Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/11
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.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ This line repeats l. 5 above.