wōd wintercearig ofer waþema[1] gebind,
sōhte sęle drēorig sinces bryttan,[25]
hwǣr ic feor oþþe nēah findan meahte
þone þe in meoduhealle minne[2] wisse
5oþþe mec frēondlēasne[3] frēfran wolde,
węnian mid wynnum. Wāt sā þe cunnað
hū slīþen bið sorg tō gefēran[30]
þām þe him lȳt hafað lēofra geholena:
warað hine wræclāst, nāles wunden gold,
10ferðloca frēorig, nālæs foldan blǣd;
gemǫn hē sęlesęcgas and sincþęge,
hū hine on geoguðe his goldwine[35]
węnede tō wiste: wyn eal gedrēas!
For þon wāt sē þe sceal his winedryhtnes
15lēofes lārcwidum lǫnge forþolian,
ðonne sorg and slǣp sǫmod ætgædre
earmne ānhagan[4] oft gebindað:[40]
þinceð him on mōde þæt hā his mǫndryhten
clyppe and cysse, and on cnēo lęcge[5]
20hǫnda and hēafod, swā hē hwīlum ǣr
in gēardagum giefstōlas brēac;
ðonne onwæcneð eft winelēas guma,[45]
gesihð him biforan fealwe wægas,[6]
baþian brimfuglas, brǣdan feþra,
25hrēosan hrīm and snāw hagle gemęnged.
Þonne bēoð þȳ hęfigran heortan bęnne,
sāre æfter swǣsne, sorg bið genīwad,[50]
þonne māga gemynd mōd geondhweorfeð,
grēteð glīwstafum, georne geondscēawað
30sęcga geseldan: swimmað eft[7] on weg;
Page:Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader.djvu/247
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XXIII. THE WANDERER.
161