two lines for each of Aldhelm’s hexameters—at least through l. 79. This use of two lines for one is responsible for the thinness of the style, as bald and unconvincing as the present version. For example, compare the opening lines of the Latin:

The Creator, who established the ages on eternal pillars, the Ruler of kingdoms, who bridles the lightnings by his law, while the heights of the widespreading universe are swaying to and fro into space, formed me in various shapes, when in the beginning he founded the world. (Wyatt’s translation.)

The Anglo-Saxon translator omitted most of the classical allusions, except Vulcan (l. 56) and Zephyrus (l. 68), but retained the word pernix (Aldhelm l. 35), which he obviously did not understand. Then beginning at l. 83 there are further examples of his misunderstanding of the Latin, which suggests that a different translator took over. Moreover, after l. 79 there are two lines not in Aldhelm and then a skip of Aldhelm’s ll. 43–61, though some of the lines omitted are picked up at the end. Altogether Aldhelm has 83 hexameters; Riddle 40 has 107 lines, having left out some 25 lines of the Latin, partly of course because our Anglo-Saxon text is incomplete.


  1. An imaginary bird for Aldhelm’s pernix aquilis (swift eagle). Chaucer, House of Fame, iii, 302, made partridges’ wings out of Virgil’s pernicibus alis.
  2. This line repeats l. 5 above.