Widsið
Old English
Widsið maðolade, wordhord onleac,
se þe monna mǣst mǣgþa ofer eorþan,
folca geondferde; oft hē on flette geþah
mynelīcne maþþum. Him from Myrgingum
æþele onwocon. Hē mid Ealhhilde,
fælre freoþuwebban, forman sīþe
Hreðcyninges ham gesōhte
eastan of Ongle, Eormanrīces,
wraþes wærlogan. Ongon þā worn sprecan:
"Fela ic monna gefrægn mǣgþum wealdan!
Sceal þeodna gehwylc þeawum lifgan,
eorl æfter oþrum eðle rædan,
se þe his þeodenstol geþeon wile.
Þāra wæs Hwala hwile selast,
ond Alexandreas ealra ricost
monna cynnes, ond hē mǣst geþah
þāra þe ic ofer foldan gefrægen hæbbe.
Ætla weold Hunum, Eormanrīc Gotum,
Becca Baningum, Burgendum Gifica.
Casere weold Creacum ond Cælic Finnum,
Hagena Holm-Rygum ond Heoden Glommum.
Witta weold Swæfum, Wada Hælsingum,
Meaca Myrgingum, Mearchealf Hundingum.
Þeodric weold Froncum, Þyle Rondingum,
Breoca Brondingum, Billing Wernum.
Oswine weold Eowum ond Ytum Gefwulf,
Fin Folcwalding Frēsna cynne.
Sigehere lengest Sæ-Denum weold,
Hnæf Hocingum, Helm Wulfingum,
Wald Woingum, Wod Þyringum,
Sæferð Sycgum, Sweom Ongendþeow,
Sceafthere Ymbrum, Sceafa Longbeardum,
Hun Hætwerum ond Holen Wrosnum.
Hringweald wæs haten Herefarena cyning.
Offa weold Ongle, Alewih Denum;
se wæs þāra manna mōdgast ealra,
nō hwæþre hē ofer Offan eorlscype fremede,
ac Offa geslog ærest monna,
cnihtwesende, cynerica mǣst.
Nænig efeneald him eorlscipe māran
on ōrette. Āne sweorde
merce gemǣrde wið Myrgingum
bī Fifeldore; heoldon forð sīþþan
Engle ond Swæfe, swā hit Offa geslog.
Hroþwulf ond Hroðgar heoldon lengest
sibbe ætsomne suhtorfædran,
siþþan hȳ forwrǣcon wicinga cynn
ond Ingeldes ord forbīgdan,
forhēowan æt Heorote Heaðobeardna þrym.
Swā ic geondfērde fela fremdra londa
geond ginne grund. Gōdes ond yfles
þǣr ic cunnade cnōsle bidǣled,
frēomǣgum feor folgade wide.
Forþon ic mæg singan ond secgan spell,
mǣnan fore mengo in meoduhealle
hū me cynegōde cystum dohten.
Ic wæs mid Hunum ond mid Hreðgotum,
mid Sweom ond mid Gēatum ond mid Suþ-denum.
Mid Wenlum ic wæs ond mid Wærnum ond mid Wicingum.
Mid Gefþum ic wæs ond mid Winedum ond mid Gefflēgum.
Mid Englum ic wæs ond mid Swæfum ond mid Ænenum.
Mid Seaxum ic wæs ond Sycgum ond mid Sweordwerum.
Mid Hronum ic wæs ond mid Dēanum ond mid Heaþoreamum.
Mid Þyringum ic wæs ond mid Þrowendum,
ond mid Burgendum, þǣr ic bēag geþah;
me þǣr Guðhere forgeaf glædlicne māþþum
songes to lēane. Næs þǣt sǣne cyning!
Mid Froncum ic wæs ond mid Frysum ond mid Frumtingum.
Mid Rugum ic wæs ond mid Glommum ond mid Rumwalum.
Swylce ic wæs on Eatule mid Ælfwine,
se hæfde moncynnes, mīne gefrǣge,
lēohteste hond lofes to wyrcenne,
heortan unhnēaweste hringa gedāles,
beorhtra bēaga, bearn Eadwines.
Mid Sercingum ic wæs ond mid Seringum;
mid Creacum ic wæs ond mid Finnum ond mid Casere,
se þe wīnburga geweald āhte,
wiolena ond wilna, ond Wala rīces.
Mid Scottum ic wæs ond mid Peohtum ond mid Scridefinnum;
mid Lidwicingum ic wæs ond mid Leonum ond mid Longbeardum,
mid hæðnum ond mid hæleþum ond mid Hundingum.
Mid Israhelum ic wæs ond mid Exsyringum,
mid Ebreum ond mid Indeum ond mid Egyptum.
Mid Moidum ic wæs ond mid Persum ond mid Myrgingum,
ond Mofdingum ond Ongendmyrgingum,
ond mid Amoþingum. Mid Eastþyringum ic wæs
ond mid Eolum ond mid Istum ond Idumingum.
Ond ic wæs mid Eormanrīce ealle þrāge,
þǣr me Gotena cyning gōde dohte;
se me bēag forgeaf, burgwarena fruma,
on þām siex hund wæs smǣtes goldes,
gescyred sceatta scillingrīme;
þone ic Eadgilse\ on ǣht sealde,
mīnum hlēodryhtne, þā ic to ham bicwom,
lēofum to lēane, þæs þe hē me lond forgeaf,
mīnes fæder ēþel, frēa Myrginga.
Ond me þā Ealhhild ōþerne forgeaf,
dryhtcwēn duguþe, dohtor Eadwines.
Hyre lof lengde geond londa fela,
þonne ic be songe secgan sceolde
hwær ic under swegle sēlast wisse
goldhrodene cwēn giefe bryttian.
Ðonne wit Scilling scīran reorde
for uncrum sigedryhtne song āhofan,
hlude bī hearpan hlēoþor swinsade,
þonne monige men, mōdum wlonce,
wordum sprēcan, þa þe wēl cuþan,
þæt hī nǣfre song sēllan ne hȳrdon.
Ðonan ic ealne geondhwearf ēþel Gotena,
sōhte ic a gesiþa þā selestan;
þæt wæs innweorud Earmanrīces.
Heðcan sōhte ic ond Beadecan ond Herelingas,
Emercan sōhte ic ond Fridlan ond Eastgotan,
frōdne ond gōdne fæder Unwenes.
Seccan sōhte ic ond Beccan, Seafolan ond Þeodric,
Heaþoric ond Sifecan, Hlīþe ond Incgenþeow.
Eadwine sōhte ic ond Elsan, Ægelmund ond Hungar,
ond þā wloncan gedryht Wiþmyrginga.
Wulfhere sōhte ic ond Wyrmhere; ful oft þǣr wig ne ālæg,
þonne Hræda here heardum sweordum
ymb Wistlawudu wergan sceoldon
ealdne ēþelstōl Ætlan lēodum.
Rædhere sōhte ic ond Rondhere, Rumstan ond Gislhere,
Wiþergield ond Freoþeric, Wudgan ond Haman;
ne wæran þæt gesīþa þā sǣmestan,
þēah þe ic hȳ anīhst nemnan sceolde.
Ful oft of þām hēape hwīnende fleag
giellende gar on grome þēode;
wræccan þǣr weoldan wundnan golde
werum ond wīfum, Wudga ond Hama.
Swa ic þæt symle onfond on þære fēringe,
þæt sē biþ leofast londbūendum
sē þe him God syleð gumena rīce
to gehealdenne, þenden hē hēr leofað."
Swā scrīþende gesceapum hweorfað
glēomen gumena geond grunda fela,
þearfe secgað, þoncword sprecaþ,
simle sūð oþþe norð sumne gemētað
gydda glēawne, geofum unhnēawne,
sē þe fore duguþe wile dōm ārǣran,
eorlscipe æfnan, oþþæt eal scæceð,
lēoht ond līf somod; lof sē gewyrceð,
hafað under heofonum hēahfæstne dōm.
Widsith
Modern English
Widsith spoke, unlocked his wordhoard,
he who most of men of all people over the earth
traveled among tribes; often in great halls he received
handsome gifts. Noble sons born to him
of the Myrgings. He with Ealhhilde,
the fair peace-weaver, on his first journey
sought the home of the king of the Goths,
Ermanric, east of the Angle's land,
hostile oathbreaker. He began then to speak a great many words:
"I have learned by asking about many men who rule tribes!
Men shall each live in good custom,
one leader after another, governing their homeland,
whoever desires his throne to prosper.
There was Hwala, for a while the best,
and Alexander (the Great) most powerful
of all mankind, and he most throve
Of those whom I have heard of over the earth.
Atilla ruled the Huns, Ermanric the Goths,
Becca the Banings, Gifica the Burgundians.
Caesar ruled the Greeks and Caelic the Finns,
Hagena the Rugians, and Heoden the Glomman.
Witta ruled the Swaefe, Wada Haelsings,
Meaca Myrgings, Mearchealf the Hundings.
Theodric ruled the Franks, Thyle the Rondings,
Breoca the Brondings, Billing the Werns.
Oswin ruled the Eows and Gefwulf the Jutes,
Fin Folkwalding the Frisian tribe.
Sighere ruled the Sea-Danes the longest,
Hnaef the Hocings, Helm the Wulfings,
Wald the Woings, Wod the Thuringians,
Saeferth the Sycgans, Ongendtheow the Swedes,
Sceafthere the Ymbran, Sheaf the Langobards,
Hunn the Haetwere, and Holen the Wrosnan.
Hringwald was called the Herefaren's king.
Offa ruled the Angles, Alewih the Danes:
He was of those men the bravest,
however he did not achieve more valorous deeds than Offa,
but Offa won first of men,
while a youth, the greatest kingdom.
Not any of his contemporaries were greater in valorous deeds
at fighting. With his one sword
he defined the boundary against the Myrgings
by Fifeldore (the Eider estuary), held afterwards
by the Angles and the Swaefe as he'd won it.
Hrothwulf and Hrothgar held longest
kinship together, uncle and sister's son,
after they drove off the Viking tribe
and humbled Ingeld's vanguard,
and at Heorot cut to pieces the force of the Heathobards.
As I traversed many foreign lands
throughout a wide region, good and evil
I experienced there, deprived of my people,
far from generous kinsmen, and served far and wide.
Therefore I will sing and speak a tale,
Making known before the company in the mead-hall
how the well-born would be generous with choice gifts to me.
I was with the Huns and with the Ostrogoths,
with the Swedes and with the Geats and with the South-Danes.
With the Wenlas I was, and with the Varn, and with the Vikings.
With the Gibids I was and with the Winedas and with the Gefflegans.
With the Angles I was and with the Swaefe and with the Aenenas.
With the Saxons I was and the Sycgans and with the Suardones.
With the Hronan I was and the Deans and with the Heathoreamas.
With the Thuringians I was and with the Throwend
and with the Burgundians; there I received a ring;
there Guthhere gave a goodly treasure
to reward songs; that king was not stingy!
With the Franks I was and with the Frisians and with the Frumtings.
With the Rugians I was and with the Glomman and with the Romans.
Likewise I was in Italy with Aelfwine
who had of all mankind whom I have learned
the quickest hand to earning praise,
a most generous heart distributing rings
bright treasures, that child of Edwin!
With the Sercings I was and with the Serae.
With the Greeks I was and with the Finns and with Caesar,
he who ruled over many wine-burgs,
possessed riches and treasures and the realm of the Romans.
With the Irish I was and with the Picts and with the Lapps.
With the Lidwiccas I was and with the Leonas and with the Langobards,
With heathens and with heroes and with the Hundings.
with the Israelites I was and with the Assyrians,
with the Hebrews and with the Indus and with the Egyptians.
WIth the Moids I was and with the Perse, and with the Myrgings
and the Mofdings and the Ongendmyrgings
and with the Amothings. With the east Thuringians I was
and with the Ilwan and with the Istas and Idumings.
And I was with Ermanric all the time,
There the king of the Goths was good and generous to me,
first among the townspeople, gave me a ring
in which of refined gold, the count of
six hundred shillings were reckoned,
Which I gave into the possession of Eadgils,
my lord protector, when I came home,
to my beloved lord because it was he who gave me land,
the king of the Myrgings, my father's inheritance.
And then to me Ealhhild gave a second ring,
the queen of the army fighting men, the daughter of Edwin.
Her praise stretched throughout many lands
when I in song must say
where under the sky I best knew
the gold-adorned queen distributing gifts.
Then with Scilling our clear voices
we raised before our victory lord
loudly with harp, song resounded
then many men of proud spirits
who had good knowledge spoke words
that they had never heard a better song.
Thence I traversed all the land of the Goths,
I sought the best battle comrades
that was ever the household of Ermanric.
Hache I sought and Beadecan and the Herelingas
Emerca I sought and Fridla and the East-goths,
wise and good, father of Unwen
Secca I sought and Becca, Seafola and Theodric
Heathoric and Sifecta, Lotherus and Incgentheow.
Edwin I sought and Elsa, Agelmund and Hungar,
and the proud company of the Withmyrgings.
Wulfhere I sought and Wyrmhere, full often war was not at rest there
when the Hraede army with hard swords
around the Wistle wood must defend
the ancestral lands of Attila's people.
Raedhere I sought and Rondhere, Rumstan and Gislaharius,
Withergield and Freotheric, Wudga and Hama
there were not the worst comrades in arms
Though I mention them at the last.
Very often from that company flew the whining
and shrieking spear against a hostile people.
Wanderers there ruled with wound gold
over men and women, Wudga and Hama.
Thus I have always found it in journeying
that they be dearest to their subjects
whom God has given the right to rule men
for holding while he lives here."
Thus are fated to wandering and roving
are the minstrel men throughout many regions,
saying at need, speaking thank-words,
always meeting someone south or north
appreciative of poems with generous gifts for those
who before military men will will heighten their reputation
to do valorous deeds until everything passes,
light and life together. He who works for praise
has under the heavens lasting glory.