Lesson Text

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 628.

Wæs hē se mon in weoruldhāde geseted oð ðā tīde þe hē wæs gelȳfedre yldo, and hē nǣfre ǣnig lēoð geleornade: and hē for þon oft in gebēorscipe, þonne þǣr wæs blisse intinga gedēmed — þæt hīe ealle sceolden þurh endebyrdnesse be hearpan singan — þonne hē geseah þā hearpan him nēalǣcan, þonne ārās hē for scome from þǣm symble, and hām ēode tō his hūse. Þā hē þæt þā sumre tīde dyde, þæt hē forlēt þæt hūs þæs gebēorscipes, and ūt wæs gongende tō nēata scypene, þāra heord him wæs þǣre nihte beboden, ðā hē þā þǣr in gelimplicre tīde his limo on reste gesette and onslǣpte, þā stōd him sum mon æt þurh swefn, and hine hālette and grētte, and hine be his naman nemde:

'Cædmon, sing mē hwæthwegu.'

Þā andswarode hē and cwæð: 'Ne con ic nōht singan, and ic for þon of þyssum gebēorscipe ūt ēode, and hider gewāt, for þon ic nōht cūðe.'

Eft hē cwæð sē þe mid him sprecende wæs: 'Hwæðere þū meaht mē singan.'

Cwæð hē: 'Hwæt sceal ic singan?'

Cwæð hē: 'Sing mē frumsceaft.'

Þā hē þā þās andsware onfēng, ðā ongan hē sōna singan, in herenesse Godes Scyppendes, þā fers and þā word þe hē nǣfre ne gehȳrde, þāra endebyrdnes þis is:

Nū wē sculan herian heofonrīces Weard,
Metodes mihte and his mōdgeþonc,
weorc Wuldorfæder; swā hē wundra gehwæs,
ēce Dryhten, ord onstealde.
Hē ǣrest gesceōp eorðan bearnum
heofon tō hrōfe, hālig Scyppend;
ðā middangeard, moncynnes Weard,
ēce Dryhten, æfter tēode
fīrum foldan, Frēa ælmihtig.