SWEFN SAWOLBRYTTAN
Gyðia Æppelflæd
Nū ic secge þā sēlestan gesyhða,
þe mec on middum nihtum gemētte,
þonne wordberend wunodon on ræste.
Mē þūhte þæt ic wandrede þurh wundorlicne mǣd,
beorhtan blēdful, bæðed in sunnan lēohte,
on heofonlicum plæne. Be mēn foran, ān fīfalu
ymbhwyrfed mid lēohte, þæs beorhteste bēam.
Wundorlic wīgsearu wǣg minne swuran,
Grēne þrǣd gefæstnod, fīfalu inne.
Hit glēawode mid lēohte, bēorhte bēamas forð āscoten.Ic wæs āhafen, heah on lyfte.
Ic grēp þā fīfalu,
Hēold hit heardlice; hit bærst forð mid lēohte;
Ic tōbrocen wæs, wuldorlīce tō sticmǣlum,Þūsend fīfala, flēogan on up līft;
Heofonlic duru ontynde, fīfala up flugon
Ymbe hīe wōx wælwulf;
Spere-horn on his heafde, īsen-gegyrelod and entisc.
Ic ongēan hine þǣr, þis wuldorfæste geweorc
Wundorlic wæs se mægenhors, and ic gedwolode tō lyfte.
Nū mihte ic oncnāwan nīwe tīd, nīwe eorþan,
Dagas ungelimpa ongēaton,
Swarte wolcna ingang þæs eft þæs horses,
Frōd wītga, gewended þurh sweartne gelēafan,
Hīe gebēddon tō þæm hwītum banum þæs horses.
Sweart cyning wræn wrætlice, ān scyttelsceocca
Gearo to wīgge.
Ic wæs nū wīghlēoþu
Sceadwum geseald on mīnum feaxe, þæt lyft bræd orangelic swā fȳr.
Ic ondrǣd þæt apocalypsige gesihþ and ongann singan;
Seldcūþe word, geseald mē þurh gāstas, nāt mīnes āgenes geþeode…
Fortham ic wāt, þonne ic locie in mīn heorte, þū eart Sawolbrytta.
Nū ic oncnāwan nīwe gesihðe, egeslīce gesīona,
Ic gesāwe mec selfne swā mihtig ent; ic sceolde standan fæst.
Swurd in mīnum handum, īsernhelm uppan mīnne hēafod.
Mīne ēagan gefylled mid egeslīcum tēarum, fȳrenum bærnende
Mīn hēafod tōclufon, beorhte bēamas bærston ūt.
Ic stōd beforan brādum bogan, enta geweorc,
Wundorlic weallstānas, gebrocen þurh bēalwa.
Ic bifode, þā mīn fex ūp āhafen wæs, ālǣded þurh þā lacnunga.
Ic gesēah mōdigra menn, glēawmōde and goldglǣde,
gyrelīc geglenged in glīwende reaf,
būgende bēon eorðan, beforan brādme mē,
prȳdlīc prēostesse, þrym gefrætwod.
Ān micel heall mid ācumedum hrōfe, besuncen on forwyrde;
Ān brād ārlic cæster, geworden sweart under dracan sceade.
Ān palatium besuncen tō forwyrde, weallstānas gebrocen tō hrēapum.
Ic stōd on þām forcorfen stōwum, ymbseald mid forwundodum stormweallum.
Gāstas ymb mē spunnon, hēafdon mē hēah;
Swurdceorle cneowdon lēage, beorhte fīfalu bærston ūt.
Ic ongēat ān forwyrd, scīnende swurd, ān flēotend wīgend.
Ic behēold, æfter þissum cwylme, þā āryst æfter storme.
Fana, blǣc hwīt and grēne, fliemende on swæsendum mǣde.
Nīwe tīd, gesihþ of nīwe eorþe, stānhūs ārās;
Frætwed mid beorhtum lēohtum; healas of burgum;
Manig bæþhūs, hēah hord of ācumedum hrōfum;
Ān ealdeormǣl īrenwyrmas crēop sinniht under.
Ān eald boga tōbrocen tō forwyrd, sceawod þurh forwundode menn
Manige men, glæd-frætwode in ungewunelicum gearweUplōcodon tō beorhtum bīlewitum. Fȳrwyrhta gefylled þæt lyft,
Ān beorht bōc fliemde on þe winde; hweorfende bīleacan scīnon on þe woruld
Ān manigfeald cyrm, hors on hlæwe;
Wer and wīf in sellicum scrūdum singende tō þe mǣnige;
Ic wæs behæft innan þās sangere; ic gesāw þe woruld swā hīe dydon;
Ic āsende mīne word þurh hira tungan on þe folc.
Þā ylcan selcūþe sægde, sēo uncūþe sang…
"Fortham ic wāt, þonne ic locie in mīn heorte, þū eart Sawolbrytta.
Beorhte lēohtas beseten þurh gāstas þe him līchaman gēafon.
Þās gesihþe wǣron swā selcūþ and swā egeslīc, ic fēolde dēopan ege.
Swylce þā gāstas in þām bīleacan mihton āfeallan and swīcan,
Gedōn þis ungewunelic nīwe woruld tō unmihte.
Ān fīfalu flēogende in hweorfende bīleacan, bodode nīwne fruman.
Ic gesāwe cynn, framweard ne bæcweard.
Nīwe tīd, sellicor and swiþor þonne sēo ǣrste;
An swīgende woruld nū, an uncūþ dēop grīmung, weaxende hlūdre and hlūdre.
Woruld of purpuren þȳstrum and swiþum regne
Flogende dēor, swiþe bēamas lēohtes, flēotende getimbru
Ān gesihþ of þǣre ræpinge, is þæt heofon oþþe hell, ic ne mæg witan.
Gescynde and gescæft scyndedon, tīd gebogen;
Ic oncnāwan þone ylcan bogan, gelīce nīwe, eald and oferēacod,
Bifangen in selcūþum gēometriscum mōdum and fīgurum,
Wundorlic gāstlic þing swā swā plæn-stān fōrm;
Hit wæs þrīnesse of gesihþum, oferēacode ænne ofer ōþerne.
Ic ongēat mē fēallan, ān geflēoged engel, sweordberende.
Ic feoll, niþer and niþer; on ān eald stānhengestIc gesāw eall ætgædere, gelīce þrīgesihþ:
Þā stānas nīwe ārǣred; þonne crungon-niþer; þonne geworht nīwe,
Wunden mid purpuren lēohte; ic gelandede on þæm sōfte græsse,
Framweard þæt lēoht-wunden sweord;Ic þruste þæt glēawende sweord on þæm stāne, and sēo gesihþ wæs gestilde.
Ic man þē, mīn lēofesta
Þū scealt secgan be þissum gesihþe tō mannum;
Onwrēoh mid wordum and bīleacum and sang þæt ic geseah