Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/Annotated/53

53 (k-d 14)

I was an armed fighter.     Now a young home-dweller covers me proudly     with twisted wires, with gold and silver.     Sometimes men kiss me. Sometimes with my song     I summon to battle happy comrades.     Sometimes a steed carries me over the marches.     Sometimes a sea-horse bears me over waves     with my bright trappings. Sometimes a maiden     fills my ring-adorned bosom. Sometimes I must lie     hard and headless stripped on the tables.     Sometimes I hang, with ornaments proud,     on the wall where men drink. Sometimes a good weapon,     the warriors bear me, riding on horseback,     with treasure laden, I must breathe in the breath     of a man’s breast. Sometimes with my music     I summon proud warriors to drink their wine.     Sometimes with my voice I rescue the booty,     put foe to flight.     Ask me my name.

10

Ic wæs wæpen wiga     nu mec wlonc þeceð geong hagostealdmon     golde ⁊ sylfore woum wirbogum     hwilum weras cyssað hwilum ic to hilde     hleoþre bonne wilgehleþan     hwilum wycg byreþ mec ofer mearce     hwilū merehengest fereð ofer flodas     frætwum beorhtne hwilū mægða sum     minne gefylleð bosm beaghroden     hwilum ic bordum sceal heard heafodleas     behlyþed licgan hwilū hongige     hyrstum frætwed wlitig on wage     þær weras drincað freolic fyrd sceorp ·     hwilū folcwigan wicge wegað     þōn ic winde sceal sincfag swelgan     of sumes bosme · hwilū ic gereordum     rincas laðige wlonce to wine ·     hwilū wraþþum sceal stefne minre     forstolen hreddan flyman feondsceaþan     frige hwæt ic hatte

Horn, described under various aspects marked by the “Sometimes” repeated ten times in nineteen lines: on the head of a steer, as war-horn (also on ships), as drinking horn, as hunting horn, as warning against thieves. “Ring-adorned,” l. 8, ‘adorned with a necklace.’