The Dream of the Rood

by Anonymous

Hwæt! Ic swefna cyst  secgan wylle,hwæt^[1] mē gemǣtte  tō midre nihte,syðþan reordberend  reste wunedon.Þūhte mē þæt ic gesāwe  syllicre trēow5 on lyft lǣdan,  lēohte bewunden,bēama beorhtost.  Eall þæt bēacen wæsbegoten mid golde;  gimmas stōdonfægere æt foldan scēatum,  swylce þǣr fīfe wǣronuppe on þām eaxlgespanne^[2].  Behēoldon þǣr engel dryhtnes ealle10 fægere þurh forðgesceaft;  ne wæs ðǣr hūru fracodes gealga,ac hine þǣr behēoldon  hālige gāstas,men ofer moldan,  ond eall þēos mǣre gesceaft.

Syllic wæs se sigebēam,  ond ic synnum fāh,forwundod mid wommum.  Geseah ic wuldres trēow,15 wǣdum geweorðode,  wynnum scīnan,gegyred mid golde;  gimmas hæfdonbewrigene weorðlīce  Wealdendes^[3] trēow.Hwæðre ic þurh þæt gold  ongytan meahteearmra ǣrgewin,  þæt hit ǣrest ongan20 swǣtan on þā swīðran healfe.  Eall ic wæs mid sorgum^[4] gedrēfed,forht ic wæs for þǣre fægran gesyhðe.  Geseah ic þæt fūse bēacenwendan wǣdum ond blēom;  hwīlum hit wæs mid wǣtan bestēmed,beswyled mid swātes gange,  hwīlum mid since gegyrwed.

Hwæðre ic þǣr licgende  lange hwīle25 behēold hrēowcearig  Hǣlendes trēow,oð ðæt ic gehȳrde  þæt hit hlēoðrode;ongan þā word sprecan  wudu sēlesta:"Þæt wæs gēara iū,  – ic þæt gȳta geman –þæt ic wæs āhēawen  holtes on ende,30 āstyred of stefne mīnum.  Genāman mē ðǣr strange fēondas,geworhton him þǣr tō wǣfersȳne,  hēton mē heora wergas hebban;bǣron mē ðǣr beornas on eaxlum,  oð ðæt hīe mē on beorg āsetton,gefæstnodon mē þǣr fēondas genōge.  Geseah ic þā Frēan mancynnesefstan elne micle,  þæt hē mē wolde on gestīgan.35 Þǣr ic þā ne dorste  ofer Dryhtnes wordbūgan oððe berstan,  þā ic bifian geseaheorðan scēatas.  Ealle ic mihtefēondas gefyllan,  hwæðre ic fæste stōd.Ongyrede hine þā geong hæleð,  – þæt wæs God ælmihtig! –40 strang ond stīðmōd.  Gestāh hē on gealgan hēanne,mōdig on manigra gesyhðe,  þā hē wolde mancyn lȳsan.Bifode ic þā mē se beorn ymbclypte.  Ne dorste ic hwæðre bugan to eorðan,feallan tō foldan scēatum,  ac ic sceolde fæste standan.Rōd wæs ic ārǣred;  āhōf ic rīcne Cyning,45 heofona Hlāford;  hyldan mē ne dorste.Þurhdrifan hī mē mid deorcan næglum;  on mē syndon þā dolg gesīene,opene inwidhlemmas;  ne dorste ic hira ǣnigum sceððan.Bysmeredon hīe unc būtū ætgædere.  Eall ic wæs mid blōde bestēmed,begoten of þæs guman sīdan,  siððan hē hæfde his gāst onsended.

50 Feala ic on þām beorge  gebiden hæbbewrāðra wyrda:  geseah ic weruda Godþearle þenian.  Þȳstro hæfdonbewrigen mid wolcnum  Wealdendes hrǣw,scīrne scīman,  sceadu forð ēode,55 wann under wolcnum.  Wēop eal gesceaft,cwīðdon cyninges fyll:  Crīst wæs on rōde.Hwæðere þǣr fūse  feorran cwōmantō þām Æðelinge;  ic þæt eall behēold.Sāre ic wæs mid sorgum^[5] gedrēfed,  hnāg ic hwæðre þām secgum tō handa,60 ēaðmōd elne mycle.  Genāmon hīe þǣr ælmihtigne god,āhōfon hine of ðām hefian wīte;  forlēton mē þā hilderincasstandan stēame bedrifenne;  eall ic wæs mid strǣlum forwundod.Ālēdon hīe ðǣr limwērigne,  gestōdon him æt his līces hēafdum;behēoldon hīe ðǣr heofenes Dryhten,  ond hē hine ðǣr hwīle reste,65 mēðe æfter ðām miclan gewinne.  Ongunnon him þā moldern wyrcanbeornas on banan gesyhðe;  curfon hīe ðæt of beorhtan stāne,gesetton hīe ðǣron sigora Wealdend.  Ongunnon him þā sorhlēoð galanearme on þā ǣfentīde,  þā hīe woldon eft sīðian,mēðe fram þām mǣran Þēodne;  reste hē ðǣr mǣte weorode.70 Hwæðere wē ðǣr grēotende^[6]  gōde hwīlestōdon on staðole,  stefn^[7] up gewāthilderinca;  hrǣw cōlode,fæger feorgbold.  Þā ūs man fyllan onganealle tō eorðan;  þæt wæs egeslic wyrd!75 Bedealf ūs man on dēopan sēaþe;  hwæðre mē þǣr Dryhtnes þegnas,frēondas gefrūnon,gyredon mē  golde ond seolfre.

Nū ðū miht gehȳran,  hæleð mīn se lēofa,þæt ic bealuwara weorc  gebiden hæbbe,80 sārra sorga.  Is nū sǣl cumenþæt mē weorðiað  wīde and sīdemenn ofer moldan  and eall þēos mǣre gesceaft,gebiddaþ him tō þyssum bēacne.  On mē Bearn Godesþrōwode hwīle;  for þan ic þrymfæst nū85 hlīfige under heofenum,  and ic hǣlan mægǣghwylcne ānra  þāra þe him bið egesa tō mē.Iū ic wæs geworden  wīta heardost,lēodum lāðost,  ǣr þan ic him līfes wegrihtne gerȳmde,  reordberendum.90 Hwæt, mē þā geweorþode  wuldres Ealdorofer holmwudu,  heofonrīces Weard,swylce swā hē his mōdor ēac,  Marīan sylfe,ælmihtig God  for ealle menngeweorðode  ofer eall wīfa cynn.

95 Nū ic þē hāte,  hæleð mīn se lēofa,þæt ðū þās gesyhðe  secge mannum,onwrēoh wordum  þæt hit is wuldres bēam,se ðe ælmihtig god  on þrōwodefor mancynnes  manegum synnum100 ond Adomes  ealdgewyrhtum.Dēað hē þǣr byrigde,  hwæðere eft dryhten ārāsmid his miclan mihte  mannum tō helpe.Hē ðā on heofenas āstāg.  Hider eft fundaþon þysne middangeard  mancynn sēcan105 on dōmdæge  Dryhten sylfa,ælmihtig God  and his englas mid,þæt hē þonne wile dēman,  se āh dōmes geweald,ānra gehwylcum  swā hē him ǣrur hēron þyssum lǣnum  līfe geearnaþ.110 Ne mæg þǣr ǣnig  unforht wesanfor þām worde  þe se Wealdend cwyð:frīneð hē for þǣre mænige  hwǣr se man sīe,se ðe for Dryhtnes naman  dēaðes woldebiteres onbyrigan,  swā hē ǣr on ðām bēame dyde.115 Ac hīe þonne forhtiað,  ond fēa þencaþhwæt hīe tō Crīste  cweðan onginnen.Ne þearf ðǣr þonne ǣnig  anforht^[8] wesanþe him ǣr in brēostum bereð  bēacna sēlest;ac ðurh ðā rōde sceal  rīce gesēcan120 of eorðwege  ǣghwylc sāwl,sēo þe mid Wealdende  wunian þenceð."

Gebæd ic mē þā tō þām^[9] bēame  blīðe mōde,elne mycle,  þǣr ic āna wæsmǣte werede.  Wæs mōdsefa125 āfȳsed on forðwege,  feala ealra gebādlangunghwīla.  Is mē nū līfes hyhtþæt ic þone sigebēam  sēcan mōteāna oftor  þonne ealle men,well weorþian.  Mē is willa tō ðām130 mycel on mōde,  and mīn mundbyrd isgeriht tō þǣre rōde.  Nāh ic rīcra fealafrēonda on foldan,  ac hīe forð heonongewiton of worulde drēamum,  sōhton him wuldres Cyning,lifiaþ nū on heofenum  mid Hēahfædere,135 wuniaþ on wuldre;  and ic wēne mēdaga gehwylce  hwænne mē Dryhtnes rōd,þe ic hēr on eorðan  ǣr scēawode,on þysson lǣnan  līfe gefetigeond mē þonne gebringe  þǣr is blis mycel,140 drēam on heofonum,  þǣr is dryhtnes folcgeseted tō symle,  þǣr is singāl blis,ond mē^[10] þonne āsette  þǣr ic syþþan mōtwunian on wuldre,  well mid þām hālgumdrēames brūcan.  Sī mē Dryhten frēond,145 se ðe hēr on eorþan  ǣr þrōwodeon þām gealgtrēowe  for guman synnum;hē ūs onlȳsde  ond ūs līf forgeaf,heofonlicne hām.  Hiht wæs genīwadmid blēdum and mid blisse  þām þe þǣr bryne þolodan.150 Se Sunu wæs sigorfæst  on þām sīðfate,mihtig and spēdig,  þā hē mid manigeo cōm,gāsta weorode,  on Godes rīce,Anwealda ælmihtig,  englum tō blisseand eallum ðām hālgum  þām þe on heofonum ǣr155 wunedon on wuldre,  þā heora Wealdend cwōm,ælmihtig God,  þær his ēðel wæs.

Notes

1. MS hæt
2. MS eaxlegespanne
3. MS wealdes
4. MS surgum
5. Sorgum supplied by editors; not in MS
6. MS reotende
7. MS syððan
8. MS unforht
9. MS þan
10. MS he