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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Widsith is an Old English poem of 144 lines that appears to date from the 9th century, drawing on earlier oral traditions of Anglo-Saxon tale singing. The only text of the fragment is copied in the Exeter Book, a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late 10th century containing approximately one sixth of all surviving Old English poetry. Widsith is located between the poems Vainglory and The Fortunes of Men. Since the discovery of the Exeter Book in 1076, it has been housed in the Exeter Cathedral in southwest England. The poem is for the most part a survey of the peoples, kings, and heroes of Europe in the Heroic Age of Northern Europe: see Tribes of Widsith. Excluding the introduction of the scop Widsith, the closing, and brief interpolated comments, the poem is divided into three 'catalogues', so-called thulas. The first thula runs through a list of the various kings of renown, both contemporary and ancient ("Caesar ruled the Greeks"), the model being '(name of a king) ruled (name of a tribe)'. The second thula contains the names of the peoples the narrator visited, the model being 'With the (name of a tribe) I was, and with the (name of another tribe).' In the third and final thula, the narrator lists the heroes of myth and legend that he has visited, with the model '(Hero's name) I sought and (hero's name) and (hero's name).'

The poem refers to a group of people called the Wicinga cynn, which may be the earliest mention of the word "Viking" (lines 47, 59, 80). It closes with a brief comment on the importance and fame offered by poets like Widsith, with many pointed reminders of the munificent generosity offered to tale-singers by patrons "discerning of songs."

lines 45–59:
Hroþwulf ond Hroðgar heoldon lengest Hroðulf and Hroðgar held the longest
sibbe ætsomne suhtorfædran, peace together, uncle and nephew,
siþþan hy forwræcon wicinga cynn since they repulsed the Viking-kin
ond Ingeldes ord forbigdan, and Ingeld to the spear-point made bow,
forheowan aet Heorote Heaðobeardna þrym. hewn at Heorot Heaðobards' army.

The widely-travelled poet Widsith (his name simply means "far journey") claims himself to be of the house of the Myrgings, who had first set out in the retinue of "Ealhild, the beloved weaver of peace, from the east out of Angeln to the home of the king of the glorious Goths, Eormanric, the cruel troth-breaker." The Ostrogoth Eormanric was defeated by the Huns in the 5th century. It is moot whether Widsith literally intends himself, or poetically means his lineage, either as a Myrging or as a poet, as when "the fictive speaker Deor uses the rhetoric of first-person address to insert himself into the same legendary world that he evokes in the earlier parts of the poem through his allusions to Weland the smith, Theodoric the Goth, Eormanric the Goth, and other legendary figures of the Germanic past" (Niles 2003, p 10). Historically, we know that one speaker could not travel to see all of these nations in one lifetime. In a similar vein, "I was with the Lidwicingas, the Leonas and the Langobards," Widsith boasts,

"with heathens and heroes and with the Hundingas.
I was with the Israelites and with the Assyrians,
with the Hebrews and the Indians and with the Egyptians..."

The poem that is now similarly titled Deor, also from the Exeter Book, draws on similar material.

References

  • Anglo-Saxon poetry: an anthology of Old English poems tr. S. A. J. Bradley. London: Dent, 1982 (translation into English prose).

See also

External links

Old English poetry
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Quotes

Up to date as of January 14, 2010

From Wikiquote

Widsith is an anonymous Old English poem, consisting for the most part of the eponymous narrator's boasts of his travels among the Germanic peoples of the Heroic Age. It is often dated to the 7th century, and may therefore be the oldest poem in the English language, or indeed any Germanic language.


The translations used here are by Michael Alexander, and are taken from his The Earliest English Poems (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1975).

  • Fela ic monna gefrægn      mægþum wealdan!
    Sceal þeodna gehwylc      þeawum lifgan,
    eorl æfter oþrum      eðle rædan,
    se þe his þeodenstol      geþeon wile.
    • Of the master-rulers the most part have been known to me
      And I say that any leader, any lord whosoever,
      Must live right, and rule his lands the same
      If he wishes to come to a king's chair.
    • Line 10
  • Ac Offa geslog      ærest monna,
    cnihtwesende,      cynerica mæst.
    Nænig efeneald him      eorlscipe maran
    on orette.      Ane sweorde
    merce gemærde      wið Myrgingum
    bi Fifeldore.
    • Before all men Offa stands,
      Having in boyhood won the broadest of kingdoms;
      No youngster did work worthier of an earl.
      With single sword he struck the boundary
      Against the Myrgings where it marches now,
      fixed it at Fifeldor.
    • Line 38
  • Swa scriþende      gesceapum hweorfað.

External links

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Source material

Up to date as of January 22, 2010

From Wikisource

Widsith
Widsith is an Old English poem of 144 lines that appears to date from the 9th century, drawing on earlier oral traditions of Anglo-Saxon tale singing. The only text of the fragment is copied in the Exeter Book, a manuscript of Old English poetry compiled in the late 10th century. The poem is for the most part a survey of the peoples, kings, and heroes of Europe in the Heroic Age of Northern Europe.
— Excerpted from Widsith on Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

    Widsið maðolade, wordhoard onleac,
    se þe monna mæst mægþa ofer eorþan,
    folca geondferde; oft he on flette geþah
    mynelicne maþþum. Him from Myrgingum
5
    æþele onwocon. He mid Ealhhilde,
    fælre freoþuwebban, forman siþe
    Hreðcyninges ham gesohte
    eastan of Ongle, Eormanrices,
    wraþes wærlogan. Ongon þa worn sprecan:
10
    "Fela ic monna gefrægn mægþum wealdan!
    Sceal þeodna gehwylc þeawum lifgan,
    eorl æfter oþrum eðle rædan,
    se þe his þeodenstol geþeon wile.
    þara wæs Hwala hwile selast,
15
    ond Alexandreas ealra ricost
    monna cynnes, ond he mæst geþah
    þara þe ic ofer foldan gefrægen hæbbe.
    ætla weold Hunum, Eormanric Gotum,
    Becca Baningum, Burgendum Gifica.
20
    Casere weold Creacum ond Cælic Finnum,
    Hagena Holmrygum ond Heoden Glommum.
    Witta weold Swæfum, Wada Hælsingum,
    Meaca Myrgingum, Mearchealf Hundingum.
    þeodric weold Froncum, þyle Rondingum,
25
    Breoca Brondingum, Billing Wernum.
    Oswine weold Eowum ond Ytum Gefwulf,
    Fin Folcwalding Fresna cynne.
    Sigehere lengest Sædenum weold,
    Hnæf Hocingum, Helm Wulfingum,
30
    Wald Woingum, Wod þyringum,
    Sæferð Sycgum, Sweom Ongendþeow,
    Sceafthere Ymbrum, Sceafa Longbeardum,
    Hun Hætwerum ond Holen Wrosnum.
    Hringweald wæs haten Herefarena cyning.
35
    Offa weold Ongle, Alewih Denum;
    se wæs þara manna modgast ealra,
    no hwæþre he ofer Offan eorlscype fremede,
    ac Offa geslog ærest monna,
    cnihtwesende, cynerica mæst.
40
    Nænig efeneald him eorlscipe maran
    on orette. Ane sweorde
    merce gemærde wið Myrgingum
    bi Fifeldore; heoldon forð siþþan
    Engle ond Swæfe, swa hit Offa geslog.
45
    Hroþwulf ond Hroðgar heoldon lengest
    sibbe ætsomne suhtorfædran,
    siþþan hy forwræcon wicinga cynn
    ond Ingeldes ord forbigdan,
    forheowan æt Heorote Heaðobeardna þrym.
50
    Swa ic geondferde fela fremdra londa
    geond ginne grund. Godes ond yfles
    þær ic cunnade cnosle bidæled,
    freomægum feor folgade wide.
    Forþon ic mæg singan ond secgan spell,
55
    mænan fore mengo in meoduhealle
    hu me cynegode cystum dohten.
    Ic wæs mid Hunum ond mid Hreðgotum,
    mid Sweom ond mid Geatum ond mid Suþdenum.
    Mid Wenlum ic wæs ond mid Wærnum ond mid wicingum.
60
    Mid Gefþum ic wæs ond mid Winedum ond mid Gefflegum.
    Mid Englum ic wæs ond mid Swæfum ond mid ænenum.
    Mid Seaxum ic wæs ond Sycgum ond mid Sweordwerum.
    Mid Hronum ic wæs ond mid Deanum ond mid Heaþoreamum.
    Mid þyringum ic wæs ond mid þrowendum,
65
    ond mid Burgendum, þær ic beag geþah;
    me þær Guðhere forgeaf glædlicne maþþum
    songes to leane. Næs þæt sæne cyning!
    Mid Froncum ic wæs ond mid Frysum ond mid Frumtingum.
    Mid Rugum ic wæs ond mid Glommum ond mid Rumwalum.
70
    Swylce ic wæs on Eatule mid ælfwine,
    se hæfde moncynnes, mine gefræge,
    leohteste hond lofes to wyrcenne,
    heortan unhneaweste hringa gedales,
    beorhtra beaga, bearn Eadwines.
75
    Mid Sercingum ic wæs ond mid Seringum;
    mid Creacum ic wæs ond mid Finnum ond mid Casere,
    se þe winburga geweald ahte,
    wiolena ond wilna, ond Wala rices.
    Mid Scottum ic wæs ond mid Peohtum ond mid Scridefinnum;
80
    mid Lidwicingum ic wæs ond mid Leonum ond mid Longbeardum,
    mid hæðnum ond mid hæleþum ond mid Hundingum.
    Mid Israhelum ic wæs ond mid Exsyringum,
    mid Ebreum ond mid Indeum ond mid Egyptum.
    Mid Moidum ic wæs ond mid Persum ond mid Myrgingum,
85
    ond Mofdingum ond ongend Myrgingum,
    ond mid Amothingum. Mid Eastþyringum ic wæs
    ond mid Eolum ond mid Istum ond Idumingum.
    Ond ic wæs mid Eormanrice ealle þrage,
    þær me Gotena cyning gode dohte;
90
    se me beag forgeaf, burgwarena fruma,
    on þam siex hund wæs smætes goldes,
    gescyred sceatta scillingrime;
    þone ic Eadgilse on æht sealde,
    minum hleodryhtne, þa ic to ham bicwom,
95
    leofum to leane, þæs þe he me lond forgeaf,
    mines fæder eþel, frea Myrginga.
    Ond me þa Ealhhild oþerne forgeaf,
    dryhtcwen duguþe, dohtor Eadwines.
    Hyre lof lengde geond londa fela,
100
    þonne ic be songe secgan sceolde
    hwær ic under swegle selast wisse
    goldhrodene cwen giefe bryttian.
    ðonne wit Scilling sciran reorde
    for uncrum sigedryhtne song ahofan,
105
    hlude bi hearpan hleoþor swinsade,
    þonne monige men, modum wlonce,
    wordum sprecan, þa þe wel cuþan,
    þæt hi næfre song sellan ne hyrdon.
    ðonan ic ealne geondhwearf eþel Gotena,
110
    sohte ic a gesiþa þa selestan;
    þæt wæs innweorud Earmanrices.
    Heðcan sohte ic ond Beadecan ond Herelingas,
    Emercan sohte ic ond Fridlan ond Eastgotan,
    frodne ond godne fæder Unwenes.
115
    Seccan sohte ic ond Beccan, Seafolan ond þeodric,
    Heaþoric ond Sifecan, Hliþe ond Incgenþeow.
    Eadwine sohte ic ond Elsan, ægelmund ond Hungar,
    ond þa wloncan gedryht Wiþmyrginga.
    Wulfhere sohte ic ond Wyrmhere; ful oft þær wig ne alæg,
120
    þonne Hræda here heardum sweordum
    ymb Wistlawudu wergan sceoldon
    ealdne eþelstol ætlan leodum.
    Rædhere sohte ic ond Rondhere, Rumstan ond Gislhere,
    Wiþergield ond Freoþeric, Wudgan ond Haman;
125
    ne wæran þæt gesiþa þa sæmestan,
    þeah þe ic hy anihst nemnan sceolde.
    Ful oft of þam heape hwinende fleag
    giellende gar on grome þeode;
    wræccan þær weoldan wundnan golde
130
    werum ond wifum, Wudga ond Hama.
    Swa ic þæt symle onfond on þære feringe,
    þæt se biþ leofast londbuendum
    se þe him god syleð gumena rice
    to gehealdenne, þenden he her leofað."
135
    Swa scriþende gesceapum hweorfað
    gleomen gumena geond grunda fela,
    þearfe secgað, þoncword sprecaþ,
    simle suð oþþe norð sumne gemetað
    gydda gleawne, geofum unhneawne,
140
    se þe fore duguþe wile dom aræran,
    eorlscipe æfnan, oþþæt eal scæceð,
    leoht ond lif somod; lof se gewyrceð,
    hafað under heofonum heahfæstne dom.

PD-icon.svg This work published before January 1, 1923 is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.







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