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Old English Poems: Translated into the Original Meter Together with Short Selections from Old English Prose

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Old English Poems: Translated into the Original Meter Together with Short Selections from Old English Prose

English poetry -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 -- Modernized versions

How gifts have been given me     by the great men of earth.
        I was with the Huns     and with the Hraeda-Goths,
      With the Swedes and with the Geats     and with the southern Danes,
      With the Wenlas I was and with the Vikings     and with the Waerna
              folk.
60    With the Gepidae I was and with the Wends     and with the Gefligas.
      With the Angles I was and with the Swaefe     and with the Aenenas.
      With the Saxons I was and with the Secgans     and with the
              Suardones.
      With the Hronas I was and with the Deanas     and with the
              Heatho-Raemas.
      With the Thuringians I was     and with the Throwendas;
65    And with the Burgundians,     where a bracelet was given me.
      Guthhere there gave me     a goodly jewel,
      As reward for my song:     not slothful that king!
      With the Franks I was and with the Frisians     and with the
              Frumtingas.
      With the Rugians I was and with the Glommas     and with the Roman
              strangers.
70    Likewise in Italy     with Aelfwine I was:
      He had, as I have heard,     a hand the readiest
      For praiseworthy deeds     of prowess and daring;
      With liberal heart     he lavished his treasures,
      Shining armlets     --the son of Eadwine.
75      I was with the Saracens     and with the Serings;
      With the Greeks I was and with the Finns     and with far-famed
              Caesar,
      Who sat in rule     over the cities of revelry--
      Over the riches and wealth     of the realm of the Welsh.
      With the Scots I was and with the Picts     and with the
              Scride-Finns.
80    With the Lidwicingas I was and with the Leonas     and with the
              Longobards,
      With the Haethnas and with the Haerethas     and with the Hundings;
      With the Israelites I was     and with the Assyrians,
      And with the Hebrews and with the Egyptians     and with the Hindus
              I was,
      With the Medes I was and with the Persians     and with the Myrging
              folk,
85    And with the Mofdings I was     and against the Myrging band,
      And with the Amothingians.     With the East Thuringians I was
      And with the Eolas and with the Istians     and with the Idumingas.
        And I was with Eormanric     all of the time;
      There the king of the Goths     gave me in honor
90    The choicest of bracelets     --the chief of the burghers--
      On which were six hundred pieces     of precious gold,
      Of shining metal     in shillings counted;
      I gave over this armlet     to Eadgils then,
      To my kind protector     when I came to my home,
95    To my beloved prince,     the lord of the Myrgings,
      Who gave me the land     that was left by my father;
      And Ealhhild then also     another ring gave me,
      Queen of the doughty ones,     the daughter of Eadwine.
      Her praise has passed     to all parts of the world,

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Old English Poems: Translated into the Original Meter Together with Short Selections from Old English Prose

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