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The Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem

In 1731, a fire tore through the library of Ashburnham House in London damaging and destroying many books and manuscripts. This included the only known copy of the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem, in the Cotton Otho B.x.165 manuscript. Fortunately, George Hickes published, in 1705, a copy of the poem made by Humfrey Wanley. All later versions of the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem are based on Wanley and Hickes' edition.

᛫᛬᛭ᚠᚢᚦᚩᚱᚳᚷᚹᚻᚾᛁᛄᛇᛈᛉᛋᛏᛒᛖᛗᛚᛝᛟᛞᚪᚫᚣᛡᛠ᛭᛬᛫

 

​ᚠ (feoh) byþ frōfur   fīra gehwylcum;

sceal ðēah manna gehwylc   miclun hyt dǣlan,

gif hē wile for Drihtne   dōmes hlēotan.

(ūr) byþ anmōd   and oferhyrned

felafrēcne dēor   - feohteþ mid hornum -

mǣre mōrstapa;   þæt is mōdig wuht!

(þorn) byþ ðearle scearp,   ðegna gehwylcum

anfengys yfyl,   ungemetun rēþe

manna gehwylcun   ðe him mid resteð.

(ōs) byþ ordfruma   ǣlcre sprǣce,

wīsdōmes wraþu   and witena frōfur

and eorla gehwām   ēadnys and tōhiht.

(rād) byþ on recyde   rinca gehwylcum

sēfte, and swīþhwæt   ðǣm ðe sitteþ onufan

mēare mægenheardum   ofer mīlpaþas.

(cēn) byþ cwicera gehwām   cūþ on fȳre,

blāc and beorhtlīc;   byrneþ oftust

ðær hī æþelingas   inne restaþ.

(gifu) gumena byþ   gleng and herenys

wraþu and wyrþscype;   and wræcna gehwām

ār and ætwist,   ðe byþ ōþra lēas.

(wyn) ne brūceþ   ðe canwēana lȳt,

sāres and sorge,   and him sylfa hæfþ

blǣd and blysse   and ēac byrga geniht.

(hægl) byþ hwītust corna;    hwyrft hit of heofones lyfte,

wealcaþ hit windres scūra;   weorþeþ hit tō wætere syððan.

(nȳd) byþ nearu on brēostan;   weorþeþ hī ðēah oft niþa bearnum

tō helpe and tō hǣle gehwæþre,   gif hī his hlystaþ ǣror.

(īs) byþ oferceald   ungemetum slidor;

glisnaþ glæshlūttur   gimmum gelīcust;

flōr forste geworuht,   fæger ansȳne.

(gēr) byþ gumena hiht   ðon God lǣteþ,

hālig heofones cyning,   hrūsan syllan

beorhte blēda   beornum and ðearfum.

(ēoh) byþ ūtan   unsmēþe trēow,

heard hrūsan fæst,   hyrde fȳres,

wyrtrumun underwreþyd,   wynan on ēþle.

(peorð) byþ symble   plega and hlehter

wlancum ...,   ðar wigan sittaþ

on bēorsele   blīþe ætsomne.

(eolhx) secg eard hæfþ   oftust on fenne,

wexeð on wature;   wundaþ grimme,

blōde brēneð   beorna gehwylcne

ðehim ǣnigne   onfeng gedēð.

(sigel) sēmannum   symble biþ on hihte,

ðonn hī hine feriaþ   ofer fisces beþ,

oþ hī brimhengest   bringeþ tō lande.

(Tīr) biþ tācna sum;   healdeð trȳwa wel

wiþ æþelingas;   ā biþ on færylde

pfer nihta genipu;   nǣfre swīceþ.

(beorc) byþ blēda lēas;   bereþ efne swa ðēah

tānas būtan tūdder; biþ on telgum wlitig,

hēah on helme, hrysted fægere;

geloden lēafum, lyfte getenge.

(eh) byþ eorlum   æþelinga wyn,

hors hōfum wlanc,   ðǣr him hæleþas ymb,

welege on wicgum,   wrixlaþ sprǣce;

and biþ unstyllum   ǣfre frōfur.

(man) byþ on myrgþe   his māgan lēof;

sceal þēah ānra gehwylc   ōðrum swīcan,

for ðām Dryhten wyle   dōme sīne

ðæt earme flǣsc   eorþan betǣcan.

(lagu) byþ lēodum   langsum geþūht,

gif hī sculun nēþun   on nacan tealtum,

and hī sǣȳþa   swȳþe brēgaþ,

and se brimhengest   brīdles ne gȳmeð.

(Ing) wæs ǣrest   mid Ēast-Denum

Gesewen secgun,   oþ hē siððan ēst

ofer wǣg gewāt;   wǣn æfter ran;

ðus heardingas   ðone hæle nemdun.

(ēþel) byþ oferlēof   ǣghwylcum men,

gif he mōt ðǣr rihtes   and gerysena on

brūcan on bolde   blēadum oftast.

(dæg) byþ Drihtnes sond,   dēore mannum,

mǣre Metodes lēoht,   myrgþ and tōhiht

ēadum and earmum,   eallum brīce.

(æsc) biþ oferhēah   eldum dȳre,

stīþ on staþule;   stede rihte hylt,

ðēah him feohtan on   fīras monige.

(ȳr) byþ æþelinga   and eorla gehwæs

wyn and wyrþmynd;   byþ on wicge fæger,

fæstlīc on færelde, fyrdgeatewa sum.

(īar) byþ ēafixa;   and ðēah ā brūceþ

fōdres on foldan;   hafaþ fægerne eard,

wætre beworpen,   ðǣr hē wynnum leofaþ.

(ēar) byþ egle eorla gehwylcun,

ðonn fæstlīce   flǣsc onginneþ

hrāw cōlian,   hrūsan cēosan

blāc tō gebeddan;   blēda gedrēosaþ,

wynna gewītaþ,   wēra geswīcaþ.

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