The Dream of the Rood

by Anonymous

Hwæt! Ic swefna cyst⁠secgan wylle,
hwæt^[1] mē gemǣtte⁠tō midre nihte,
syðþan reordberend⁠reste wunedon.
Þūhte mē þæt ic gesāwe⁠syllicre trēow
on lyft lǣdan,⁠lēohte bewunden, 5
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
fægere þurh forðgesceaft;⁠ne wæs ðǣr hūru fracodes gealga, 10
ac hine þǣr behēoldon⁠hālige gāstas,
men ofer moldan,⁠ond eall þēos mǣre gesceaft.

Syllic wæs se sigebēam,⁠ond ic synnum fāh,
forwundod mid wommum.⁠Geseah ic wuldres trēow,
wǣdum geweorðode,⁠wynnum scīnan, 15
gegyred mid golde;⁠gimmas hæfdon
bewrigene weorðlīce⁠Wealdendes^[3] trēow.
Hwæðre ic þurh þæt gold⁠ongytan meahte
earmra ǣrgewin,⁠þæt hit ǣrest ongan
swǣtan on þā swīðran healfe.⁠Eall ic wæs mid sorgum^[4] gedrēfed, 20
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 licgende⁠lange hwīle
behēold hrēowcearig⁠Hǣlendes trēow, 25
oð ðæt ic gehȳrde⁠þæt hit hlēoðrode;
ongan þā word sprecan⁠wudu sēlesta:
"Þæt wæs gēara iū,⁠– ic þæt gȳta geman –
þæt ic wæs āhēawen⁠holtes on ende,
āstyred of stefne mīnum.⁠Genāman mē ðǣr strange fēondas, 30
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.
Þǣr ic þā ne dorste⁠ofer Dryhtnes word 35
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! –
strang ond stīðmōd.⁠Gestāh hē on gealgan hēanne, 40
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,
heofona Hlāford;⁠hyldan mē ne dorste. 45
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.

Feala ic on þām beorge⁠gebiden hæbbe 50
wrāðra wyrda:⁠geseah ic weruda God
þearle þenian.⁠Þȳstro hæfdon
bewrigen mid wolcnum⁠Wealdendes hrǣw,
scīrne scīman,⁠sceadu forð ēode,
wann under wolcnum.⁠Wēop eal gesceaft, 55
cwīðdon cyninges fyll:⁠Crīst wæs on rōde.
Hwæðere þǣr fūse⁠feorran cwōman
tō þām Æðelinge;⁠ic þæt eall behēold.
Sāre ic wæs mid sorgum^[5] gedrēfed,⁠hnāg ic hwæðre þām secgum tō handa,
ēaðmōd elne mycle.⁠Genāmon hīe þǣr ælmihtigne god, 60
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,
mēðe æfter ðām miclan gewinne.⁠Ongunnon him þā moldern wyrcan 65
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.
Hwæðere wē ðǣr grēotende^[6]⁠gōde hwīle 70
stōdon on staðole,⁠stefn^[7] up gewāt
hilderinca;⁠hrǣw cōlode,
fæger feorgbold.⁠Þā ūs man fyllan ongan
ealle tō eorðan;⁠þæt wæs egeslic wyrd!
Bedealf ūs man on dēopan sēaþe;⁠hwæðre mē þǣr Dryhtnes þegnas, 75
frēondas gefrūnon,
gyredon mē⁠golde ond seolfre.

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

Nū ic þē hāte,⁠hæleð mīn se lēofa, 95
þæt ðū þās gesyhðe⁠secge mannum,
onwrēoh wordum⁠þæt hit is wuldres bēam,
se ðe ælmihtig god⁠on þrōwode
for mancynnes⁠manegum synnum
ond Adomes⁠ealdgewyrhtum. 100
Dēað hē þǣr byrigde,⁠hwæðere eft dryhten ārās
mid his miclan mihte⁠mannum tō helpe.
Hē ðā on heofenas āstāg.⁠Hider eft fundaþ
on þysne middangeard⁠mancynn sēcan
on dōmdæge⁠Dryhten sylfa, 105
ælmihtig God⁠and his englas mid,
þæt hē þonne wile dēman,⁠se āh dōmes geweald,
ānra gehwylcum⁠swā hē him ǣrur hēr
on þyssum lǣnum⁠līfe geearnaþ.
Ne mæg þǣr ǣnig⁠unforht wesan 110
for þām worde⁠þe se Wealdend cwyð:
frīneð hē for þǣre mænige⁠hwǣr se man sīe,
se ðe for Dryhtnes naman⁠dēaðes wolde
biteres onbyrigan,⁠swā hē ǣr on ðām bēame dyde.
Ac hīe þonne forhtiað,⁠ond fēa þencaþ 115
hwæt hīe tō Crīste⁠cweðan onginnen.
Ne þearf ðǣr þonne ǣnig⁠anforht^[8] wesan
þe him ǣr in brēostum bereð⁠bēacna sēlest;
ac ðurh ðā rōde sceal⁠rīce gesēcan
of eorðwege⁠ǣghwylc sāwl, 120
sēo þe mid Wealdende⁠wunian þenceð."

Gebæd ic mē þā tō þām^[9] bēame⁠blīðe mōde,
elne mycle,⁠þǣr ic āna wæs
mǣte werede.⁠Wæs mōdsefa
āfȳsed on forðwege,⁠feala ealra gebād 125
langunghwīla.⁠Is mē nū līfes hyht
þæt ic þone sigebēam⁠sēcan mōte
āna oftor⁠þonne ealle men,
well weorþian.⁠Mē is willa tō ðām
mycel on mōde,⁠and mīn mundbyrd is 130
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 heofenum⁠mid Hēahfædere,
wuniaþ on wuldre;⁠and ic wēne mē 135
daga gehwylce⁠hwænne mē Dryhtnes rōd,
þe ic hēr on eorðan⁠ǣr scēawode,
on þysson lǣnan⁠līfe gefetige
ond mē þonne gebringe⁠þǣr is blis mycel,
drēam on heofonum,⁠þǣr is dryhtnes folc 140
geseted tō symle,⁠þǣr is singāl blis,
ond mē^[10] þonne āsette⁠þǣr ic syþþan mōt
wunian on wuldre,⁠well mid þām hālgum
drēames brūcan.⁠Sī mē Dryhten frēond,
se ðe hēr on eorþan⁠ǣr þrōwode 145
on þām gealgtrēowe⁠for guman synnum;
hē ūs onlȳsde⁠ond ūs līf forgeaf,
heofonlicne hām.⁠Hiht wæs genīwad
mid blēdum and mid blisse⁠þām þe þǣr bryne þolodan.
Se Sunu wæs sigorfæst⁠on þām sīðfate, 150
mihtig and spēdig,⁠þā hē mid manigeo cōm,
gāsta weorode,⁠on Godes rīce,
Anwealda ælmihtig,⁠englum tō blisse
and eallum ðām hālgum⁠þām þe on heofonum ǣr
wunedon on wuldre,⁠þā heora Wealdend cwōm, 155
ælmihtig God,⁠þær his ēðel wæs.

Notes

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