The Rune Poems
Old English Rune
Poem (OERP)
(Icelandic and
Norse ones to be added)
I
do not present an exact facsimile but an approximation as follows.
In the left column, the drawing of the rune is like the one of the original.
The associated Latin letter is found to the left of the rune (as in the original).
The name of the rune, above the drawing, is at the same place as in the original,
but it is written with modern characters. For instance, rune Wen is written
in the original a bit like 'pen' because 'w' was written at the time similarly
to 'p'. Classically, de 'f' and the 's' are also quite different, and I put
modern characters for them as well.
In Maureen Halsal's edition, the accents
on the letters have been added, and this is already an interpretation of the
original. On the contrary, I give here the text as it appears in the original,
except a point on the letter 'y' (as in the drawing of rune Nyd, below), that
I omitted.
The translation is as near as possible to
the original, sometimes, it is "not very meaningful", as some would
say, but I prefer keep the ambiguities
that might mean something to you.
Another translation very near to the original
is due to Eric Wodening, and available at http://members.tripod.com/wednesbury/first.html.
See much more information on the runes at:
http://www.teaser.fr/~lfontaine/nmh/
|
byþ frofur.
fira gehwylcum. sceal ðeah manna gehpylc. miclun hyt dælan. gif
he wile. for ðrhtne domes hleotan :. |
Wealth
(or cattle, or movable property) is for all a benefit, though each
should share a lot if he wants to cast by lots (or obtain) a destiny
(a "doom") in front of the master. (1) |
|
byþ anmod.
y ofer hyrned. fela frecne. deor feohteþ. mid horns . mære mor
stapa.
(þæt) is modig wuht :. |
Aurochs (or bison)
is resolute, mightily horned. A very bold (or dangerous) fighting
beast with horns. A stalker of the moors, this is a mighty being. |
|
byþ ðearle
scearp. ðegna gehwylcum. anfen-gys yfyl. ungemetum reþe. manna
gehwylcun. ðe him mid resteð :. |
Thorn (also a kenning for
"Giant") (2) is severely
sharp to the liegemen, catching (it brings) evil, excessively
reckless to the human who rests with it. |
|
byþ ordfruma.
ælcre spræce. wisdomes wraþu. and witena frofur. and eorla
gehwam. eadnys and to hiht :. |
God (or mouth)
(3) is fount of each discourse, support of wisdom
and help (or compensation) for the wise one, rest and refuge to each
nobleman. |
|
byþ onrecyde.
rinca gehwylcum. sefte and swiþhwæt. ðam ðe sitteþ
onufan. meare mægen heardum. ofer mil paþas :. |
Riding (or travel)
in the hall, for each warrior, (makes them) soft, and something mighty strong
who sits on a strong horse for a path of miles (= mil paþas). |
|
byþ cwicera
gehwam cuþ on fyre. blac and beorhtlic byrneþ oftust. ðær
hi æþelingas inne restaþ :. |
Torch (or pine, torch of
pinewood) is obviously fire for each living being, shining, glittering,
most often it burns where the princes rest. |
|
gumena byþ
gleng and herenys. wraþu y wyrþscype y wræcna gehwam ar
and ætwist ðe byþ oþra leas :. |
Gift (or generosity, favor,
sacrifice) is, for the heroes, ornament and dignity and impels their
grace, but a support for these with no other (= lonely ones). |
|
ne bruceþ
ðe can weana lyt sares and sorge and him sylfa hæfþ blæd
and blysse and eac byrga geniht:. |
Joy (or
hope, probability) never ends for the one who knows little of woes,
sores and sorrows. He gets success and bliss and enough (protection in a)
fortress. (4) |
|
byþ hwitust
corna. hwyrft hit of heofones lyfte. wealcaþ hit windes scura. weorþeþ
hit to wætere syððan :. |
Hail (or hailstorm)
is the whitest grain, it whirls down from the sky's heights, tossed in
the wind shower, becomes water thereafter. |
|
byþ nearu
on breostan weorþeþ hi ðea oft niþa bearnum to helpe
and to hæle gehwære gif hi his hlystaþ æror :. |
Necessity (or duty, hardship,
trouble- or also possibly: desire, longing) is distress on the chest
and often strife of the servant. It becomes help and healing for the children
if they listen soon enough. |
|
byþ ofer
cealdunge metum slidor glisnaþ glæshluttur gimmum gelicust flor
forste geworuht fæger ansyne :. |
Ice is mightily cold and gliding.
It shines like clear glass, as the jewels, a ground worked upon by cold,
beautiful to look at. |
|
byþ gumena
hiht ðon god læteþ halig heofones cyning hrusan syllan beohrte
beornum and ðærfum :. |
The year (or "good
year", hence the classical translation: harvest) is a joy for the
men when the god, holy king of the skies, ("obviously", here,
the God Freyr, also called King Freyr, and God of fertility) makes earth
supply brightly the noble and the poor. |
|
byþ utan
unsmeþe treow. heard hrusan fæst hyrde fyres. wyrtrumum under
wreþyd wynan on eþle :. |
Yew is a tree, rough from
the outside, hard and fast in earth, a shepherd of the fire, his roots
under the pillar, a joy on the native land. |
|
byþ symble
plega. and hlehter wlancum ðar wigan sittaþ on beor sele bliþe
æt somne :. |
Chessboard
(5) (the dictionary gives this meaning with a
?) is feast day, games and casting by lots, for the proud (or the
splendid) fighters sitting in the bier hall, happy together. |
|
secgeard hæfþ
oftust on fenne. wexeð on wature. wundaþ grimme. blode breneð
beorna gehwylcne ðe him ænigne onfeng gedeð :. |
The elk
of the sedge (6) (eolh = elk) often dwells in fens,
grows in water, grimly wounds and burns with boils the blood of the hero
who seizes it. |
|
se mannum symble
biþ on hihte ðonn hi hine feriaþ ofer fisces beþ oþ
hibrim hengest bringeþ to lande :. |
Sun (sigel = sun; sige
= victory) is feast day and hope for those who depart on the fishes'
bath until the wave-steed brings them to land. |
|
biþ tacna
sum healdeð trywa wel. wiþ æþelingas a biþ on
færylde. ofer nihta genipu. næfre swiceþ :. |
Tir is one of the signs; it
keeps well its promise (also possible: it controls well the tree - a
not so absurd meaning in view of Yggdrasil) with the noble, and it is
there during the travel above the dark of the night, never deceives. |
|
byþ bleda
leas. bereþ efne swa ðeah tanas butan tudder. biþ on telgum
wlitig. heah on helme hrysted fægere. geloden leafum lyfte getenge
:. |
Birch has no shoots, it carries
its rods without fruits; radiant high twigs, high its crown with leafs fairly
laden, reaches the sky. |
|
byþ for
eorlum æþelinga wyn. hors hofum wlanc. ðær him hæleþas
ymb. welege on wicgum wrixlaþ spræce. Y biþ unstyllum
æfre frofur :. |
Steed (or war steed)
is for the princes and the noble's joy; the warhorse arrogant in the hall
(7), where the wealthy heroes exchange talk. And
it is ever refuge to the unstill ones. |
|
byþ on myrgþe
his magan leof. sceal þeah anra gehwylc oðrum swican. for ðam
drythen wyle dome sine
(þæt) earme flæsc eorþan betæcan :. |
Human is mirth to the beloved
kin; he shall though each one deceive, when the lord will doom this miserable
flesh to be entrusted to earth. |
|
byþ leodum
langsum geþuht gif hi sculum neþun on nacan tealtum. Y hi sæ
yþa swyþe bregaþ. and se brim hengest bridles ne gym(eð)
:. |
Water (or sea, ocean)
seems lasting to the liegemen if they venture out in a tossing bark
(ship), so frightening are the waves of the sea, and the surf-steed no longer
takes care of the bridle. |
|
wæs ærest
mid east denum. gesewen secgun. oþ he siððan est. ofer wæg
gewat wæn æfter ran. ðus heardingas ðone hæle
nemdun :. |
Ing was first among the
East Danes, so was he looked at, until towards East he went on the wave
after his wagon, thus these proud men named this hero. |
|
byþ ofer
leof. æghwylcum men. gif he mot ðær. rihtes and gerysena
on brucan on bolde bleadum oftast :. |
Native country (or ancestral
home) is loved by each human, if there the moot (8)
holds, and that he enjoys justly and often the convenience of his sweet
home. |
|
byþ drihtnes
sond. deore mannum. mære metodes leoht. myrgþ and tohit eadgum
and earmum. eallum brice :. |
Day is sent by the Lord, mankind
beloved, glorious light of the creator, joy and hope for the rich and the
poor, useful to all. |
|
byþ on eorþan.
elda bearnum. flæsces fodor fereþ gelome ofer ganotes bæþ
garsecg fandaþ. hwæþer ac hæbbe æþele
treowe :. |
Oak is on the ground, for
the sons of man, food for the flesh; often it travels on the gannet's
bath. The ocean checks if the oak keeps nobly its faith. |
|
biþ ofer
heah. eldum dyre. stiþ on staþule. stide rihte hylt. ðeah
him feohtan on firas monige :. |
Ash (or spear) rises
high, loved by the folk, strong in its support, it justly keeps its place
in spite of many human attacks. |
|
byþ æþelinga
and eorla gehwaes. wyn and wyrþmynd. byþ on wicge fæger.
fæstlic on færelde. fyrd geatewa sum:. |
Bow (?, could also be gold
?, horn ?) is joy and memory of princes and nobles; beautiful on a steed,
firm in travel, some military gear. |
|
byþ ea fixa.
ðeah abruceþ. fodres onfoldan. hafaþ fægerne eard.
wætre beworpen. ðær he wynnum leofaþ :. |
Eel (?) is a kind of river
fish; it nevertheless finds its food on the ground; it has a beautiful dwelling
covered with water, where it lives in joy. |
|
byþ egle
eorla gehwylcun. ðonn fæstlice flæsc onginneþ. hracolian
hrusan ceosan blac to gebeddan bleda gedreosaþ. wynna gewitaþ
wera geswicaþ :. |
Earth (or corn ear, or
ocean) is loathsome to each nobleman, when flesh firmly tries to choose
the ground, fallen fruits as bedmates, joy vanishes, man turns traitor. |
|
Hos
characteres
ad alia festinans studioso lectori
interpretenda relinquo |
The last line provides three more
runes: cweorð, stan and gar known by other Futhorcs. stan
means stone, but the meaning of cweorð and gar is not sure.
The Latin sentence states that the understanding of these signs and other similar
is left to the studious readers. The runes in the middle make the formula 'olhwnfhg'
which must be a still unsolved enigma.
Notes.
1. The conventional translation: «if he wants to obtain
glory in front of the Lord» is certainly possible, but too Christian for such
a poem - Christianized - but still full of paganism. I prefer: «if he wants
to cast lots of fate in front of the Lord», by reference to the Völuspa where
the first human shapes have no destiny, while three Gods will give them life
and fate. Back
2. Icelandic and Norse runic poems refer to the Thurs,
the name of the giants when they represent the brutish natural forces. The Eddic
poem called In praise to Thor (Þórsdrápa), explained and
commented here, speaks of Þorns niðjum (children of the thorn), svíra
Þorns (thorn's neck), í þornrann (toward thorn's home) where obviously
thorn refers to a living being, a Thurs from the context of the poem. Back
3. Icelandic runic poems speaks of áss (one of
the Aesir, the Nordic Gods). Old Norse poem speaks of óss (river mouth).
The translation by mouth or God (where God would be here Wóden, the first among
the Aesir) is still under debate among scholars. It is obviously more 'logical'
to say that the mouth is source of discourse, but it should be remembered that
Wóden, called Óðinn (“Odin”) in the Nordic tongues, is also « the Gods'
shouter» and the owner of the mead of poetry that allows poetic speech. For
instance, Gautrek's saga shows the hero Starkad told by Óðinn: « I give
to him the gift of poetry, he will speak his poems in the same way he speaks
naturally». Back
4. We feel some kind of wordplay here: Old English burg
(nominative, accusative and genitive plural, burga) means fortress, and
byrga (nominative singular) means security. Nominative is forbidden by
the sentence structure. Logical byrga is thus not possible but "enough
fortresses" is not very meaningful either, for one individual. Both meanings
may be mixed up here. Back
5. In fact, chess did not become popular before the twelfth
century, thus the poem does not speak of chess, as we know it. Archeology suggests
that the games played by the Anglo-Saxons were quite similar to those played
by the Vikings, known as tafl, with several variants as halatafl,
kvatrutafl, hnefatafl. This last one was known in Welsh under the name
of tawl-bwrdd.
For more details, look at: http://www.regia.org/games.htm
---Back
6. In the already cited Þórsdrápa, a giant,
widely called a monster throughout the poem, is also pointed at by the kenning parent
of the deer sedge, so that thesedge deer (sefgrímnis) seems
to point at a wild monster. The elk of the sedge could then be a mythical monster,
akin to the giants. All this evokes Grendel, the wild monster described in the
poem Beowulf. Back
7. The original gives hofum that can be read as
such, dative plural of hof, «hall, court», or as , «hoof.». For instance,
the poem Beowulf says: gif … to hofum Geata geþingeð, i.e., «if he would
go the court of the Geats», where hof even means the king's court.
I chose the meaning of court, hall, as opposed to traditional translations (hoof)
because there is there more talk than under to hoof of a horse, and meeting
a horse is not impossible in a still primitive court. Back
8. I found it obvious to translate mot by moot,
thinking of the Icelandic thing. The poem recalls that “sweet is the
country where thing takes place,” as opposed to most places where tyrany
reigns. Back
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