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Wyrd’s WellTranslations

Cædmon's Hymn

Old English, from Bede

Now hear ye and hail the heaven's warden:"His might meted out as his mind forethought.Worship-Father's works, so wondrous each,which our Lord agelong of auld outlaid.His hand fastened first, for folk earthen-born,the heaven-roof high, that holy shaperthen made middle-earth, and mankind's wardenour agelong Lord, aneath us laidthe fields and fold." Our father almighty.

Amen.

The original, glossed

Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard,Now [we] must praise heaven-kingdom's guardian,meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc,Creator's [meotod, lit. 'measurer' (?)] might and his mind-thought,weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs,work of-glory-father, as he of-wonders each [gen.],ece drihten, or onstealde.eternal lord, beginning established.He ærest sceop eorðan bearnumHe first shaped for-earth's children [dat. pl.]heofon to hrofe, halig scyppend;heaven as roof, holy creator;þa middangeard moncynnes weard,then middle-earth mankind's guardian,ece drihten, æfter teodeeternal lord, afterwards madefirum foldan, frea ælmihtig.for-men [dat. pl.] earth [acc.], lord almighty.

Original text: Dobbie, ed., The Anglo-Saxon Minor Poems, ASPR 6 (1942), "Cædmon's Hymn", West Saxon version.

The original, glossed

Translation

Nu sculon herigean heofonrices weard,Now [we] must praise heaven-kingdom's guardian,

Now hear ye and hail the heaven's warden:

meotodes meahte and his modgeþanc,Creator's [meotod, lit. 'measurer' (?)] might and his mind-thought,

"His might meted out as his mind forethought.

weorc wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gehwæs,work of-glory-father, as he of-wonders each [gen.],

Worship-Father's works, so wondrous each,

ece drihten, or onstealde.eternal lord, beginning established.

which our Lord agelong of auld outlaid.

He ærest sceop eorðan bearnumHe first shaped for-earth's children [dat. pl.]

His hand fastened first, for folk earthen-born,

heofon to hrofe, halig scyppend;heaven as roof, holy creator;

the heaven-roof high, that holy shaper

þa middangeard moncynnes weard,then middle-earth mankind's guardian,

then made middle-earth, and mankind's warden

ece drihten, æfter teodeeternal lord, afterwards made

our agelong Lord, aneath us laid

firum foldan, frea ælmihtig.for-men [dat. pl.] earth [acc.], lord almighty.

the fields and fold." Our father almighty.

Amen.

Original text: Dobbie, ed., The Anglo-Saxon Minor Poems, ASPR 6 (1942), "Cædmon's Hymn", West Saxon version.

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