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.
ᚢ (ūr) byþ anmōd and oferhyrned
felafrēcne dēor - feohteþ mid hornum -
mǣre mōrstapa; þæt is mōdig wuht!
ᚦ (þorn) byþ ðearle scearp, ðegna gehwylcum
anfengys yfyl, ungemetun rēþe
manna gehwylcun ðe him mid resteð.
ᚩ (ōs) byþ ordfruma ǣlcre sprǣce,
wīsdōmes wraþu and witena frōfur
and eorla gehwām ēadnys and tōhiht.
ᚱ (rād) byþ on recyde rinca gehwylcum
sēfte, and swīþhwæt ðǣm ðe sitteþ onufan
mēare mægenheardum ofer mīlpaþas.
ᚳ (cēn) byþ cwicera gehwām cūþ on fȳre,
blāc and beorhtlīc; byrneþ oftust
ðær hī æþelingas inne restaþ.
ᚷ (gifu) gumena byþ gleng and herenys
wraþu and wyrþscype; and wræcna gehwām
ār and ætwist, ðe byþ ōþra lēas.
ᚹ (wyn) ne brūceþ ðe canwēana lȳt,
sāres and sorge, and him sylfa hæfþ
blǣd and blysse and ēac byrga geniht.
ᚻ (hægl) byþ hwītust corna; hwyrft hit of heofones lyfte,
wealcaþ hit windres scūra; weorþeþ hit tō wætere syððan.
ᚾ (nȳd) byþ nearu on brēostan; weorþeþ hī ðēah oft niþa bearnum
tō helpe and tō hǣle gehwæþre, gif hī his hlystaþ ǣror.
ᛁ (īs) byþ oferceald ungemetum slidor;
glisnaþ glæshlūttur gimmum gelīcust;
flōr forste geworuht, fæger ansȳne.
ᛄ(gēr) byþ gumena hiht ðon God lǣteþ,
hālig heofones cyning, hrūsan syllan
beorhte blēda beornum and ðearfum.
ᛇ (ēoh) byþ ūtan unsmēþe trēow,
heard hrūsan fæst, hyrde fȳres,
wyrtrumun underwreþyd, wynan on ēþle.
ᛈ (peorð) byþ symble plega and hlehter
wlancum ..., ðar wigan sittaþ
on bēorsele blīþe ætsomne.
ᛉ (eolhx) secg eard hæfþ oftust on fenne,
wexeð on wature; wundaþ grimme,
blōde brēneð beorna gehwylcne
ðehim ǣnigne onfeng gedēð.
ᛋ (sigel) sēmannum symble biþ on hihte,
ðonn hī hine feriaþ ofer fisces beþ,
oþ hī brimhengest bringeþ tō lande.
ᛏ (Tīr) biþ tācna sum; healdeð trȳwa wel
wiþ æþelingas; ā biþ on færylde
pfer nihta genipu; nǣfre swīceþ.
ᛒ (beorc) byþ blēda lēas; bereþ efne swa ðēah
tānas būtan tūdder; biþ on telgum wlitig,
hēah on helme, hrysted fægere;
geloden lēafum, lyfte getenge.
ᛖ (eh) byþ eorlum æþelinga wyn,
hors hōfum wlanc, ðǣr him hæleþas ymb,
welege on wicgum, wrixlaþ sprǣce;
and biþ unstyllum ǣfre frōfur.
ᛗ (man) byþ on myrgþe his māgan lēof;
sceal þēah ānra gehwylc ōðrum swīcan,
for ðām Dryhten wyle dōme sīne
ðæt earme flǣsc eorþan betǣcan.
ᛚ (lagu) byþ lēodum langsum geþūht,
gif hī sculun nēþun on nacan tealtum,
and hī sǣȳþa swȳþe brēgaþ,
and se brimhengest brīdles ne gȳmeð.
ᛝ (Ing) wæs ǣrest mid Ēast-Denum
Gesewen secgun, oþ hē siððan ēst
ofer wǣg gewāt; wǣn æfter ran;
ðus heardingas ðone hæle nemdun.
ᛟ (ēþel) byþ oferlēof ǣghwylcum men,
gif he mōt ðǣr rihtes and gerysena on
brūcan on bolde blēadum oftast.
ᛞ (dæg) byþ Drihtnes sond, dēore mannum,
mǣre Metodes lēoht, myrgþ and tōhiht
ēadum and earmum, eallum brīce.
ᚪ (æsc) biþ oferhēah eldum dȳre,
stīþ on staþule; stede rihte hylt,
ðēah him feohtan on fīras monige.
ᚣ (ȳr) byþ æþelinga and eorla gehwæs
wyn and wyrþmynd; byþ on wicge fæger,
fæstlīc on færelde, fyrdgeatewa sum.
ᛡ (īar) byþ ēafixa; and ðēah ā brūceþ
fōdres on foldan; hafaþ fægerne eard,
wætre beworpen, ðǣr hē wynnum leofaþ.
ᛠ (ēar) byþ egle eorla gehwylcun,
ðonn fæstlīce flǣsc onginneþ
hrāw cōlian, hrūsan cēosan
blāc tō gebeddan; blēda gedrēosaþ,
wynna gewītaþ, wēra geswīcaþ.