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Wyrd’s WellTranslations

Maxims I

Old English, Exeter Book, lines 25 to 30

All children born. Each bush and tree shalllose its leaves, its limbs mourning.The dying shall die, the doomed are fatedto every day plod toward their parting timefrom middle-earth. When he'll mete it, he alone knows,where he'll take you when it's time to leave home.

The original, glossed

bearn mid gebyrdum. Beam sceal on eorðanchildren [acc., object of 'cennan', bring forth, in line 24] with births [dat. pl.]. Tree must on earthleafum liþan, leomu gnornian.leaves [dat. pl.] lose (?), limbs mourn.Fus sceal feran, fæge sweltanready-to-go [one] must travel, doomed [one] dieond dogra gehwam ymb gedal sacanand of-days each [dat.] about parting strivemiddangeardes. Meotud ana watof-middle-earth. Creator alone knowshwær se cwealm cymeþ, þe heonan of cyþþe gewiteþ.where the death comes, [to him] who hence from homeland departs.

Original text: Krapp and Dobbie, eds., The Exeter Book, ASPR 3 (1936), "Maxims I".

The original, glossed

Translation

bearn mid gebyrdum. Beam sceal on eorðanchildren [acc., object of 'cennan', bring forth, in line 24] with births [dat. pl.]. Tree must on earth
All children born. Each bush and tree shall
leafum liþan, leomu gnornian.leaves [dat. pl.] lose (?), limbs mourn.
lose its leaves, its limbs mourning.
Fus sceal feran, fæge sweltanready-to-go [one] must travel, doomed [one] die
The dying shall die, the doomed are fated
ond dogra gehwam ymb gedal sacanand of-days each [dat.] about parting strive
to every day plod toward their parting time
middangeardes. Meotud ana watof-middle-earth. Creator alone knows
from middle-earth. When he'll mete it, he alone knows,
hwær se cwealm cymeþ, þe heonan of cyþþe gewiteþ.where the death comes, [to him] who hence from homeland departs.
where he'll take you when it's time to leave home.

Original text: Krapp and Dobbie, eds., The Exeter Book, ASPR 3 (1936), "Maxims I".