Translations and Glossary

This is the original Old English text, slightly modernized, but substantively unchanged from the manuscript readings.

The lines have been grouped as hemistichs, or half lines (as they were probably composed).

Each hemistich is followed by a fairly literal translation; each line is followed by definitions of the more difficult words.

1. Her Aethelstan cyning,
In this year King Aethelstan,

eorla dryhten,
Lord of warriors,

• Her -- Literally "Here." Not an integral part of the poem, Her is found at the opening of A-S Chronicle entries and is usually translated "In this year."
• cyning -- "king"
• eorla -- (genitive plural) "of earls," "of warriors."
• dryhten -- "Lord"

and his brother eac,
and his brother also,

• beorna> -- (dative pl.) "to men"
• beag-giefa -- "ring-giver"
• eac -- "also"

ealdor-lange tir eternal glory

• aetheling -- "prince"
• ealdor-lang -- "age-long," "glory"
• tir -- "glory"

sweorda ecgum
with sword edges

• geslogon -- (3 p.p. past) "they won"
• saecce -- "strife," "battle"

Bord-weall clufon
Shield-wall they split

• ymbe -- "around"
• Bord-weall -- Literally "Board-wall," in this case "shield-wall''
• clufon -- (3 p.p. past) "the split" (cf. to cleave)

hamora lafum,
with the remnants of hammers

• heowon -- (3 p.p. past) "they hewed"
• heathu-linde -- "battle-shields" (made of linden wood)
• hamora lafum -- Literally "the remnants or leavings of hammers," i.e. "forged swords"

swa him ge-aethele waes
it was only befitting their noble descent

• eaforan -- "sons"
• swa -- with waes this trans. "it was only"
• him -- in this case "their"
• ge-aethele -- "befitting noble descent"

thaet hie aet campe oft
that they in battle often

• cneo-magum -- "ancestors"
• hie -- "they"
• campe -- "battle"

land ealgodon,
their land defend

• lathra --( adj.) "hostile," "hateful," "hated"
• gehwone -- "each"
• ealgodon -- (3 pp. subj.) "they might defend"

Hettend crungon,
The enemy perished,

• Hettend -- "The Enemy"
• crungon -- (3 pp. past) "fell in battle," "perished"

and scip-flotan,
and seamen

• leode -- "people"
• scip-flotan -- "seaman," "sailor"; literally "ship-floater"

Feld dennode
The field flowed

• faege -- "fated"
• feollon -- (3 p.p. past) "they fell"
• Feld -- "The field"
• dennode -- (3 p.s. past) "flowed"

siththan sunne upp
from sun up

• secga -- (genitive pl.) "of warriors"
• swate -- "blood"
• siththan -- "from"

maere tungol,
glorious star

• maere -- "glorious"
• tungol -- "star"

Godes candel beorht,
God's bright candle,

• glad -- (3 p.s. past) "glided"
• grundas -- "ground," "land," "surface of the earth"
• beorht -- "bright"

oth seo aethele gesceaft
till that noble creation

• eces -- "eternal"
• Dryhtnes -- "Lord"
• oth -- "till"
• seo -- "that"
• aethele -- "noble"
• gesceaft -- "creature," "creation"

Thaer laeg secg manig
There lay many a warrior

• sag -- (3 p.s. past) "sank"
• setle -- "seat"
• secg -- "man," "warrior"

guma Northerna
Northern men

• garum -- "by spears"
• agieted -- "destroyed"
• guma -- "man"

swelce Scyttisc eac,
likewise Scottish as well,

• swelce -- "likewise"

West-Seaxe forth
West-Saxons went forth

• wiges -- "battle," "war"
• saed -- "sated"
• forth -- "forth"; in this case "went forth"

eorod-cystum
in troops

• eorod-cystum -- "troops," "a picked company"

lathum theodum,
the hostile people.

• legdon -- (3 pp. past) elliptically with on last, "pursued"
• lathum -- "hostile," "hated," "hateful"
• theodum -- "people"

hindan thearle
from behind grievously

• heowon -- (3 p.p. past) "they hewed"
• here-flieman -- "the fugitive"
• hindan -- "from behind"
• thearle -- "grievously"

Mierce ne wierndon
The Mercians did not refuse

• mecum -- "with swords"
• mylen-scearpum -- "sharp from the grinding"
• Mierce -- "The Mercians"
• wierndon -- (3 p.p. past) "refuse," "deny," "withold"

haeletha nanum
to any warrior

• haeletha -- "men," "warriors"
• nanum -- "not one," "none"

ofer ear-gebland
over the sea-surge

• thara-the -- "they who"
• mid -- "with," "by"
• Anlafe -- "Anlaf." Leader of the Vikings who came from a settlement around modern-day Dublin.
• ear-gebland -- "sea-surge"

land gesohton,
sought lang,

• lides -- "of a ship"
• gesohton -- (3 p.p. past) "sought"

Fife lagon
Five lay dead

• faeg -- "fated"
• gefeohte -- "to fight"
• Fife -- "Five"
• lagon -- (3 p.p. past) "lay dead"

cyningas geonge,
young kings

• camp-stede -- "battle-field"

swelce seofone eac
likewise also seven

• answefede -- "put to sleep"
• swelce -- "likewise"
• seofone -- "seven"

unrim herges,
countless of the army,

• unrim -- "countless"
• herges -- "of the army"

Thaere gefliemed wearth
There took to flight

• flotena -- "sailors"
• gefliemed -- "put to flight"
• wearth -- (3 p.s. past) "was"

niede gebaeded,
by need constrained

• brego -- "chief"
• niede -- "by need," "by necessity"
• gebaeded -- "was constrained"

lytle weorode;
with little company:

• lides -- "ship"
• stefne -- "prow"
• weorode -- "band of men," "host"

cyning ut gewat
the king went out

• cread -- "press on"
• cnear -- "ship"
• flot -- "float" with on "afloat"
• ut -- "out"
• gewat -- here, "of knowledge"

feorh generede.
he saved his life.

• fealone -- "dusky," "dark"
• feorh -- "life"
• generede -- (3 p.s. past) "he saved"

mid fleame com
through flight came

• froda -- with se "the old campaigner"
• fleame -- "through flight"
• com -- (3 p.s. past) "came"

Constantinus,
Constantine,

• cyththe -- "home"
• Constantinus -- Constantine III, king of the Picts

Hreman ne thorfte
He had no reason to exult

• har -- "hoary," "gray," "old"
• hilde-rinc -- "warrior"
• Hreman -- "To exult"
• thorfte -- (3 p.s. past) "had no reason"

he waes his maga sceard,
he was of his kinsmen bereft

• meca -- "great"
• gemanan -- "meeting"; with an ironic twist, "fellowship"
• maga -- "of kinsmen"
• sceard -- "bereft"

on folc-stede,
on the battle-field

• folc-stede -- "battle-field"

and his sunu forlet
and [even] his son he left

• saecce -- "strife," "battle"
• sunu -- "son"
• forlet -- (3 p.s. past) "left," "abandoned"

wundum forgrunden,
with wounds ground to pieces,

• wael-stowe -- "place of slaughter," "battle-field"
• forgrunden -- "ground to pieces," "destroyed"

Gielpan ne thorfte
To boast he had no need,

• guthe -- "battle"
• Gielpan -- "To boast"
• thorfte -- (3 p.s. past) "had no reason"

bill-gesliehtes,
of sword-slaughter,

• beorn -- "warrior," "man"
• blanden-feax -- "grizzle-haired"
• bill-gesliehtes -- "of the sword-slaughter"

ne Anlaf thy ma;
no more did Anlaf;

• inwitta -- "malicious one," "deceitful one"
• thy -- "than"
• ma -- "more"

hliehhan ne thorfton
to laugh they had no reason,

• hira -- "their"
• here-lafum -- "remnant of an army"
• hliehhan -- "laugh"
• thorfton -- (3 p.p. past) "have reason to"

beteran wurdon
were better

• beadu-weorca -- "deed of war"
• wurdon -- (3 p.p. past) "were"

cumbol-gehnastes,
collision of banners,

• cumbol-gehnastes -- "collision of banners"

gumena gemotes,
encounter of men,

• gar-mittunge -- "encounter of spears"
• gumena -- "men"
• gemotes -- "meeting," "encounter"

thaes hie on wael-felda
when on the battle-field

• waepen-gewrixles -- "weapon-exchange"; i.e. trading blows
• wael-felda -- "battle-field"

eaforan plegodon.
sons they played.

• eaforan -- "sons"
• plegodon -- (3 p.p. past) "played"

naegled-cnearrum,
in nailed ships.

• Gewiton -- (3 p.p. past) "Went," "Departed"
• naegled-cnearrum -- "nailed-ship"

on Dinges mere
at Dinges Mere

• dreorig -- "sad," "dejected"
• "darotha -- "of spears"
• laf -- "remnants"; with darotha "survivors of the battle"
• Dinges mere -- "Dinges mere"; i.e., Dinges lake. Location has not been identified.

Dyflin secan,
Dublin they sought,

• Dyflin -- "Dublin"
• secan -- (3 p.p. past) "sought"

aewisc-mode.
ashamed in spirit.

• aeswisc-mode -- "ashamed in spirit"

begen aetsamne,
both together,

• gebrothor -- "brothers"
• begen -- "both"
• aetsamne -- "together"

cyththe sohton,
home sought,

• cyththe -- "home"

wiges hremge.
from battle exultant.

• wiges -- "from battle"
• hremge -- "exultant"

hraew bryttian
corpses to enjoy

• Leton -- (3 p.p. past) "They left
• hraew -- "corpses"
• bryttian -- "to distribute," "to divide," hence "dispose of," "enjoy"

thone sweartan hraefn
the dark raven

• sealwig-padan -- "dark-coated one"
• sweartan -- "dark," "black"
• hraefne -- "raven"

and thone hasu-padan,
and the dusky-coated one

• hyrned-nebban -- "horny-beaked one"
• hasu-padan -- "dusky-coated one"

aeses brucan--
to partake of carrion,--

• aeses -- "of carrion"
• brucan -- "to enjoy," "to partake"

and thaet graege deor,
and that gray animal

• graedigne -- "greedy"
• guth-hafoc -- "war-hawk"
• deor -- "animal"

Ne wearth wael mare
Never was there more slaughter

• wealda -- "forest"
• wearth -- (3 p.s. past) "was"
• wael -- "slaughter"
• mare -- "more"

aefre gieta
never yet as many

• aefre -- "ever"
• gieta -- "yet"

beforan thissum
before this

• folces -- "people," "army," "host"
• gefielled -- "felled," "killed"

thaes-the us secgath bec,
those who tell us from books,

• thaes-the -- "those who"
• secgath -- (3 p.p. present) "tell," "relate," "say"
• bec -- "from books"

siththan eastan hider
since hither from the east

• uthwitan -- "wise men"

upp becomon,
came up

Britene sohton,
Britain they sought,

• brimu -- "sea"

Wealas ofercomon,
the Welsh they overcame,

• wlance -- "proud," "high-spirited"
• wig-smithas -- "war-smiths"
• Wealas -- "Welshmen"

eard begeaton.
they took hold of the land.

• ar-hwaete -- "glorious"
• eard -- "of the land"
• begeaton -- (3 p.p. past) "took hold"