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The Dream of the Rood

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The Dream of the Rood
Anonymous

The Dream of the Rood is one of the earliest Christian poems in the corpus of Anglo-Saxon literature and an intriguing example of the genre of dream poetry. Like all Old English poetry, it is written in alliterative verse. Rood is from the Old English rōd "pole", specifically "crucifix". Preserved in the 10th century Vercelli Book, the poem may be considerably older, even one of the oldest works of Old English literature.

334983The Dream of the RoodAnonymous
Hwæt! Ic swefna cyst  secgan wylle,
hwæt[1] mē gemǣtte  tō midre nihte,
syðþan reordberend  reste wunedon.
Þūhte mē þæt ic gesāwe  syllicre trēow
5 on lyft lǣdan,  lēohte bewunden,
bēama beorhtost.  Eall þæt bēacen wæs
begoten mid golde;  gimmas stōdon
fægere æt foldan scēatum,  swylce þǣr fīfe wǣron
uppe on þām eaxlgespanne[2].  Behēoldon þǣr engel dryhtnes ealle
10 fægere þurh forðgesceaft;  ne wæs ðǣr hūru fracodes gealga,
ac hine þǣr behēoldon  hālige gāstas,
men ofer moldan,  ond eall þēos mǣre gesceaft.

Syllic wæs se sigebēam,  ond ic synnum fāh,
forwundod mid wommum.  Geseah ic wuldres trēow,
15 wǣdum geweorðode,  wynnum scīnan,
gegyred mid golde;  gimmas hæfdon
bewrigene weorðlīce  Wealdendes[3] trēow.
Hwæðre ic þurh þæt gold  ongytan meahte
earmra ǣrgewin,  þæt hit ǣrest ongan
20 swǣtan on þā swīðran healfe.  Eall ic wæs mid sorgum[4] gedrēfed,
forht ic wæs for þǣre fægran gesyhðe.  Geseah ic þæt fūse bēacen
wendan wǣdum ond blēom;  hwīlum hit wæs mid wǣtan bestēmed,
beswyled mid swātes gange,  hwīlum mid since gegyrwed.

Hwæðre ic þǣr licgende  lange hwīle
25 behēold hrēowcearig  Hǣlendes trēow,
oð ðæt ic gehȳrde  þæt hit hlēoðrode;
ongan þā word sprecan  wudu sēlesta:
"Þæt wæs gēara iū,  – ic þæt gȳta geman –
þæt ic wæs āhēawen  holtes on ende,
30 āstyred of stefne mīnum.  Genāman mē ðǣr strange fēondas,
geworhton him þǣr tō wǣfersȳne,  hēton mē heora wergas hebban;
bǣron mē ðǣr beornas on eaxlum,  oð ðæt hīe mē on beorg āsetton,
gefæstnodon mē þǣr fēondas genōge.  Geseah ic þā Frēan mancynnes
efstan elne micle,  þæt hē mē wolde on gestīgan.
35 Þǣr ic þā ne dorste  ofer Dryhtnes word
būgan oððe berstan,  þā ic bifian geseah
eorðan scēatas.  Ealle ic mihte
fēondas gefyllan,  hwæðre ic fæste stōd.
Ongyrede hine þā geong hæleð,  – þæt wæs God ælmihtig! –
40 strang ond stīðmōd.  Gestāh hē on gealgan hēanne,
mōdig on manigra gesyhðe,  þā hē wolde mancyn lȳsan.
Bifode ic þā mē se beorn ymbclypte.  Ne dorste ic hwæðre bugan to eorðan,
feallan tō foldan scēatum,  ac ic sceolde fæste standan.
Rōd wæs ic ārǣred;  āhōf ic rīcne Cyning,
45 heofona Hlāford;  hyldan mē ne dorste.
Þurhdrifan hī mē mid deorcan næglum;  on mē syndon þā dolg gesīene,
opene inwidhlemmas;  ne dorste ic hira ǣnigum sceððan.
Bysmeredon hīe unc būtū ætgædere.  Eall ic wæs mid blōde bestēmed,
begoten of þæs guman sīdan,  siððan hē hæfde his gāst onsended.

50 Feala ic on þām beorge  gebiden hæbbe
wrāðra wyrda:  geseah ic weruda God
þearle þenian.  Þȳstro hæfdon
bewrigen mid wolcnum  Wealdendes hrǣw,
scīrne scīman,  sceadu forð ēode,
55 wann under wolcnum.  Wēop eal gesceaft,
cwīðdon cyninges fyll:  Crīst wæs on rōde.
Hwæðere þǣr fūse  feorran cwōman
tō þām Æðelinge;  ic þæt eall behēold.
Sāre ic wæs mid sorgum[5] gedrēfed,  hnāg ic hwæðre þām secgum tō handa,
60 ēaðmōd elne mycle.  Genāmon hīe þǣr ælmihtigne god,
āhōfon hine of ðām hefian wīte;  forlēton mē þā hilderincas
standan stēame bedrifenne;  eall ic wæs mid strǣlum forwundod.
Ālēdon hīe ðǣr limwērigne,  gestōdon him æt his līces hēafdum;
behēoldon hīe ðǣr heofenes Dryhten,  ond hē hine ðǣr hwīle reste,
65 mēðe æfter ðām miclan gewinne.  Ongunnon him þā moldern wyrcan
beornas on banan gesyhðe;  curfon hīe ðæt of beorhtan stāne,
gesetton hīe ðǣron sigora Wealdend.  Ongunnon him þā sorhlēoð galan
earme on þā ǣfentīde,  þā hīe woldon eft sīðian,
mēðe fram þām mǣran Þēodne;  reste hē ðǣr mǣte weorode.
70 Hwæðere wē ðǣr grēotende[6]  gōde hwīle
stōdon on staðole,  stefn[7] up gewāt
hilderinca;  hrǣw cōlode,
fæger feorgbold.  Þā ūs man fyllan ongan
ealle tō eorðan;  þæt wæs egeslic wyrd!
75 Bedealf ūs man on dēopan sēaþe;  hwæðre mē þǣr Dryhtnes þegnas,
frēondas gefrūnon,
gyredon mē  golde ond seolfre.

Nū ðū miht gehȳran,  hæleð mīn se lēofa,
þæt ic bealuwara weorc  gebiden hæbbe,
80 sārra sorga.  Is nū sǣl cumen
þæt mē weorðiað  wīde and sīde
menn ofer moldan  and eall þēos mǣre gesceaft,
gebiddaþ him tō þyssum bēacne.  On mē Bearn Godes
þrōwode hwīle;  for þan ic þrymfæst nū
85 hlīfige under heofenum,  and ic hǣlan mæg
ǣghwylcne ānra  þāra þe him bið egesa tō mē.
Iū ic wæs geworden  wīta heardost,
lēodum lāðost,  ǣr þan ic him līfes weg
rihtne gerȳmde,  reordberendum.
90 Hwæt, mē þā geweorþode  wuldres Ealdor
ofer holmwudu,  heofonrīces Weard,
swylce swā hē his mōdor ēac,  Marīan sylfe,
ælmihtig God  for ealle menn
geweorðode  ofer eall wīfa cynn.

95 Nū ic þē hāte,  hæleð mīn se lēofa,
þæt ðū þās gesyhðe  secge mannum,
onwrēoh wordum  þæt hit is wuldres bēam,
se ðe ælmihtig god  on þrōwode
for mancynnes  manegum synnum
100 ond Adomes  ealdgewyrhtum.
Dēað hē þǣr byrigde,  hwæðere eft dryhten ārās
mid his miclan mihte  mannum tō helpe.
Hē ðā on heofenas āstāg.  Hider eft fundaþ
on þysne middangeard  mancynn sēcan
105 on dōmdæge  Dryhten sylfa,
ælmihtig God  and his englas mid,
þæt hē þonne wile dēman,  se āh dōmes geweald,
ānra gehwylcum  swā hē him ǣrur hēr
on þyssum lǣnum  līfe geearnaþ.
110 Ne mæg þǣr ǣnig  unforht wesan
for þām worde  þe se Wealdend cwyð:
frīneð hē for þǣre mænige  hwǣr se man sīe,
se ðe for Dryhtnes naman  dēaðes wolde
biteres onbyrigan,  swā hē ǣr on ðām bēame dyde.
115 Ac hīe þonne forhtiað,  ond fēa þencaþ
hwæt hīe tō Crīste  cweðan onginnen.
Ne þearf ðǣr þonne ǣnig  anforht[8] wesan
þe him ǣr in brēostum bereð  bēacna sēlest;
ac ðurh ðā rōde sceal  rīce gesēcan
120 of eorðwege  ǣghwylc sāwl,
sēo þe mid Wealdende  wunian þenceð."

Gebæd ic mē þā tō þām[9] bēame  blīðe mōde,
elne mycle,  þǣr ic āna wæs
mǣte werede.  Wæs mōdsefa
125 āfȳsed on forðwege,  feala ealra gebād
langunghwīla.  Is mē nū līfes hyht
þæt ic þone sigebēam  sēcan mōte
āna oftor  þonne ealle men,
well weorþian.  Mē is willa tō ðām
130 mycel on mōde,  and mīn mundbyrd is
geriht tō þǣre rōde.  Nāh ic rīcra feala
frēonda on foldan,  ac hīe forð heonon
gewiton of worulde drēamum,  sōhton him wuldres Cyning,
lifiaþ nū on heofenum  mid Hēahfædere,
135 wuniaþ on wuldre;  and ic wēne mē
daga gehwylce  hwænne mē Dryhtnes rōd,
þe ic hēr on eorðan  ǣr scēawode,
on þysson lǣnan  līfe gefetige
ond mē þonne gebringe  þǣr is blis mycel,
140 drēam on heofonum,  þǣr is dryhtnes folc
geseted tō symle,  þǣr is singāl blis,
ond mē[10] þonne āsette  þǣr ic syþþan mōt
wunian on wuldre,  well mid þām hālgum
drēames brūcan.  Sī mē Dryhten frēond,
145 se ðe hēr on eorþan  ǣr þrōwode
on þām gealgtrēowe  for guman synnum;
hē ūs onlȳsde  ond ūs līf forgeaf,
heofonlicne hām.  Hiht wæs genīwad
mid blēdum and mid blisse  þām þe þǣr bryne þolodan.
150 Se Sunu wæs sigorfæst  on þām sīðfate,
mihtig and spēdig,  þā hē mid manigeo cōm,
gāsta weorode,  on Godes rīce,
Anwealda ælmihtig,  englum tō blisse
and eallum ðām hālgum  þām þe on heofonum ǣr
155 wunedon on wuldre,  þā heora Wealdend cwōm,
ælmihtig God,  þær his ēðel wæs.

Notes

[edit]
  1. MS hæt
  2. MS eaxlegespanne
  3. MS wealdes
  4. MS surgum
  5. Sorgum supplied by editors; not in MS
  6. MS reotende
  7. MS syððan
  8. MS unforht
  9. MS þan
  10. MS he