2. CYNEWULF AND HIS SCHOOL

2. CYNEWULF AND HIS SCHOOL[Aside from Cædmon’s Hymn, the only Old English poems whose author we know are four bearing the name of Cynewulf,Christ,Juliana,Elene, andThe Fates of the Apostles. In these he signs his name by means of runes inserted in the manuscript. These runes, which are at once letters of the alphabet and words, are made to fit into the context. They areAnglo-Saxon runes: cen,yr,nyd,eoh,wynn,ur,lagu,feohSeveral other poems have been ascribed to Cynewulf, especiallyAndreas,The Dream of the Rood,Guthlac,The Phœnix, andJudith. Except for internal evidence there is no proof of the authorship of these poems. The Riddles were formerly thought to be by Cynewulf, but recent scholars have, with one notable exception, abandoned that theory.Many reconstructions of the life of Cynewulf have been undertaken. The most reasonable theories seem to be that he was Cynewulf, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who died about 781; or that he was a priest, Cynewulf, who executed a decree in 803. There is no real proof that either of these men was the poet. For a good discussion of the Cynewulf question, see Strunk,Juliana, pp. xvii-xix, and Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, Introduction.Of the signed poems of Cynewulf, selections are here given fromChristandElene.]a. CYNEWULFSELECTIONS FROM THE CHRIST[Critical edition: Cook,The Christ of Cynewulf, Boston, 1900. Text and translation: Gollancz,Cynewulf’s Christ, London, 1892. Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 153, ff. The poem consists of three parts:1. Advent, largely from the Roman breviary.2. Ascension, taken from an Ascension sermon of Pope Gregory.3. Second coming of Christ, taken from an alphabetical Latin hymn on the Last Judgment, quoted by Bede.Is there enough unity to make us consider it one work? Cook thinks we can. The differences in the language and meter are not so striking as to make it unlikely. The great objection to it is that the runes occur at the end of the second part, which is not far from the middle of the entire poem. In the three other poems signed by Cynewulf the runes occur near the end.]1. Hymn to Christ. . . . . . . . . . .to the King.Thou art the wall-stonethat the workmen of oldRejected from the work.Well it befits theeTo become the headof the kingly hall,5To join in onethe giant wallsIn thy fast embrace,the flint unbroken;That through all the earthevery eye may seeAnd marvel evermore,O mighty Prince,Declare thy accomplishmentsthrough the craft of thy hand,10Truth-fast, triumphant,and untorn from its placeLeave wall against wall.For the work it is needfulThat the Craftsman should comeand the King himselfAnd raise that roofthat lies ruined and decayed,Fallen from its frame.He formed that body,15The Lord of life,and its limbs of clay,And shall free from foementhe frightened in heart,The downcast band,as he did full oft.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. Hymn to Jerusalem50Ovision of happiness!holy Jerusalem!Fairest of king’s thrones!fortress of Christ!The home-seat of angels,where the holy alone,The souls of the righteous,shall find rest unceasing,Exulting in triumph.No trace of sin55Shall be made manifestin that mansion of bliss,But all faults shall fleeafar from thee,All crime and conflict;thou art covered with gloryOf highest hope,as thy holy name showest.Cast now thy gazeon the glorious creation,60How around thee the roomyroof of heavenLooks on all sides,how the Lord of HostsSeeks thee in his courseand comes himself,And adopts thee to dwell in,as in days agoneIn words of wisdomthe wise men said,65Proclaimed Christ’s birthas a comfort to thee,Thou choicest of cities!Now the child has come,Born to make worthlessthe work of the Hebrews.He bringeth thee bliss;thy bonds he unlooseth;He striveth for the stricken;understandeth theirneeds,—70How woeful menmust wait upon mercy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.This poem begins in the fragmentary manner indicated by the translation.2.See Psalms 118:22.3. Joseph and Mary[Mary] “O my Joseph,O Jacob’s son,165Kinsman of David,the king renowned,Dost thou plan to turnfrom thy plighted troth,And leave my love?”[Joseph] “Alas, full soonI am oppressed with griefand deprived of honor.I have borne for theemany bitter words,170Insulting slursand sorrowful taunts,Scathing abuses,and they scorn me nowIn wrathful tones.My tears I shall pourIn sadness of soul.My sorrowful heart,My grief full easilyour God may heal,175And not leave me forlorn.Alas, young damsel,Mary maiden!”[Mary] “Why bemoanest thouAnd bitterly weepest?No blame in thee,Nor any faulthave I ever foundFor wicked works,and this word thou speakest180As if thou thyselfwith sinful deedsAnd faults wert filled.”[Joseph] “Far too much griefThy conception has caused meto suffer in shame.How can I beartheir bitter tauntsOr ever make answerto my angry foes185Who wish me woe?’Tis widely knownThat I took from the glorioustemple of GodA beautiful virginof virtue unblemished,The chastest of maidens,but a change has now come,Though I know not the cause.Nothing avails me—190To speak or to be silent.If I say the truth,Then the daughter of Davidshall die for her crime,Struck down with stones;yet still it were harderTo conceal the sin;forsworn foreverI should live my lifeloathed by all people,195By men reviled.”Then the maid revealedThe work of wonder,and these words she spoke:“Truly I say,by the Son of the CreatorThe Savior of souls,the Son of God,I tell thee in truththat the time has not been200That the embrace of a mortalman I have knownOn all the earth;but early in lifeThis grace was granted me,that Gabriel came,The high angel of heaven,and hailed me in greeting,In truthful speech:that the Spirit of heavenWith his light should illumine me,that life’s Glory by me205Should be borne, the bright Son,the blessed Child of God,Of the kingly Creator.I am become now his temple,Unspoiled and spotless;the Spirit of comfortHath his dwelling in me.Endure now no longerSorrow and sadness,and say eternal thanks210To the mighty Son of the Maker,that his mother I have become,Though a maid I remain,and in men’s opinionThou art famed as his father,if fulfillment should comeOf the truth that the Prophetsforetold of his coming.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.This passage is especially interesting in being one of the first appearances of the dialogue form in old English. Some scholars have gone so far as to think that we have here the germ from which English drama comes, but there does not seem reason to believe that the scene ever received any kind of dramatic representation.4. Rune PassageNotever on earthneed any man780Have dread of the dartsof the devil’s race,Of the fighting of the fiends,whose defense is in God,The just Lord of Hosts.The judgment is nighWhen each without failshall find his reward,Of weal or of woe,for his work on the earth785During the time of his life.’Tis told us in books,How from on highthe humble one came,The Treasure-hoard of honor,to the earth belowIn the Virgin’s womb,the valiant Son of God,Holy from on high.I hope in truth790And also dreadthe doom far sterner,When Christ and his angelsshall come again,Since I kept not closelythe counsels my SaviorBade in his books.I shall bear thereforeTo see the work of sin(it shall certainly be)795When many shall be ledto meet their doom,To receive justicein the sight of their Judge.Then theCourageous shall tremble,shall attend the King,The Righteous Ruler,when his wrath he speaksTo the worldlings who weaklyhis warning have heeded800While theirYearning andNeedeven yet could have easilyFound a comfort.There, cowering in fear,Many wearily shall waiton the wide plainWhat doom shall be dealt themfor the deeds of their life,Of angry penalties.Departed hathWinsomeness,805The ornaments of earth.ItUsed to be trueThat long ourLife-joyswere locked in the sea-streams,OurFortunes on earth;in the fire shall our treasureBurn in the blast;brightly shall mount,The red flame, ragingand wrathfully striding810Over the wide world;wasted shall be the plains;The castles shall crumble;then shall climb the swift fire,The greediest of guests,grimly and ruthlesslyEat the ancient treasurethat of old men possessedWhile still on the earthwas their strength and their pride.815Hence I strive to instructeach steadfast manThat he be cautiousin the care of his soul,And not pour it forth in pridein that portion of daysThat the Lord allows himto live in the world,While the soul abidethsafe in the body,820In that friendly home.It behooveth each manTo bethink him deeplyin the days of his lifeHow meekly and mildlythe mighty LordCame of old to usby an angel’s word;Yet grim shall he bewhen again he cometh,825Harsh and righteous.Then the heavens shall rock,And the measureless endsof the mighty earthShall tremble in terror.The triumphant KingShall avenge their vainand vicious lives,Their loathsome wickedness.Long shall they wallow830With heavy heartsin the heat of the fire bath,Suffer for their sinsin its surging flame.779.The passage following contains the runes from which we obtain the name Cynewulf. The runes are at once a word and a letter, in the same way that our letterIis also the symbol for the first personal pronoun. In the places where the meaning fits, Cynewulf has written the runes that spell his name.804.In this passage the runes omit theeof the poet’s name, although it is found in the other runic passages.SELECTIONS FROM THE ELENE[Critical edition: Holthausen,Kynewulf’s Elene, Heidelberg, 1905.Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 87 ff.; Kemble,The Poetry of the Codex Vercelliensis, with an English translation, London, 1856.Source:Acta Sanctorumfor May 4.The first passage describes the vision of the cross by the Emperor Constantine, the second the finding of the true cross by his mother, Helena, in Old English, “Elene.”The poem is usually regarded as Cynewulf’s masterpiece.]1. The Vision of the Cross. . . . . . . .Heart-care oppressedThe Roman ruler;of his realm he despaired;He was lacking in fighters;too few were his warriors,His close comradesto conquer in battle65Their eager enemy.The army encamped,Earls about their ætheling,at the edge of the stream,Where they spread their tentsfor the space of thenight,After first they had foundtheir foes approach.To Cæsar himselfin his sleep there came70A dream as he laywith his doughty men,To the valiant kinga vision appeared:It seemed that he sawa soldier bright,Glorious and gleamingin the guise of a manMore fair of formthan before or after75He had seen under the skies.From his sleep he awoke,Hastily donned his helmet.The herald straightway,The resplendent messengerspoke unto him,Named him by name—the night vanished away:“O Constantine,the King of angels bids—80The Master Almighty,to make thee a compact,The Lord of the faithful.No fear shouldst thou have,Though foreign foesbring frightful war,And horrors unheard of!To heaven now look,To the Guardian of glory:Thou shalt gain there support,85The sign of victory!”Soon was he readyTo obey the holy bidding,and unbound his heart,And gazed on high,as the herald had bade him,The princely Peace-weaver.With precious jewels adorned,He saw the radiant roodover the roof of clouds,90Gorgeous with goldand gleaming gems.The brilliant beambore these lettersShining with light:“Thou shalt with this signOvercomeand conquerin thy crying needThe fearsome foe.”Then faded the light,95And joining the herald,journeyed on highUnto the clean-hearted company.The king was the blither,And suffered in his soulless sorrow and anguish,The valiant victor,through the vision fair.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92.This is a translation of the famous Latin mottoin hoc signo vinces.2. The Discovery of the CrossStrivingin strengthand with steadfast heart,830He began to delvefor the glorious treeUnder its covering of turf,till at twenty feetBelow the surfaceconcealed he foundShut out from sight,under the shelving cliff,In the chasm of darkness—three crosses he found,In their gloomy gravetogether he found them,—835Grimy all over,as in ancient daysThe unrighteous racehad wrapped them in earth,The sinful Jews.Against the Son of GodThey showed their hateas they should not have doneHad they not harkenedto the behests of the devil.840Then blithe was his heartand blissful within him.His soul was inspiredby the sacred tree.His heart was emboldenedwhen he beheld that beaconHoly and deep hidden.With his hands he seizedThe radiant cross of heaven,and with his host he raised it845From its grave in the earth.The guests from afarAnd princes and æthelingswent all to the town.In her sight they setthe three sacred trees,The proud valiant men,plain to be seenBefore Elene’s knee.And now was joy850In the heart of the Queen;she inquired of the menOn which of the crossesthe crucified Lord,The heavenly Hope-giver,hung in pain:“Lo! we have heardfrom the holy booksIt told for a truththat two of them855Suffered with himand himself was the thirdOn the hallowed tree.The heavens were darkenedIn that terrible time.Tell, if you can,On which of these roodsthe Ruler of angels,The Savior of mensuffered his death.860In no wise could Judas—for he knew not at all—Clearly revealthat victory treeOn which the Lordwas lifted high,The son of God,but they set, by his order,In the very middleof the mighty city865The towering treesto tarry there,Till the Almighty Kingshould manifest clearlyBefore the multitude the mightof that marvelous rood.The assembly sat,their song uplifted;They mused in their mindson the mystery trees870Until the ninth hourwhen new delight grewThrough a marvelous deed.—There a multitude came,Of folk not a little,and, lifted among them,There was borne on a bierby brave-hearted menNigh to the spot—it was the ninth hour—875A lifeless youth.Then was lifted the heartOf Judas in greatrejoicing and gladness.He commanded them to setthe soulless man,With life cut off,the corpse on the earth,Bereft of life,and there was raised aloft880By the proclaimer of justice,the crafty of heart,The trusty in counsel,two of the crossesOver that house of death.It was dead as beforeThe body fast to the bier:about the chill limbsWas grievous doom.Then began the third cross885To be lifted aloft.There lay the body,Until above him was rearedthe rood of the Lord,The holy crossof heaven’s King,The sign of salvation.He soon aroseWith spirit regained,and again were joined890Body and soul.Unbounded was the praiseAnd fair of the folk.The Father they thankedAnd the true and sacredSon of the AlmightyWith gracious words.—Glory and praise be hisAlways without endfrom every creature.829.After Constantine has accepted Christianity, his mother Helena (Elene) undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the purpose of discovering the true cross. After many failures she finally learns where it is hidden. The passage here translated relates the discovery of the cross.b. ANONYMOUS POEMS OF THE CYNEWULFIAN SCHOOLTHE DREAM OF THE ROOD[Critical edition: Cook,The Dream of the Rood, Oxford, 1905.Author: “Making all due allowance, then, for the weakness of certain arguments both pro and con, the balance of probability seems to incline decidedly in favor of Cynewulfian authorship.”—Cook.Translations: English Prose: Kemble. Verse: Stephens, 1866; Morley, 1888; Miss Iddings, 1902.The poem has much in common withElene, especially the intimate self-analysis. Portions of it are on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire. It is claimed as Cynewulf’s, but there is nothing to indicate this except the beauty of style, which has caused it to be called “the choicest blossom of Old English Christian poetry.”]Lo, I shall tell youthe truest of visions,A dream that I dreamtin the dead of nightWhile people reposedin peaceful sleep.I seemed to seethe sacred tree5Lifted on highin a halo of light,The brightest of beams;that beacon was whollyGorgeous with gold;glorious gems stoodFair at the foot;and five were assembled,At the crossing of the arms.The angels of God looked on,10Fair through the firmament.It was truly no foul sinner’s cross,For beholding his sufferingswere the holy spirits,The men of the earthand all of creation.Wondrous was that victory-wood,and I wounded and stainedWith sorrows and sins.I saw the tree of glory15Blessed and brightin brilliant adornments,Made joyous with jewels.Gems on all sidesFull rarely enrichedthe rood of the Savior.Through the sight of that crossI came to perceiveIts stiff struggle of old,when it started first20To bleed on the right side.I was broken and cast down with sorrow;The fair sight inspired me with fear.Before me the moving beaconChanged its clothing and color.At times it was covered with bloodFearful and grimy with gore.At times with gold ’twas adorned.Then I lay and lookedfor a long time25And saw the Savior’ssorrowful treeUntil I heard itlift high its voice.The worthiest of the wood-raceformed words and spoke:“It was ages ago—I shall always remember—When first I was felledat the forest’s edge,30My strong trunk stricken.Then strange enemies took meAnd fashioned my frame to a cross;and their felons I raised on high.On their backs and shoulders they bore meto the brow of the lofty hill.There the hated ones solidly set me.I saw there the Lord of MankindStruggling forward with courageto climb my sturdy trunk.35I dared not then opposethe purpose of the Lord,So I bent not nor brokewhen there burst forth a tremblingFrom the ends of the earth.Easily might IDestroy the murderers,but I stood unmoved.“The Young Herounclothed him—it was the holy God—40Strong and steadfast;he stepped to the high gallows,Not fearing the look of the fiends,and there he freed mankind.At his blessed embrace I trembled,but bow to the earth I dared not,Or forward to fall to the ground,but fast and true I endured.As a rood I was raised up;a royal King I bore,45The Lord of heavenly legions.I allowed myself never to bend.Dark nails through me they drove;so that dastardly scars are upon me,Wounds wide open;but not one of them dared I to harm.They cursed and reviled us together.I was covered all over with blood,That flowed from the Savior’s sidewhen his soul had left the flesh.50Sorrowful the sightsI have seen on that hill,Grim-visaged grief:the God of mankind I sawAnd his frightful death.The forces of darknessCovered with cloudsthe corpse of the Lord,The shining radiance;the shadows darkened55Under the cover of clouds.Creation all wept,The king’s fall bewailed.Christ was on the rood.Finally from afarcame faithful comradesTo the Savior’s side,and I saw it all.Bitter the grief that I bore,but I bowed me low to their hands;60My travail was grievous and sore.They took then God Almighty,From loathsome torment they lifted him.The warriors left me deserted,To stand stained with blood.I was stricken and wounded with nails.Limb-weary they laid him there,and at their Lord’s head they stood.They beheld there the Ruler of heaven;and they halted a while to rest,65Tired after the terrible struggle.A tomb then they began to make,His friends in sight of his foes.Of the fairest of stone they built it,And set their Savior upon it.A sorrowful dirge they chanted,Lamented their Master at evening,when they made their journey home,Tired from their loved Lord’s side.And they left him with the guard.70We crosses stood therestreaming with blood,And waited longafter the wailing ceasedOf the brave company.The body grew cold,The most precious of corpses.Then they pulled us down,All to the earth—an awful fate!75They buried us low in a pit.But the loved disciples of Christ,His faithful friends made searchand found me and brought me to light,And gorgeously decked mewith gold and with silver.“Now mayst thou learn,my beloved friend,That the work of the wickedI have worthily borne,80The most trying of torments.The time is now comeWhen through the wide worldI am worshipped and honored,That all manner of men,and the mighty creation,Hold sacred this sign.On me the Son of GodDeath-pangs endured.Hence, dauntless in glory,85I rise high under heaven,and hold out salvationTo each and to allwho have awe in my presence.“Long ago I was the greatestand most grievous of torments,Most painful of punishments,till I pointed arightThe road of lifefor the race of men.90“Lo, a glory was givenby the God of CreationTo the worthless wood—by the Warden of heaven—Just as Mary, his mother,the maiden blessed,Received grace and gloryfrom God Almighty,And homage and worshipover other women.95“And now I bid thee,my best of comrades,That thou revealthis vision to men.Tell them I am trulythe tree of glory,That the Savior sorrowedand suffered upon meFor the race of menand its many sins,100And the ancient evilthat Adam wrought.“He there tasted of death;but in triumph he rose,The Lord in his mightand gave life unto men.Then he ascended to heaven,and hither againShall the Savior descendto seek mankind105On the day of doom,the dreaded RulerOf highest heaven,with his host of angels.Then will he adjudgewith justice and firmnessRewards to the worthywhose works have deserved them,Who loyally livedtheir lives on the earth.110Then a feeling of fearshall fill every heartFor the warning they hadin the words of their Master:He shall demand of manywhere the man may be foundTo consent for the sakeof his Savior to tasteThe bitter deathas He did on the cross.115They are filled with fearand few of them thinkWhat words they shall speakin response to Christ.Then no feeling of frightor fear need he haveWho bears on his heartthe brightest of tokens,But there shall come to the kingdomthrough the cross and its power120All the souls of the savedfrom the sorrows of earth,Of the holy who hopefor a home with their Lord.”Then I adored the crosswith undaunted courage,With the warmest zeal,while I watched aloneAnd saw it in secret.My soul was eager125To depart on its path,but I have passed through manyAn hour of longing.Through all my lifeI shall seek the sightof that sacred treeAlone more oftenthan all other menAnd worthily worship it.My will for this service130Is steadfast and sturdy,and my strength is everIn the cross of Christ.My comrades of old,The friends of fortune,all far from the earthHave departed from the world and its pleasuresand have passed to the King of Glory,And high in the heavenswith the holy God135Are living eternally.And I long for the timeTo arrive at lastwhen the rood of the Lord,Which once so plainlyappeared to my sight,Shall summon my soulfrom this sorrowful life,And bring me to that bournewhere bliss is unending140And happiness of heaven,where the holy saintsAll join in a banquet,where joy is eternal.May He set me where alwaysin after timeI shall dwell in glorywith God’s chosen onesIn delights everlasting.May the Lord be my friend,145Who came to earthand of old on the crossSuffered and sorrowedfor the sins of men.He broke there our bondsand bought for us lifeAnd a heavenly home.The hearts were now filledWith blessings and bliss,which once burned with remorse.150To the Son was his journeysuccessful and joyfulAnd crowned with triumph,when he came with his troops,With his gladsome guestsinto God’s kingdom,The Almighty Judge’s,and brought joy to the angels,And the host of the holywho in heaven before155Dwelt in glorywhen their God arrived,The Lord Most High,at his home at last.39.The lines that follow appear with some changes on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire.44.This and the following line form the basis of an inscription on a reliquary containing a cross preserved in the Cathedral at Brussels.JUDITH[Critical edition: Cook,Judith, Boston, 1904.Translation:Hall, Judith, Phoenix and Other Anglo-Saxon Poems.Manuscript: The same as the one containingBeowulf. It was injured by a fire in 1731. It had been printed by Thwaites in 1698 before the injury.Authorship and date: The mixture of dialect forms seems to indicate that a northern original passed through one or more hands and that at least the last scribe belonged to the late West Saxon period. Cook thinks that it is not earlier than about 825 nor later than 937, and that it is possibly by Cynewulf.Source: Apocryphal book of Judith.]1. The Feast. . . . . . . . . .Shedoubted [not] the giftsIn this wide world.There worthily she foundHelp at the hands of the Lord,when she had the highest need,Grace from God on high,that against the greatest of dangers5The Lord of Hosts should protect her;for this the Heavenly FatherGraciously granted her wish,for she had given true faithTo the holy Ruler of heaven.Holofernes then, I am told,Called his warriors to a wine-feastand a wondrous and gloriousBanquet prepared.To this the prince of men10Bade the bravest of thanes.Then with bold hasteTo the powerful princecame the proud shield-warriors,Before the chief of the folk.That was the fourth daySince the gentle Judith,just in her thoughts,Of fairy-like beauty,was brought to the king.15Then they sought the assemblyto sit at the banquet,Proud to the wine-pouring,all his partners in woe,Bold burnie-warriors.Bowls large and deepWere borne along the benches;beakers also and flagonsFull to the feasters.Fated they drank it,20Renowned shield-knights,though he knew not their doom,The hateful lord of heroes.Holofernes, the king,Bestower of jewels,took joy in the wine-pouring,Howled and hurled fortha hideous dinThat the folk of the earthfrom afar might hear25How the stalwart and strong-mindedstormed and bellowed,Maddened by mead-drink;he demanded full oftThat the brave bench-sittersshould bear themselves well.So the hellish demonthrough the whole of the dayDrenched with drinkhis dear companions,30The cruel gold-king,till unconscious they lay,All drunk his doughty ones,as if in death they were slain,Every good gone from them.1.Although the fragment begins in the middle of a line, it presents the appearance of being practically complete. Certainly, as it stands it makes an artistic whole: we begin and end the poem by showing how Judith was favored of God. Within a very short space after the opening lines we are in the midst of the action: Judith has come from her beleaguered city of Bethulia and enchanted Holofernes by her beauty, and Holofernes has finished his great feast by summoning her to him. All this is put before us in the first 37 lines. The rest of the poem is vividly conceived, from the slaying of the Assyrian king to the final victory and rejoicing.2. The Slaying of HolofernesHe gave then commandsTo serve the hall-sitterstill descending upon themDark night came near.The ignoble one ordered35The blessed maiden,burdened with jewels,Freighted with rings,to be fetched in all hasteTo his hated bedside.His behest they performed,His corps of retainers—the commands of their lord,Chief of the champions.Cheerfully they stepped40To the royal guest-room,where full ready they foundThe queenly Judith,and quickly thenThe goodly knightsbegan to leadThe holy maidento the high tent,Where the rich rulerrested always,45Lay him at night,loathsome to God,Holofernes.There hung an all-goldenRadiant fly-netaround the folk-chief’sBed embroidered;so that the baleful one,The loathed leader,might look unhindered50On everyoneof the warrior bandWho entered in,and on him noneOfthe sons of men,unless some of his nobles,Contrivers of crime,he called to his presence:His barons to bring him advice.Then they bore to his rest55The wisest of women;went then the strong-hearted bandTo make known to their masterthat the maiden of GodWas brought to his bower.Then blithe was the chief in his heart,The builder of burg-steads;the bright maiden he plannedWith loathsome filth to defile,but the Father of heaven knew60His purpose, the Prince of goodnessand with power he restrained him,God, the Wielder of Glory.Glad then the hateful oneWent with his riotousrout of retainersBaleful to his bedside,where his blood should be spilledSuddenly in a single night.Full surely his end approached65On earth ungentle,even as he lived,Stern striver for evil,while still in this worldHe dwelt under the roof of the clouds.Drunken with wine then he fellIn the midst of his regal restso that he recked not of counselIn the chamber of his mind;the champions stepped70Out of his presenceand parted in haste,The wine-sated warriorswho went with the false one,And the evil enemy of manushered to bedFor the last time.Then the Lord’s servantThe mighty hand-maiden,was mindful in all things75How she most easilyfrom the evil contriverHis life might snatchere the lecherous deceiver,The creature crime-laden awoke.The curly-locked maidenOf God then seizedthe sword well ground,Sharp from the hammers,and from its sheath drew it80With her right hand;heaven’s Guardian she beganTo call by name,Creator of allThe dwellers in the world,and these words she spoke:“O Heavenly God,and Holy Ghost,Son of the Almighty,I will seek from Thee85Thy mercy unfailingto defend me from evil,O Holiest Trinity.Truly for me nowFull sore is my souland sorrowful my heart,Tormented with griefs.Grant me, Lord of the skies,Success and soundness of faith,that with this sword I may90Behead this hideous monster.Heed my prayer for salvation,Noble Lord of nations;never have I hadMore need of thy mercy;mighty Lord, avenge nowBright-minded Bringer of glory,that I am thus baffled in spirit,Heated in heart.”Her then the greatest of Judges95With dauntless daring inspired,as he doth ever to allThe sons of the Spiritwho seek him for help,With reason and with right belief.Then was to the righteous in mind,Holy hope renewed;the heathen man then she took,And held by his hair;with her hands she drew him100Shamefully toward her,and the traitorous deceiverLaid as she listed,most loathsome of men,In order that easilythe enemy’s bodyShe might wield at her will.The wicked one she slew,The curly-locked maidenwith her keen-edged sword,105Smote the hateful-hearted onetill she half cut throughSevering his neck,so that swooning he layDrunken and death-wounded.Not dead was he yet,Nor lifeless entirely:the triumphant ladyMore earnestly smotethe second time110The heathen hound,so that his head was thrownForth on the floor;foul lay the carcass,Bereft of a soul;the spirit went elsewhereUnder the burning abysswhere abandoned it lay,Tied down in tormenttill time shall cease,115With serpents bewound,amid woes and tortures,All firmly fixedin the flames of hell,When death came upon him.He durst not hope,Enveloped in blackness,to venture forth everFrom that dreary hole,but dwell there he shall120Forever and ayetill the end of time,In that hideous homewithout hope of joy.52.Here begins a series of extended lines which some critics think are intended to lend an air of solemnity to the passage. A study of the occurrence of these long lines in this and other poems, such asThe Wanderer,The Charms, orWidsith, does not seem to bear out this contention. Usually these long lines have three accents in each half. The rules for the alliteration are the same as for the short verses.3. The Return to BethuliaGreat was the glorythen gained in the fightBy Judith at war,through the will of God,The mighty Master,who permitted her victory.125Then the wise-minded maidenimmediately threwThe heathen warrior’shead so bloody,Concealed it in the sackthat her servant had brought—The pale-faced woman,polished in manners—Which before she had filledwith food for them both.130Then the gory head gave sheto her goodly maid-servantTo bear to their home,to her helper she gave it,To her junior companion.Then they journeyed together,Both of the women,bold in their daring,The mighty in mind,the maidens exultant,135Till they had wholly escapedfrom the host of the enemy,And could full clearlycatch the first sightOf their sacred cityand see the wallsOf bright Bethulia.Then the bracelet-adorned ones,Traveling on foot,went forth in haste,140Until they had journeyed,with joy in their hearts,To the wall-gate.The warriors satUnwearied in watching,the wardens on duty,Fast in the fortress,as the folk erstwhile,The grieved ones of mind,by the maiden were counselled,145By the wary Judith,when she went on her journey,The keen-witted woman.She had come once more,Dear to her people,the prudent in counsel.She straightway summonedcertain of the heroesFrom the spacious cityspeedily to meet her150And allow her to enterwithout loss of timeThrough the gate of the wall,and these words she spokeTo the victor-tribe:“I may tell to you nowNoteworthy news,that you need no longerMourn in your mind,for the Master is kind to you,155The Ruler of nations.It is known afarAround the wide worldthat you have won glory;Very great victoryis vouchsafed in returnFor all the evilsand ills you have suffered.”Blithe then becamethe burghers within,160When they heard howthe Holy Maid spokeOver the high wall.The warriors rejoiced;To the gate of the fortressthe folk then hastened,Wives with their husbands,in hordes and in bands,In crowds and in companies;they crushed and thronged165Towards the handmaid of Godby hundreds and thousands,Old ones and young ones.All of the menIn the goodly citywere glad in their heartsAt the joyous newsthat Judith was comeAgain to her home,and hastily then170With humble heartsthe heroes received her.Then gave the gold-adorned,sagacious in mind,Command to her comrade,her co-worker faithfulThe heathen chief’s headto hold forth to the people,To the assembly to showas a sign and a token,175All bloody to the burghers,how in battle they sped.To the famed victory-folkthe fair maiden spoke:“O proudest of peoples,princely protectors,Gladly now gazeon the gory face,On the hated headof the heathen warrior,180Holofernes,wholly life-bereft,Who most of all mencontrived murder against us,The sorest of sorrows,and sought even yetWith greater to grind us,but God would not suffer himLonger to live,that with loathsomest evils185The proud one should oppress us;I deprived him of lifeThrough the grace of God.Now I give commandsTo you citizens bold,you soldiers brave-hearted,Protectors of the people,to prepare one and allForthwith for the fight.When first from the east190The King of creation,the kindest of Lords,Sends the first beams of light,bring forth your linden-shields,Boards for your breastsand your burnie-corselets,Your bright-hammered helmetsto the hosts of the scathers,To fell the folk-leaders,the fated chieftains,195With your fretted swords.Your foes are allDoomed to the death,and dearly-won gloryShall be yours in battle,as the blessed CreatorThe mighty Master,through me has made known.”4. The BattleThen a band of bold knightsbusily gathered,200Keen men at the conflict;with courage they stepped forth,Bearing banners,brave-hearted companions,And fared to the fight,forth in right order,Heroes under helmetsfrom the holy cityAt the dawning of day;dinned forth their shields205A loud-voiced alarm.Now listened in joyThe lank wolf in the woodand the wan raven,Battle-hungry bird,both knowing wellThat the gallant peoplewould give to them soonA feast on the fated;now flew on their track210The deadly devourer,the dewy-winged eagle,Singing his war-song,the swart-coated bird,The horned of beak.Then hurried the warriors,Keen for the conflict,covered with shields,With hollow lindens—they who long had endured215The taunts and the tricksof the treacherous strangers,The host of the heathen;hard was it repaid nowTo all the Assyrians,every insult revenged,At the shock of the shields,when the shining-armed HebrewsBravely to battle marchedunder banners of war220To face the foeman.Forthwith then theySharply shot forthshowers of arrows,Bitter battle-addersfrom their bows of horn,Hurled straight from the string;stormed and raged loudlyThe dauntless avengers;darts were sent whizzing225Into the hosts of the hardy ones.Heroes were angryThe dwellers in the land,at the dastardly race.Strong-hearted they stepped,stern in their mood;On their enemies of oldtook awful revenge,On their mead-weary foes.With the might of their hands230Their shining swordsfrom their sheaths they drew forth.With the choicest of edgesthe champions they smote—Furiously felledthe folk of Assyria,The spiteful despoilers.They spared not a oneOf the hated host,neither high nor low235Of living menthat they might overcome.So the kinsmen-companionsat the coming of morningFollowed the foemen,fiercely attacking them,Till, pressed and in panic,the proud ones perceivedThat the chief and the championsof the chosen people240With the swing of the swordswept all before them,The wise Hebrew warriors.Then word they carriedTo the eldest officersover the camp,Ran with the wretched news,arousing the leaders,Fully informed themof the fearful disaster,245Told the merry mead-drinkersof the morning encounterOf the horrible edge-play.I heard then suddenlyThe slaughter-fated menfrom sleep awakenedAnd toward the bower-tentof the baleful chief,Holofernes, they hastened:in hosts they crowded,250Thickly they thronged.One thought had they only,Their lasting loyaltyto their lord to show,Before in their furythey fell upon him,The host of the Hebrews.The whole crowd imaginedThat the lord of despoilersand the spotless lady255Together remainedin the gorgeous tent,The virtuous virginand the vicious deceiver,Dreadful and direful;they dared not, however,Awaken the warrior,not one of the earls,Nor be first to findhow had fared through the night260The most churlish of chieftainsand the chastest of maidens,The pride of the Lord.Now approached in their strengthThe folk of the Hebrews.They fought remorselesslyWith hard-hammered weapons,with their hilts requitedTheir strife of long standing,with stained swords repaid265Their ancient enmity;all of AssyriaWas subdued and doomedthat day by their work,Its pride bowed low.In panic and fright,In terror they stoodaround the tent of their chief,Moody in mind.Then the men all together270In concert clamoredand cried aloud,Ungracious to God,and gritted their teeth,Grinding them in their grief.Then was their glory at an end,Their noble deeds and daring hopes.Then they deemed it wiseTo summon their lord from his sleep,but success was denied them.275A loyal liegeman,—long had he wavered—Desperately daredthe door to enter,Ventured into the pavilion;violent need drove him.On the bed then he found,in frightful state lying,His gold-giver ghastly;gone was his spirit,280No life in him lingered.The liegeman straight fell.Trembling with terror,he tore at his hair,He clawed at his clothes;he clamored despairing,And to the waiting warriorsthese words he said,As they stood outsidein sadness and fear:285“Here is made manifestour imminent doom,Is clearly betokenedthat the time is near,Pressing upon uswith perils and woes,When we lose our lives,and lie defeatedBy the hostile host;here hewn by the sword,290Our lord is beheaded.”With heavy spiritsThey threw their weapons away,and weary in heart,Scattered in flight.205.The picture of the birds of prey hovering over the battle field is one of the constant features of Anglo-Saxon battle poetry. Note its occurrence inThe Fight at FinnsburgandThe Battle of Brunnanburgespecially.5. The PursuitThen their foemen pursued them,Their grim power growing,until the greatest partOf the cowardly bandthey conquered in battle295On the field of victory.Vanquished and sword-hewn,They lay at the will of the wolves,for the watchful and greedyFowls to feed upon.Then fled the survivorsFrom the shields of their foemen.Sharp on their trail cameThe crowd of the Hebrews,covered with victory,300With honors well-earned;aid then accorded them,Graciously granted them,God, Lord Almighty.They then daringly,with dripping swords,The corps of brave kinsmen,cut them a war-pathThrough the host of the hated ones;they hewed with their swords,305Sheared through the shield-wall.They shot fast and furiously,Men stirred to strife,the stalwart Hebrews,The thanes, at that time,thirsting exceedingly,Fain for the spear-fight.Then fell in the dustThe chiefest partof the chosen warriors,310Of the staunch and the steadfastAssyrian leaders,Of the fated race of the foe.Few of them came backAlive to their own land.The leaders returnedOver perilous pathsthrough the piles of the slaughtered,Of reeking corpses;good occasion there was315For the landsmen to plundertheir lifeless foes,Their ancient enemiesin their armor laid low,Of battle spoils bloody,of beautiful trappings,Of bucklers and broad-swords,of brown war-helmets,Of glittering jewels.Gloriously had been320In the folk-fieldtheir foes overcome,By home-defenders,their hated oppressorsPut to sleep by the sword.Senseless on the pathLay those who in life,the loathsomest wereOf the tribes of the living.6. The SpoilThen the landsmen all,325Famous of family,for a full month’s time,The proud curly-locked ones,carried and ledTo their glorious city,gleaming Bethulia,Helms and hip-knives,hoary burnies,Men’s garments of war,with gold adorned,330With more of jewelsthan men of judgment,Keen in cunningmight count or estimate;So much successthe soldier-troop won,Bold under bannersand in battle-strifeThrough the counselof the clever Judith,335Maiden high-minded.As meed for her bravery,From the field of battle,the bold-hearted earlsBrought in as her earningsthe arms of Holofernes,His broad sword and bloody helmet,likewise his breast-armor large,Chased with choice red gold,all that the chief of the warriors,340The betrayer, possessed of treasure,of beautiful trinkets and heirlooms,Bracelets and brilliant gems.All these to the bright maid they gaveAs a gift to her, ready in judgment.7. The PraiseFor all this Judith now renderedThanks to the Heavenly Host,from whom came all her success,Greatness and glory on earthand likewise grace in heaven,345Paradise as a victorious prize,because she had pure beliefAlways in the Almighty;at the end she had no doubtOf the prize she had prayed for long.For this be praise to God,Glory in ages to come,who shaped the clouds and the winds,Firmament and far-flung realms,also the fierce-raging streams350And the blisses of heaven,through his blessed mercy.

[Aside from Cædmon’s Hymn, the only Old English poems whose author we know are four bearing the name of Cynewulf,Christ,Juliana,Elene, andThe Fates of the Apostles. In these he signs his name by means of runes inserted in the manuscript. These runes, which are at once letters of the alphabet and words, are made to fit into the context. They areAnglo-Saxon runes: cen,yr,nyd,eoh,wynn,ur,lagu,feohSeveral other poems have been ascribed to Cynewulf, especiallyAndreas,The Dream of the Rood,Guthlac,The Phœnix, andJudith. Except for internal evidence there is no proof of the authorship of these poems. The Riddles were formerly thought to be by Cynewulf, but recent scholars have, with one notable exception, abandoned that theory.Many reconstructions of the life of Cynewulf have been undertaken. The most reasonable theories seem to be that he was Cynewulf, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who died about 781; or that he was a priest, Cynewulf, who executed a decree in 803. There is no real proof that either of these men was the poet. For a good discussion of the Cynewulf question, see Strunk,Juliana, pp. xvii-xix, and Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, Introduction.Of the signed poems of Cynewulf, selections are here given fromChristandElene.]

Several other poems have been ascribed to Cynewulf, especiallyAndreas,The Dream of the Rood,Guthlac,The Phœnix, andJudith. Except for internal evidence there is no proof of the authorship of these poems. The Riddles were formerly thought to be by Cynewulf, but recent scholars have, with one notable exception, abandoned that theory.

Many reconstructions of the life of Cynewulf have been undertaken. The most reasonable theories seem to be that he was Cynewulf, Bishop of Lindisfarne, who died about 781; or that he was a priest, Cynewulf, who executed a decree in 803. There is no real proof that either of these men was the poet. For a good discussion of the Cynewulf question, see Strunk,Juliana, pp. xvii-xix, and Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, Introduction.

Of the signed poems of Cynewulf, selections are here given fromChristandElene.]

SELECTIONS FROM THE CHRIST[Critical edition: Cook,The Christ of Cynewulf, Boston, 1900. Text and translation: Gollancz,Cynewulf’s Christ, London, 1892. Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 153, ff. The poem consists of three parts:1. Advent, largely from the Roman breviary.2. Ascension, taken from an Ascension sermon of Pope Gregory.3. Second coming of Christ, taken from an alphabetical Latin hymn on the Last Judgment, quoted by Bede.Is there enough unity to make us consider it one work? Cook thinks we can. The differences in the language and meter are not so striking as to make it unlikely. The great objection to it is that the runes occur at the end of the second part, which is not far from the middle of the entire poem. In the three other poems signed by Cynewulf the runes occur near the end.]1. Hymn to Christ. . . . . . . . . . .to the King.Thou art the wall-stonethat the workmen of oldRejected from the work.Well it befits theeTo become the headof the kingly hall,5To join in onethe giant wallsIn thy fast embrace,the flint unbroken;That through all the earthevery eye may seeAnd marvel evermore,O mighty Prince,Declare thy accomplishmentsthrough the craft of thy hand,10Truth-fast, triumphant,and untorn from its placeLeave wall against wall.For the work it is needfulThat the Craftsman should comeand the King himselfAnd raise that roofthat lies ruined and decayed,Fallen from its frame.He formed that body,15The Lord of life,and its limbs of clay,And shall free from foementhe frightened in heart,The downcast band,as he did full oft.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. Hymn to Jerusalem50Ovision of happiness!holy Jerusalem!Fairest of king’s thrones!fortress of Christ!The home-seat of angels,where the holy alone,The souls of the righteous,shall find rest unceasing,Exulting in triumph.No trace of sin55Shall be made manifestin that mansion of bliss,But all faults shall fleeafar from thee,All crime and conflict;thou art covered with gloryOf highest hope,as thy holy name showest.Cast now thy gazeon the glorious creation,60How around thee the roomyroof of heavenLooks on all sides,how the Lord of HostsSeeks thee in his courseand comes himself,And adopts thee to dwell in,as in days agoneIn words of wisdomthe wise men said,65Proclaimed Christ’s birthas a comfort to thee,Thou choicest of cities!Now the child has come,Born to make worthlessthe work of the Hebrews.He bringeth thee bliss;thy bonds he unlooseth;He striveth for the stricken;understandeth theirneeds,—70How woeful menmust wait upon mercy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.This poem begins in the fragmentary manner indicated by the translation.2.See Psalms 118:22.3. Joseph and Mary[Mary] “O my Joseph,O Jacob’s son,165Kinsman of David,the king renowned,Dost thou plan to turnfrom thy plighted troth,And leave my love?”[Joseph] “Alas, full soonI am oppressed with griefand deprived of honor.I have borne for theemany bitter words,170Insulting slursand sorrowful taunts,Scathing abuses,and they scorn me nowIn wrathful tones.My tears I shall pourIn sadness of soul.My sorrowful heart,My grief full easilyour God may heal,175And not leave me forlorn.Alas, young damsel,Mary maiden!”[Mary] “Why bemoanest thouAnd bitterly weepest?No blame in thee,Nor any faulthave I ever foundFor wicked works,and this word thou speakest180As if thou thyselfwith sinful deedsAnd faults wert filled.”[Joseph] “Far too much griefThy conception has caused meto suffer in shame.How can I beartheir bitter tauntsOr ever make answerto my angry foes185Who wish me woe?’Tis widely knownThat I took from the glorioustemple of GodA beautiful virginof virtue unblemished,The chastest of maidens,but a change has now come,Though I know not the cause.Nothing avails me—190To speak or to be silent.If I say the truth,Then the daughter of Davidshall die for her crime,Struck down with stones;yet still it were harderTo conceal the sin;forsworn foreverI should live my lifeloathed by all people,195By men reviled.”Then the maid revealedThe work of wonder,and these words she spoke:“Truly I say,by the Son of the CreatorThe Savior of souls,the Son of God,I tell thee in truththat the time has not been200That the embrace of a mortalman I have knownOn all the earth;but early in lifeThis grace was granted me,that Gabriel came,The high angel of heaven,and hailed me in greeting,In truthful speech:that the Spirit of heavenWith his light should illumine me,that life’s Glory by me205Should be borne, the bright Son,the blessed Child of God,Of the kingly Creator.I am become now his temple,Unspoiled and spotless;the Spirit of comfortHath his dwelling in me.Endure now no longerSorrow and sadness,and say eternal thanks210To the mighty Son of the Maker,that his mother I have become,Though a maid I remain,and in men’s opinionThou art famed as his father,if fulfillment should comeOf the truth that the Prophetsforetold of his coming.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.This passage is especially interesting in being one of the first appearances of the dialogue form in old English. Some scholars have gone so far as to think that we have here the germ from which English drama comes, but there does not seem reason to believe that the scene ever received any kind of dramatic representation.4. Rune PassageNotever on earthneed any man780Have dread of the dartsof the devil’s race,Of the fighting of the fiends,whose defense is in God,The just Lord of Hosts.The judgment is nighWhen each without failshall find his reward,Of weal or of woe,for his work on the earth785During the time of his life.’Tis told us in books,How from on highthe humble one came,The Treasure-hoard of honor,to the earth belowIn the Virgin’s womb,the valiant Son of God,Holy from on high.I hope in truth790And also dreadthe doom far sterner,When Christ and his angelsshall come again,Since I kept not closelythe counsels my SaviorBade in his books.I shall bear thereforeTo see the work of sin(it shall certainly be)795When many shall be ledto meet their doom,To receive justicein the sight of their Judge.Then theCourageous shall tremble,shall attend the King,The Righteous Ruler,when his wrath he speaksTo the worldlings who weaklyhis warning have heeded800While theirYearning andNeedeven yet could have easilyFound a comfort.There, cowering in fear,Many wearily shall waiton the wide plainWhat doom shall be dealt themfor the deeds of their life,Of angry penalties.Departed hathWinsomeness,805The ornaments of earth.ItUsed to be trueThat long ourLife-joyswere locked in the sea-streams,OurFortunes on earth;in the fire shall our treasureBurn in the blast;brightly shall mount,The red flame, ragingand wrathfully striding810Over the wide world;wasted shall be the plains;The castles shall crumble;then shall climb the swift fire,The greediest of guests,grimly and ruthlesslyEat the ancient treasurethat of old men possessedWhile still on the earthwas their strength and their pride.815Hence I strive to instructeach steadfast manThat he be cautiousin the care of his soul,And not pour it forth in pridein that portion of daysThat the Lord allows himto live in the world,While the soul abidethsafe in the body,820In that friendly home.It behooveth each manTo bethink him deeplyin the days of his lifeHow meekly and mildlythe mighty LordCame of old to usby an angel’s word;Yet grim shall he bewhen again he cometh,825Harsh and righteous.Then the heavens shall rock,And the measureless endsof the mighty earthShall tremble in terror.The triumphant KingShall avenge their vainand vicious lives,Their loathsome wickedness.Long shall they wallow830With heavy heartsin the heat of the fire bath,Suffer for their sinsin its surging flame.779.The passage following contains the runes from which we obtain the name Cynewulf. The runes are at once a word and a letter, in the same way that our letterIis also the symbol for the first personal pronoun. In the places where the meaning fits, Cynewulf has written the runes that spell his name.804.In this passage the runes omit theeof the poet’s name, although it is found in the other runic passages.

[Critical edition: Cook,The Christ of Cynewulf, Boston, 1900. Text and translation: Gollancz,Cynewulf’s Christ, London, 1892. Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 153, ff. The poem consists of three parts:1. Advent, largely from the Roman breviary.2. Ascension, taken from an Ascension sermon of Pope Gregory.3. Second coming of Christ, taken from an alphabetical Latin hymn on the Last Judgment, quoted by Bede.Is there enough unity to make us consider it one work? Cook thinks we can. The differences in the language and meter are not so striking as to make it unlikely. The great objection to it is that the runes occur at the end of the second part, which is not far from the middle of the entire poem. In the three other poems signed by Cynewulf the runes occur near the end.]

Is there enough unity to make us consider it one work? Cook thinks we can. The differences in the language and meter are not so striking as to make it unlikely. The great objection to it is that the runes occur at the end of the second part, which is not far from the middle of the entire poem. In the three other poems signed by Cynewulf the runes occur near the end.]

1. Hymn to Christ. . . . . . . . . . .to the King.Thou art the wall-stonethat the workmen of oldRejected from the work.Well it befits theeTo become the headof the kingly hall,5To join in onethe giant wallsIn thy fast embrace,the flint unbroken;That through all the earthevery eye may seeAnd marvel evermore,O mighty Prince,Declare thy accomplishmentsthrough the craft of thy hand,10Truth-fast, triumphant,and untorn from its placeLeave wall against wall.For the work it is needfulThat the Craftsman should comeand the King himselfAnd raise that roofthat lies ruined and decayed,Fallen from its frame.He formed that body,15The Lord of life,and its limbs of clay,And shall free from foementhe frightened in heart,The downcast band,as he did full oft.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .to the King.Thou art the wall-stonethat the workmen of oldRejected from the work.Well it befits theeTo become the headof the kingly hall,5To join in onethe giant wallsIn thy fast embrace,the flint unbroken;That through all the earthevery eye may seeAnd marvel evermore,O mighty Prince,Declare thy accomplishmentsthrough the craft of thy hand,10Truth-fast, triumphant,and untorn from its placeLeave wall against wall.For the work it is needfulThat the Craftsman should comeand the King himselfAnd raise that roofthat lies ruined and decayed,Fallen from its frame.He formed that body,15The Lord of life,and its limbs of clay,And shall free from foementhe frightened in heart,The downcast band,as he did full oft.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . . .to the King.

Thou art the wall-stonethat the workmen of old

Rejected from the work.Well it befits thee

To become the headof the kingly hall,

5To join in onethe giant walls

In thy fast embrace,the flint unbroken;

That through all the earthevery eye may see

And marvel evermore,O mighty Prince,

Declare thy accomplishmentsthrough the craft of thy hand,

10Truth-fast, triumphant,and untorn from its place

Leave wall against wall.For the work it is needful

That the Craftsman should comeand the King himself

And raise that roofthat lies ruined and decayed,

Fallen from its frame.He formed that body,

15The Lord of life,and its limbs of clay,

And shall free from foementhe frightened in heart,

The downcast band,as he did full oft.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. Hymn to Jerusalem50Ovision of happiness!holy Jerusalem!Fairest of king’s thrones!fortress of Christ!The home-seat of angels,where the holy alone,The souls of the righteous,shall find rest unceasing,Exulting in triumph.No trace of sin55Shall be made manifestin that mansion of bliss,But all faults shall fleeafar from thee,All crime and conflict;thou art covered with gloryOf highest hope,as thy holy name showest.Cast now thy gazeon the glorious creation,60How around thee the roomyroof of heavenLooks on all sides,how the Lord of HostsSeeks thee in his courseand comes himself,And adopts thee to dwell in,as in days agoneIn words of wisdomthe wise men said,65Proclaimed Christ’s birthas a comfort to thee,Thou choicest of cities!Now the child has come,Born to make worthlessthe work of the Hebrews.He bringeth thee bliss;thy bonds he unlooseth;He striveth for the stricken;understandeth theirneeds,—70How woeful menmust wait upon mercy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1.This poem begins in the fragmentary manner indicated by the translation.2.See Psalms 118:22.

50Ovision of happiness!holy Jerusalem!Fairest of king’s thrones!fortress of Christ!The home-seat of angels,where the holy alone,The souls of the righteous,shall find rest unceasing,Exulting in triumph.No trace of sin55Shall be made manifestin that mansion of bliss,But all faults shall fleeafar from thee,All crime and conflict;thou art covered with gloryOf highest hope,as thy holy name showest.Cast now thy gazeon the glorious creation,60How around thee the roomyroof of heavenLooks on all sides,how the Lord of HostsSeeks thee in his courseand comes himself,And adopts thee to dwell in,as in days agoneIn words of wisdomthe wise men said,65Proclaimed Christ’s birthas a comfort to thee,Thou choicest of cities!Now the child has come,Born to make worthlessthe work of the Hebrews.He bringeth thee bliss;thy bonds he unlooseth;He striveth for the stricken;understandeth theirneeds,—70How woeful menmust wait upon mercy.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

50Ovision of happiness!holy Jerusalem!

Fairest of king’s thrones!fortress of Christ!

The home-seat of angels,where the holy alone,

The souls of the righteous,shall find rest unceasing,

Exulting in triumph.No trace of sin

55Shall be made manifestin that mansion of bliss,

But all faults shall fleeafar from thee,

All crime and conflict;thou art covered with glory

Of highest hope,as thy holy name showest.

Cast now thy gazeon the glorious creation,

60How around thee the roomyroof of heaven

Looks on all sides,how the Lord of Hosts

Seeks thee in his courseand comes himself,

And adopts thee to dwell in,as in days agone

In words of wisdomthe wise men said,

65Proclaimed Christ’s birthas a comfort to thee,

Thou choicest of cities!Now the child has come,

Born to make worthlessthe work of the Hebrews.

He bringeth thee bliss;thy bonds he unlooseth;

He striveth for the stricken;understandeth their

needs,—

70How woeful menmust wait upon mercy.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1.This poem begins in the fragmentary manner indicated by the translation.2.See Psalms 118:22.

1.This poem begins in the fragmentary manner indicated by the translation.

2.See Psalms 118:22.

3. Joseph and Mary[Mary] “O my Joseph,O Jacob’s son,165Kinsman of David,the king renowned,Dost thou plan to turnfrom thy plighted troth,And leave my love?”[Joseph] “Alas, full soonI am oppressed with griefand deprived of honor.I have borne for theemany bitter words,170Insulting slursand sorrowful taunts,Scathing abuses,and they scorn me nowIn wrathful tones.My tears I shall pourIn sadness of soul.My sorrowful heart,My grief full easilyour God may heal,175And not leave me forlorn.Alas, young damsel,Mary maiden!”[Mary] “Why bemoanest thouAnd bitterly weepest?No blame in thee,Nor any faulthave I ever foundFor wicked works,and this word thou speakest180As if thou thyselfwith sinful deedsAnd faults wert filled.”[Joseph] “Far too much griefThy conception has caused meto suffer in shame.How can I beartheir bitter tauntsOr ever make answerto my angry foes185Who wish me woe?’Tis widely knownThat I took from the glorioustemple of GodA beautiful virginof virtue unblemished,The chastest of maidens,but a change has now come,Though I know not the cause.Nothing avails me—190To speak or to be silent.If I say the truth,Then the daughter of Davidshall die for her crime,Struck down with stones;yet still it were harderTo conceal the sin;forsworn foreverI should live my lifeloathed by all people,195By men reviled.”Then the maid revealedThe work of wonder,and these words she spoke:“Truly I say,by the Son of the CreatorThe Savior of souls,the Son of God,I tell thee in truththat the time has not been200That the embrace of a mortalman I have knownOn all the earth;but early in lifeThis grace was granted me,that Gabriel came,The high angel of heaven,and hailed me in greeting,In truthful speech:that the Spirit of heavenWith his light should illumine me,that life’s Glory by me205Should be borne, the bright Son,the blessed Child of God,Of the kingly Creator.I am become now his temple,Unspoiled and spotless;the Spirit of comfortHath his dwelling in me.Endure now no longerSorrow and sadness,and say eternal thanks210To the mighty Son of the Maker,that his mother I have become,Though a maid I remain,and in men’s opinionThou art famed as his father,if fulfillment should comeOf the truth that the Prophetsforetold of his coming.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .164.This passage is especially interesting in being one of the first appearances of the dialogue form in old English. Some scholars have gone so far as to think that we have here the germ from which English drama comes, but there does not seem reason to believe that the scene ever received any kind of dramatic representation.

[Mary] “O my Joseph,O Jacob’s son,165Kinsman of David,the king renowned,Dost thou plan to turnfrom thy plighted troth,And leave my love?”[Joseph] “Alas, full soonI am oppressed with griefand deprived of honor.I have borne for theemany bitter words,170Insulting slursand sorrowful taunts,Scathing abuses,and they scorn me nowIn wrathful tones.My tears I shall pourIn sadness of soul.My sorrowful heart,My grief full easilyour God may heal,175And not leave me forlorn.Alas, young damsel,Mary maiden!”[Mary] “Why bemoanest thouAnd bitterly weepest?No blame in thee,Nor any faulthave I ever foundFor wicked works,and this word thou speakest180As if thou thyselfwith sinful deedsAnd faults wert filled.”[Joseph] “Far too much griefThy conception has caused meto suffer in shame.How can I beartheir bitter tauntsOr ever make answerto my angry foes185Who wish me woe?’Tis widely knownThat I took from the glorioustemple of GodA beautiful virginof virtue unblemished,The chastest of maidens,but a change has now come,Though I know not the cause.Nothing avails me—190To speak or to be silent.If I say the truth,Then the daughter of Davidshall die for her crime,Struck down with stones;yet still it were harderTo conceal the sin;forsworn foreverI should live my lifeloathed by all people,195By men reviled.”Then the maid revealedThe work of wonder,and these words she spoke:“Truly I say,by the Son of the CreatorThe Savior of souls,the Son of God,I tell thee in truththat the time has not been200That the embrace of a mortalman I have knownOn all the earth;but early in lifeThis grace was granted me,that Gabriel came,The high angel of heaven,and hailed me in greeting,In truthful speech:that the Spirit of heavenWith his light should illumine me,that life’s Glory by me205Should be borne, the bright Son,the blessed Child of God,Of the kingly Creator.I am become now his temple,Unspoiled and spotless;the Spirit of comfortHath his dwelling in me.Endure now no longerSorrow and sadness,and say eternal thanks210To the mighty Son of the Maker,that his mother I have become,Though a maid I remain,and in men’s opinionThou art famed as his father,if fulfillment should comeOf the truth that the Prophetsforetold of his coming.”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Mary] “O my Joseph,O Jacob’s son,

165Kinsman of David,the king renowned,

Dost thou plan to turnfrom thy plighted troth,

And leave my love?”

[Joseph] “Alas, full soon

I am oppressed with griefand deprived of honor.

I have borne for theemany bitter words,

170Insulting slursand sorrowful taunts,

Scathing abuses,and they scorn me now

In wrathful tones.My tears I shall pour

In sadness of soul.My sorrowful heart,

My grief full easilyour God may heal,

175And not leave me forlorn.Alas, young damsel,

Mary maiden!”

[Mary] “Why bemoanest thou

And bitterly weepest?No blame in thee,

Nor any faulthave I ever found

For wicked works,and this word thou speakest

180As if thou thyselfwith sinful deeds

And faults wert filled.”

[Joseph] “Far too much grief

Thy conception has caused meto suffer in shame.

How can I beartheir bitter taunts

Or ever make answerto my angry foes

185Who wish me woe?’Tis widely known

That I took from the glorioustemple of God

A beautiful virginof virtue unblemished,

The chastest of maidens,but a change has now come,

Though I know not the cause.Nothing avails me—

190To speak or to be silent.If I say the truth,

Then the daughter of Davidshall die for her crime,

Struck down with stones;yet still it were harder

To conceal the sin;forsworn forever

I should live my lifeloathed by all people,

195By men reviled.”Then the maid revealed

The work of wonder,and these words she spoke:

“Truly I say,by the Son of the Creator

The Savior of souls,the Son of God,

I tell thee in truththat the time has not been

200That the embrace of a mortalman I have known

On all the earth;but early in life

This grace was granted me,that Gabriel came,

The high angel of heaven,and hailed me in greeting,

In truthful speech:that the Spirit of heaven

With his light should illumine me,that life’s Glory by me

205Should be borne, the bright Son,the blessed Child of God,

Of the kingly Creator.I am become now his temple,

Unspoiled and spotless;the Spirit of comfort

Hath his dwelling in me.Endure now no longer

Sorrow and sadness,and say eternal thanks

210To the mighty Son of the Maker,that his mother I have become,

Though a maid I remain,and in men’s opinion

Thou art famed as his father,if fulfillment should come

Of the truth that the Prophetsforetold of his coming.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

164.This passage is especially interesting in being one of the first appearances of the dialogue form in old English. Some scholars have gone so far as to think that we have here the germ from which English drama comes, but there does not seem reason to believe that the scene ever received any kind of dramatic representation.

4. Rune PassageNotever on earthneed any man780Have dread of the dartsof the devil’s race,Of the fighting of the fiends,whose defense is in God,The just Lord of Hosts.The judgment is nighWhen each without failshall find his reward,Of weal or of woe,for his work on the earth785During the time of his life.’Tis told us in books,How from on highthe humble one came,The Treasure-hoard of honor,to the earth belowIn the Virgin’s womb,the valiant Son of God,Holy from on high.I hope in truth790And also dreadthe doom far sterner,When Christ and his angelsshall come again,Since I kept not closelythe counsels my SaviorBade in his books.I shall bear thereforeTo see the work of sin(it shall certainly be)795When many shall be ledto meet their doom,To receive justicein the sight of their Judge.Then theCourageous shall tremble,shall attend the King,The Righteous Ruler,when his wrath he speaksTo the worldlings who weaklyhis warning have heeded800While theirYearning andNeedeven yet could have easilyFound a comfort.There, cowering in fear,Many wearily shall waiton the wide plainWhat doom shall be dealt themfor the deeds of their life,Of angry penalties.Departed hathWinsomeness,805The ornaments of earth.ItUsed to be trueThat long ourLife-joyswere locked in the sea-streams,OurFortunes on earth;in the fire shall our treasureBurn in the blast;brightly shall mount,The red flame, ragingand wrathfully striding810Over the wide world;wasted shall be the plains;The castles shall crumble;then shall climb the swift fire,The greediest of guests,grimly and ruthlesslyEat the ancient treasurethat of old men possessedWhile still on the earthwas their strength and their pride.815Hence I strive to instructeach steadfast manThat he be cautiousin the care of his soul,And not pour it forth in pridein that portion of daysThat the Lord allows himto live in the world,While the soul abidethsafe in the body,820In that friendly home.It behooveth each manTo bethink him deeplyin the days of his lifeHow meekly and mildlythe mighty LordCame of old to usby an angel’s word;Yet grim shall he bewhen again he cometh,825Harsh and righteous.Then the heavens shall rock,And the measureless endsof the mighty earthShall tremble in terror.The triumphant KingShall avenge their vainand vicious lives,Their loathsome wickedness.Long shall they wallow830With heavy heartsin the heat of the fire bath,Suffer for their sinsin its surging flame.779.The passage following contains the runes from which we obtain the name Cynewulf. The runes are at once a word and a letter, in the same way that our letterIis also the symbol for the first personal pronoun. In the places where the meaning fits, Cynewulf has written the runes that spell his name.804.In this passage the runes omit theeof the poet’s name, although it is found in the other runic passages.

Notever on earthneed any man780Have dread of the dartsof the devil’s race,Of the fighting of the fiends,whose defense is in God,The just Lord of Hosts.The judgment is nighWhen each without failshall find his reward,Of weal or of woe,for his work on the earth785During the time of his life.’Tis told us in books,How from on highthe humble one came,The Treasure-hoard of honor,to the earth belowIn the Virgin’s womb,the valiant Son of God,Holy from on high.I hope in truth790And also dreadthe doom far sterner,When Christ and his angelsshall come again,Since I kept not closelythe counsels my SaviorBade in his books.I shall bear thereforeTo see the work of sin(it shall certainly be)795When many shall be ledto meet their doom,To receive justicein the sight of their Judge.Then theCourageous shall tremble,shall attend the King,The Righteous Ruler,when his wrath he speaksTo the worldlings who weaklyhis warning have heeded800While theirYearning andNeedeven yet could have easilyFound a comfort.There, cowering in fear,Many wearily shall waiton the wide plainWhat doom shall be dealt themfor the deeds of their life,Of angry penalties.Departed hathWinsomeness,805The ornaments of earth.ItUsed to be trueThat long ourLife-joyswere locked in the sea-streams,OurFortunes on earth;in the fire shall our treasureBurn in the blast;brightly shall mount,The red flame, ragingand wrathfully striding810Over the wide world;wasted shall be the plains;The castles shall crumble;then shall climb the swift fire,The greediest of guests,grimly and ruthlesslyEat the ancient treasurethat of old men possessedWhile still on the earthwas their strength and their pride.815Hence I strive to instructeach steadfast manThat he be cautiousin the care of his soul,And not pour it forth in pridein that portion of daysThat the Lord allows himto live in the world,While the soul abidethsafe in the body,820In that friendly home.It behooveth each manTo bethink him deeplyin the days of his lifeHow meekly and mildlythe mighty LordCame of old to usby an angel’s word;Yet grim shall he bewhen again he cometh,825Harsh and righteous.Then the heavens shall rock,And the measureless endsof the mighty earthShall tremble in terror.The triumphant KingShall avenge their vainand vicious lives,Their loathsome wickedness.Long shall they wallow830With heavy heartsin the heat of the fire bath,Suffer for their sinsin its surging flame.

Notever on earthneed any man

780Have dread of the dartsof the devil’s race,

Of the fighting of the fiends,whose defense is in God,

The just Lord of Hosts.The judgment is nigh

When each without failshall find his reward,

Of weal or of woe,for his work on the earth

785During the time of his life.’Tis told us in books,

How from on highthe humble one came,

The Treasure-hoard of honor,to the earth below

In the Virgin’s womb,the valiant Son of God,

Holy from on high.I hope in truth

790And also dreadthe doom far sterner,

When Christ and his angelsshall come again,

Since I kept not closelythe counsels my Savior

Bade in his books.I shall bear therefore

To see the work of sin(it shall certainly be)

795When many shall be ledto meet their doom,

To receive justicein the sight of their Judge.

Then theCourageous shall tremble,shall attend the King,

The Righteous Ruler,when his wrath he speaks

To the worldlings who weaklyhis warning have heeded

800While theirYearning andNeedeven yet could have easily

Found a comfort.There, cowering in fear,

Many wearily shall waiton the wide plain

What doom shall be dealt themfor the deeds of their life,

Of angry penalties.Departed hathWinsomeness,

805The ornaments of earth.ItUsed to be true

That long ourLife-joyswere locked in the sea-streams,

OurFortunes on earth;in the fire shall our treasure

Burn in the blast;brightly shall mount,

The red flame, ragingand wrathfully striding

810Over the wide world;wasted shall be the plains;

The castles shall crumble;then shall climb the swift fire,

The greediest of guests,grimly and ruthlessly

Eat the ancient treasurethat of old men possessed

While still on the earthwas their strength and their pride.

815Hence I strive to instructeach steadfast man

That he be cautiousin the care of his soul,

And not pour it forth in pridein that portion of days

That the Lord allows himto live in the world,

While the soul abidethsafe in the body,

820In that friendly home.It behooveth each man

To bethink him deeplyin the days of his life

How meekly and mildlythe mighty Lord

Came of old to usby an angel’s word;

Yet grim shall he bewhen again he cometh,

825Harsh and righteous.Then the heavens shall rock,

And the measureless endsof the mighty earth

Shall tremble in terror.The triumphant King

Shall avenge their vainand vicious lives,

Their loathsome wickedness.Long shall they wallow

830With heavy heartsin the heat of the fire bath,

Suffer for their sinsin its surging flame.

779.The passage following contains the runes from which we obtain the name Cynewulf. The runes are at once a word and a letter, in the same way that our letterIis also the symbol for the first personal pronoun. In the places where the meaning fits, Cynewulf has written the runes that spell his name.804.In this passage the runes omit theeof the poet’s name, although it is found in the other runic passages.

804.In this passage the runes omit theeof the poet’s name, although it is found in the other runic passages.

SELECTIONS FROM THE ELENE[Critical edition: Holthausen,Kynewulf’s Elene, Heidelberg, 1905.Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 87 ff.; Kemble,The Poetry of the Codex Vercelliensis, with an English translation, London, 1856.Source:Acta Sanctorumfor May 4.The first passage describes the vision of the cross by the Emperor Constantine, the second the finding of the true cross by his mother, Helena, in Old English, “Elene.”The poem is usually regarded as Cynewulf’s masterpiece.]1. The Vision of the Cross. . . . . . . .Heart-care oppressedThe Roman ruler;of his realm he despaired;He was lacking in fighters;too few were his warriors,His close comradesto conquer in battle65Their eager enemy.The army encamped,Earls about their ætheling,at the edge of the stream,Where they spread their tentsfor the space of thenight,After first they had foundtheir foes approach.To Cæsar himselfin his sleep there came70A dream as he laywith his doughty men,To the valiant kinga vision appeared:It seemed that he sawa soldier bright,Glorious and gleamingin the guise of a manMore fair of formthan before or after75He had seen under the skies.From his sleep he awoke,Hastily donned his helmet.The herald straightway,The resplendent messengerspoke unto him,Named him by name—the night vanished away:“O Constantine,the King of angels bids—80The Master Almighty,to make thee a compact,The Lord of the faithful.No fear shouldst thou have,Though foreign foesbring frightful war,And horrors unheard of!To heaven now look,To the Guardian of glory:Thou shalt gain there support,85The sign of victory!”Soon was he readyTo obey the holy bidding,and unbound his heart,And gazed on high,as the herald had bade him,The princely Peace-weaver.With precious jewels adorned,He saw the radiant roodover the roof of clouds,90Gorgeous with goldand gleaming gems.The brilliant beambore these lettersShining with light:“Thou shalt with this signOvercomeand conquerin thy crying needThe fearsome foe.”Then faded the light,95And joining the herald,journeyed on highUnto the clean-hearted company.The king was the blither,And suffered in his soulless sorrow and anguish,The valiant victor,through the vision fair.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92.This is a translation of the famous Latin mottoin hoc signo vinces.2. The Discovery of the CrossStrivingin strengthand with steadfast heart,830He began to delvefor the glorious treeUnder its covering of turf,till at twenty feetBelow the surfaceconcealed he foundShut out from sight,under the shelving cliff,In the chasm of darkness—three crosses he found,In their gloomy gravetogether he found them,—835Grimy all over,as in ancient daysThe unrighteous racehad wrapped them in earth,The sinful Jews.Against the Son of GodThey showed their hateas they should not have doneHad they not harkenedto the behests of the devil.840Then blithe was his heartand blissful within him.His soul was inspiredby the sacred tree.His heart was emboldenedwhen he beheld that beaconHoly and deep hidden.With his hands he seizedThe radiant cross of heaven,and with his host he raised it845From its grave in the earth.The guests from afarAnd princes and æthelingswent all to the town.In her sight they setthe three sacred trees,The proud valiant men,plain to be seenBefore Elene’s knee.And now was joy850In the heart of the Queen;she inquired of the menOn which of the crossesthe crucified Lord,The heavenly Hope-giver,hung in pain:“Lo! we have heardfrom the holy booksIt told for a truththat two of them855Suffered with himand himself was the thirdOn the hallowed tree.The heavens were darkenedIn that terrible time.Tell, if you can,On which of these roodsthe Ruler of angels,The Savior of mensuffered his death.860In no wise could Judas—for he knew not at all—Clearly revealthat victory treeOn which the Lordwas lifted high,The son of God,but they set, by his order,In the very middleof the mighty city865The towering treesto tarry there,Till the Almighty Kingshould manifest clearlyBefore the multitude the mightof that marvelous rood.The assembly sat,their song uplifted;They mused in their mindson the mystery trees870Until the ninth hourwhen new delight grewThrough a marvelous deed.—There a multitude came,Of folk not a little,and, lifted among them,There was borne on a bierby brave-hearted menNigh to the spot—it was the ninth hour—875A lifeless youth.Then was lifted the heartOf Judas in greatrejoicing and gladness.He commanded them to setthe soulless man,With life cut off,the corpse on the earth,Bereft of life,and there was raised aloft880By the proclaimer of justice,the crafty of heart,The trusty in counsel,two of the crossesOver that house of death.It was dead as beforeThe body fast to the bier:about the chill limbsWas grievous doom.Then began the third cross885To be lifted aloft.There lay the body,Until above him was rearedthe rood of the Lord,The holy crossof heaven’s King,The sign of salvation.He soon aroseWith spirit regained,and again were joined890Body and soul.Unbounded was the praiseAnd fair of the folk.The Father they thankedAnd the true and sacredSon of the AlmightyWith gracious words.—Glory and praise be hisAlways without endfrom every creature.829.After Constantine has accepted Christianity, his mother Helena (Elene) undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the purpose of discovering the true cross. After many failures she finally learns where it is hidden. The passage here translated relates the discovery of the cross.

[Critical edition: Holthausen,Kynewulf’s Elene, Heidelberg, 1905.Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 87 ff.; Kemble,The Poetry of the Codex Vercelliensis, with an English translation, London, 1856.Source:Acta Sanctorumfor May 4.The first passage describes the vision of the cross by the Emperor Constantine, the second the finding of the true cross by his mother, Helena, in Old English, “Elene.”The poem is usually regarded as Cynewulf’s masterpiece.]

[Critical edition: Holthausen,Kynewulf’s Elene, Heidelberg, 1905.

Translation: Kennedy,The Poems of Cynewulf, pp. 87 ff.; Kemble,The Poetry of the Codex Vercelliensis, with an English translation, London, 1856.

Source:Acta Sanctorumfor May 4.

The first passage describes the vision of the cross by the Emperor Constantine, the second the finding of the true cross by his mother, Helena, in Old English, “Elene.”

The poem is usually regarded as Cynewulf’s masterpiece.]

1. The Vision of the Cross. . . . . . . .Heart-care oppressedThe Roman ruler;of his realm he despaired;He was lacking in fighters;too few were his warriors,His close comradesto conquer in battle65Their eager enemy.The army encamped,Earls about their ætheling,at the edge of the stream,Where they spread their tentsfor the space of thenight,After first they had foundtheir foes approach.To Cæsar himselfin his sleep there came70A dream as he laywith his doughty men,To the valiant kinga vision appeared:It seemed that he sawa soldier bright,Glorious and gleamingin the guise of a manMore fair of formthan before or after75He had seen under the skies.From his sleep he awoke,Hastily donned his helmet.The herald straightway,The resplendent messengerspoke unto him,Named him by name—the night vanished away:“O Constantine,the King of angels bids—80The Master Almighty,to make thee a compact,The Lord of the faithful.No fear shouldst thou have,Though foreign foesbring frightful war,And horrors unheard of!To heaven now look,To the Guardian of glory:Thou shalt gain there support,85The sign of victory!”Soon was he readyTo obey the holy bidding,and unbound his heart,And gazed on high,as the herald had bade him,The princely Peace-weaver.With precious jewels adorned,He saw the radiant roodover the roof of clouds,90Gorgeous with goldand gleaming gems.The brilliant beambore these lettersShining with light:“Thou shalt with this signOvercomeand conquerin thy crying needThe fearsome foe.”Then faded the light,95And joining the herald,journeyed on highUnto the clean-hearted company.The king was the blither,And suffered in his soulless sorrow and anguish,The valiant victor,through the vision fair.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92.This is a translation of the famous Latin mottoin hoc signo vinces.

. . . . . . . .Heart-care oppressedThe Roman ruler;of his realm he despaired;He was lacking in fighters;too few were his warriors,His close comradesto conquer in battle65Their eager enemy.The army encamped,Earls about their ætheling,at the edge of the stream,Where they spread their tentsfor the space of thenight,After first they had foundtheir foes approach.To Cæsar himselfin his sleep there came70A dream as he laywith his doughty men,To the valiant kinga vision appeared:It seemed that he sawa soldier bright,Glorious and gleamingin the guise of a manMore fair of formthan before or after75He had seen under the skies.From his sleep he awoke,Hastily donned his helmet.The herald straightway,The resplendent messengerspoke unto him,Named him by name—the night vanished away:“O Constantine,the King of angels bids—80The Master Almighty,to make thee a compact,The Lord of the faithful.No fear shouldst thou have,Though foreign foesbring frightful war,And horrors unheard of!To heaven now look,To the Guardian of glory:Thou shalt gain there support,85The sign of victory!”Soon was he readyTo obey the holy bidding,and unbound his heart,And gazed on high,as the herald had bade him,The princely Peace-weaver.With precious jewels adorned,He saw the radiant roodover the roof of clouds,90Gorgeous with goldand gleaming gems.The brilliant beambore these lettersShining with light:“Thou shalt with this signOvercomeand conquerin thy crying needThe fearsome foe.”Then faded the light,95And joining the herald,journeyed on highUnto the clean-hearted company.The king was the blither,And suffered in his soulless sorrow and anguish,The valiant victor,through the vision fair.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .Heart-care oppressed

The Roman ruler;of his realm he despaired;

He was lacking in fighters;too few were his warriors,

His close comradesto conquer in battle

65Their eager enemy.The army encamped,

Earls about their ætheling,at the edge of the stream,

Where they spread their tentsfor the space of the

night,

After first they had foundtheir foes approach.

To Cæsar himselfin his sleep there came

70A dream as he laywith his doughty men,

To the valiant kinga vision appeared:

It seemed that he sawa soldier bright,

Glorious and gleamingin the guise of a man

More fair of formthan before or after

75He had seen under the skies.From his sleep he awoke,

Hastily donned his helmet.The herald straightway,

The resplendent messengerspoke unto him,

Named him by name—the night vanished away:

“O Constantine,the King of angels bids—

80The Master Almighty,to make thee a compact,

The Lord of the faithful.No fear shouldst thou have,

Though foreign foesbring frightful war,

And horrors unheard of!To heaven now look,

To the Guardian of glory:Thou shalt gain there support,

85The sign of victory!”

Soon was he ready

To obey the holy bidding,and unbound his heart,

And gazed on high,as the herald had bade him,

The princely Peace-weaver.With precious jewels adorned,

He saw the radiant roodover the roof of clouds,

90Gorgeous with goldand gleaming gems.

The brilliant beambore these letters

Shining with light:“Thou shalt with this sign

Overcomeand conquerin thy crying need

The fearsome foe.”Then faded the light,

95And joining the herald,journeyed on high

Unto the clean-hearted company.The king was the blither,

And suffered in his soulless sorrow and anguish,

The valiant victor,through the vision fair.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

92.This is a translation of the famous Latin mottoin hoc signo vinces.

2. The Discovery of the CrossStrivingin strengthand with steadfast heart,830He began to delvefor the glorious treeUnder its covering of turf,till at twenty feetBelow the surfaceconcealed he foundShut out from sight,under the shelving cliff,In the chasm of darkness—three crosses he found,In their gloomy gravetogether he found them,—835Grimy all over,as in ancient daysThe unrighteous racehad wrapped them in earth,The sinful Jews.Against the Son of GodThey showed their hateas they should not have doneHad they not harkenedto the behests of the devil.840Then blithe was his heartand blissful within him.His soul was inspiredby the sacred tree.His heart was emboldenedwhen he beheld that beaconHoly and deep hidden.With his hands he seizedThe radiant cross of heaven,and with his host he raised it845From its grave in the earth.The guests from afarAnd princes and æthelingswent all to the town.In her sight they setthe three sacred trees,The proud valiant men,plain to be seenBefore Elene’s knee.And now was joy850In the heart of the Queen;she inquired of the menOn which of the crossesthe crucified Lord,The heavenly Hope-giver,hung in pain:“Lo! we have heardfrom the holy booksIt told for a truththat two of them855Suffered with himand himself was the thirdOn the hallowed tree.The heavens were darkenedIn that terrible time.Tell, if you can,On which of these roodsthe Ruler of angels,The Savior of mensuffered his death.860In no wise could Judas—for he knew not at all—Clearly revealthat victory treeOn which the Lordwas lifted high,The son of God,but they set, by his order,In the very middleof the mighty city865The towering treesto tarry there,Till the Almighty Kingshould manifest clearlyBefore the multitude the mightof that marvelous rood.The assembly sat,their song uplifted;They mused in their mindson the mystery trees870Until the ninth hourwhen new delight grewThrough a marvelous deed.—There a multitude came,Of folk not a little,and, lifted among them,There was borne on a bierby brave-hearted menNigh to the spot—it was the ninth hour—875A lifeless youth.Then was lifted the heartOf Judas in greatrejoicing and gladness.He commanded them to setthe soulless man,With life cut off,the corpse on the earth,Bereft of life,and there was raised aloft880By the proclaimer of justice,the crafty of heart,The trusty in counsel,two of the crossesOver that house of death.It was dead as beforeThe body fast to the bier:about the chill limbsWas grievous doom.Then began the third cross885To be lifted aloft.There lay the body,Until above him was rearedthe rood of the Lord,The holy crossof heaven’s King,The sign of salvation.He soon aroseWith spirit regained,and again were joined890Body and soul.Unbounded was the praiseAnd fair of the folk.The Father they thankedAnd the true and sacredSon of the AlmightyWith gracious words.—Glory and praise be hisAlways without endfrom every creature.829.After Constantine has accepted Christianity, his mother Helena (Elene) undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the purpose of discovering the true cross. After many failures she finally learns where it is hidden. The passage here translated relates the discovery of the cross.

Strivingin strengthand with steadfast heart,830He began to delvefor the glorious treeUnder its covering of turf,till at twenty feetBelow the surfaceconcealed he foundShut out from sight,under the shelving cliff,In the chasm of darkness—three crosses he found,In their gloomy gravetogether he found them,—835Grimy all over,as in ancient daysThe unrighteous racehad wrapped them in earth,The sinful Jews.Against the Son of GodThey showed their hateas they should not have doneHad they not harkenedto the behests of the devil.840Then blithe was his heartand blissful within him.His soul was inspiredby the sacred tree.His heart was emboldenedwhen he beheld that beaconHoly and deep hidden.With his hands he seizedThe radiant cross of heaven,and with his host he raised it845From its grave in the earth.The guests from afarAnd princes and æthelingswent all to the town.In her sight they setthe three sacred trees,The proud valiant men,plain to be seenBefore Elene’s knee.And now was joy850In the heart of the Queen;she inquired of the menOn which of the crossesthe crucified Lord,The heavenly Hope-giver,hung in pain:“Lo! we have heardfrom the holy booksIt told for a truththat two of them855Suffered with himand himself was the thirdOn the hallowed tree.The heavens were darkenedIn that terrible time.Tell, if you can,On which of these roodsthe Ruler of angels,The Savior of mensuffered his death.860In no wise could Judas—for he knew not at all—Clearly revealthat victory treeOn which the Lordwas lifted high,The son of God,but they set, by his order,In the very middleof the mighty city865The towering treesto tarry there,Till the Almighty Kingshould manifest clearlyBefore the multitude the mightof that marvelous rood.The assembly sat,their song uplifted;They mused in their mindson the mystery trees870Until the ninth hourwhen new delight grewThrough a marvelous deed.—There a multitude came,Of folk not a little,and, lifted among them,There was borne on a bierby brave-hearted menNigh to the spot—it was the ninth hour—875A lifeless youth.Then was lifted the heartOf Judas in greatrejoicing and gladness.He commanded them to setthe soulless man,With life cut off,the corpse on the earth,Bereft of life,and there was raised aloft880By the proclaimer of justice,the crafty of heart,The trusty in counsel,two of the crossesOver that house of death.It was dead as beforeThe body fast to the bier:about the chill limbsWas grievous doom.Then began the third cross885To be lifted aloft.There lay the body,Until above him was rearedthe rood of the Lord,The holy crossof heaven’s King,The sign of salvation.He soon aroseWith spirit regained,and again were joined890Body and soul.Unbounded was the praiseAnd fair of the folk.The Father they thankedAnd the true and sacredSon of the AlmightyWith gracious words.—Glory and praise be hisAlways without endfrom every creature.

Strivingin strengthand with steadfast heart,

830He began to delvefor the glorious tree

Under its covering of turf,till at twenty feet

Below the surfaceconcealed he found

Shut out from sight,under the shelving cliff,

In the chasm of darkness—three crosses he found,

In their gloomy gravetogether he found them,—

835Grimy all over,as in ancient days

The unrighteous racehad wrapped them in earth,

The sinful Jews.Against the Son of God

They showed their hateas they should not have done

Had they not harkenedto the behests of the devil.

840Then blithe was his heartand blissful within him.

His soul was inspiredby the sacred tree.

His heart was emboldenedwhen he beheld that beacon

Holy and deep hidden.With his hands he seized

The radiant cross of heaven,and with his host he raised it

845From its grave in the earth.The guests from afar

And princes and æthelingswent all to the town.

In her sight they setthe three sacred trees,

The proud valiant men,plain to be seen

Before Elene’s knee.And now was joy

850In the heart of the Queen;she inquired of the men

On which of the crossesthe crucified Lord,

The heavenly Hope-giver,hung in pain:

“Lo! we have heardfrom the holy books

It told for a truththat two of them

855Suffered with himand himself was the third

On the hallowed tree.The heavens were darkened

In that terrible time.Tell, if you can,

On which of these roodsthe Ruler of angels,

The Savior of mensuffered his death.

860In no wise could Judas—for he knew not at all—

Clearly revealthat victory tree

On which the Lordwas lifted high,

The son of God,but they set, by his order,

In the very middleof the mighty city

865The towering treesto tarry there,

Till the Almighty Kingshould manifest clearly

Before the multitude the mightof that marvelous rood.

The assembly sat,their song uplifted;

They mused in their mindson the mystery trees

870Until the ninth hourwhen new delight grew

Through a marvelous deed.—There a multitude came,

Of folk not a little,and, lifted among them,

There was borne on a bierby brave-hearted men

Nigh to the spot—it was the ninth hour—

875A lifeless youth.Then was lifted the heart

Of Judas in greatrejoicing and gladness.

He commanded them to setthe soulless man,

With life cut off,the corpse on the earth,

Bereft of life,and there was raised aloft

880By the proclaimer of justice,the crafty of heart,

The trusty in counsel,two of the crosses

Over that house of death.It was dead as before

The body fast to the bier:about the chill limbs

Was grievous doom.Then began the third cross

885To be lifted aloft.There lay the body,

Until above him was rearedthe rood of the Lord,

The holy crossof heaven’s King,

The sign of salvation.He soon arose

With spirit regained,and again were joined

890Body and soul.Unbounded was the praise

And fair of the folk.The Father they thanked

And the true and sacredSon of the Almighty

With gracious words.—Glory and praise be his

Always without endfrom every creature.

829.After Constantine has accepted Christianity, his mother Helena (Elene) undertakes a pilgrimage to the Holy Land for the purpose of discovering the true cross. After many failures she finally learns where it is hidden. The passage here translated relates the discovery of the cross.

b. ANONYMOUS POEMS OF THE CYNEWULFIAN SCHOOLTHE DREAM OF THE ROOD[Critical edition: Cook,The Dream of the Rood, Oxford, 1905.Author: “Making all due allowance, then, for the weakness of certain arguments both pro and con, the balance of probability seems to incline decidedly in favor of Cynewulfian authorship.”—Cook.Translations: English Prose: Kemble. Verse: Stephens, 1866; Morley, 1888; Miss Iddings, 1902.The poem has much in common withElene, especially the intimate self-analysis. Portions of it are on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire. It is claimed as Cynewulf’s, but there is nothing to indicate this except the beauty of style, which has caused it to be called “the choicest blossom of Old English Christian poetry.”]Lo, I shall tell youthe truest of visions,A dream that I dreamtin the dead of nightWhile people reposedin peaceful sleep.I seemed to seethe sacred tree5Lifted on highin a halo of light,The brightest of beams;that beacon was whollyGorgeous with gold;glorious gems stoodFair at the foot;and five were assembled,At the crossing of the arms.The angels of God looked on,10Fair through the firmament.It was truly no foul sinner’s cross,For beholding his sufferingswere the holy spirits,The men of the earthand all of creation.Wondrous was that victory-wood,and I wounded and stainedWith sorrows and sins.I saw the tree of glory15Blessed and brightin brilliant adornments,Made joyous with jewels.Gems on all sidesFull rarely enrichedthe rood of the Savior.Through the sight of that crossI came to perceiveIts stiff struggle of old,when it started first20To bleed on the right side.I was broken and cast down with sorrow;The fair sight inspired me with fear.Before me the moving beaconChanged its clothing and color.At times it was covered with bloodFearful and grimy with gore.At times with gold ’twas adorned.Then I lay and lookedfor a long time25And saw the Savior’ssorrowful treeUntil I heard itlift high its voice.The worthiest of the wood-raceformed words and spoke:“It was ages ago—I shall always remember—When first I was felledat the forest’s edge,30My strong trunk stricken.Then strange enemies took meAnd fashioned my frame to a cross;and their felons I raised on high.On their backs and shoulders they bore meto the brow of the lofty hill.There the hated ones solidly set me.I saw there the Lord of MankindStruggling forward with courageto climb my sturdy trunk.35I dared not then opposethe purpose of the Lord,So I bent not nor brokewhen there burst forth a tremblingFrom the ends of the earth.Easily might IDestroy the murderers,but I stood unmoved.“The Young Herounclothed him—it was the holy God—40Strong and steadfast;he stepped to the high gallows,Not fearing the look of the fiends,and there he freed mankind.At his blessed embrace I trembled,but bow to the earth I dared not,Or forward to fall to the ground,but fast and true I endured.As a rood I was raised up;a royal King I bore,45The Lord of heavenly legions.I allowed myself never to bend.Dark nails through me they drove;so that dastardly scars are upon me,Wounds wide open;but not one of them dared I to harm.They cursed and reviled us together.I was covered all over with blood,That flowed from the Savior’s sidewhen his soul had left the flesh.50Sorrowful the sightsI have seen on that hill,Grim-visaged grief:the God of mankind I sawAnd his frightful death.The forces of darknessCovered with cloudsthe corpse of the Lord,The shining radiance;the shadows darkened55Under the cover of clouds.Creation all wept,The king’s fall bewailed.Christ was on the rood.Finally from afarcame faithful comradesTo the Savior’s side,and I saw it all.Bitter the grief that I bore,but I bowed me low to their hands;60My travail was grievous and sore.They took then God Almighty,From loathsome torment they lifted him.The warriors left me deserted,To stand stained with blood.I was stricken and wounded with nails.Limb-weary they laid him there,and at their Lord’s head they stood.They beheld there the Ruler of heaven;and they halted a while to rest,65Tired after the terrible struggle.A tomb then they began to make,His friends in sight of his foes.Of the fairest of stone they built it,And set their Savior upon it.A sorrowful dirge they chanted,Lamented their Master at evening,when they made their journey home,Tired from their loved Lord’s side.And they left him with the guard.70We crosses stood therestreaming with blood,And waited longafter the wailing ceasedOf the brave company.The body grew cold,The most precious of corpses.Then they pulled us down,All to the earth—an awful fate!75They buried us low in a pit.But the loved disciples of Christ,His faithful friends made searchand found me and brought me to light,And gorgeously decked mewith gold and with silver.“Now mayst thou learn,my beloved friend,That the work of the wickedI have worthily borne,80The most trying of torments.The time is now comeWhen through the wide worldI am worshipped and honored,That all manner of men,and the mighty creation,Hold sacred this sign.On me the Son of GodDeath-pangs endured.Hence, dauntless in glory,85I rise high under heaven,and hold out salvationTo each and to allwho have awe in my presence.“Long ago I was the greatestand most grievous of torments,Most painful of punishments,till I pointed arightThe road of lifefor the race of men.90“Lo, a glory was givenby the God of CreationTo the worthless wood—by the Warden of heaven—Just as Mary, his mother,the maiden blessed,Received grace and gloryfrom God Almighty,And homage and worshipover other women.95“And now I bid thee,my best of comrades,That thou revealthis vision to men.Tell them I am trulythe tree of glory,That the Savior sorrowedand suffered upon meFor the race of menand its many sins,100And the ancient evilthat Adam wrought.“He there tasted of death;but in triumph he rose,The Lord in his mightand gave life unto men.Then he ascended to heaven,and hither againShall the Savior descendto seek mankind105On the day of doom,the dreaded RulerOf highest heaven,with his host of angels.Then will he adjudgewith justice and firmnessRewards to the worthywhose works have deserved them,Who loyally livedtheir lives on the earth.110Then a feeling of fearshall fill every heartFor the warning they hadin the words of their Master:He shall demand of manywhere the man may be foundTo consent for the sakeof his Savior to tasteThe bitter deathas He did on the cross.115They are filled with fearand few of them thinkWhat words they shall speakin response to Christ.Then no feeling of frightor fear need he haveWho bears on his heartthe brightest of tokens,But there shall come to the kingdomthrough the cross and its power120All the souls of the savedfrom the sorrows of earth,Of the holy who hopefor a home with their Lord.”Then I adored the crosswith undaunted courage,With the warmest zeal,while I watched aloneAnd saw it in secret.My soul was eager125To depart on its path,but I have passed through manyAn hour of longing.Through all my lifeI shall seek the sightof that sacred treeAlone more oftenthan all other menAnd worthily worship it.My will for this service130Is steadfast and sturdy,and my strength is everIn the cross of Christ.My comrades of old,The friends of fortune,all far from the earthHave departed from the world and its pleasuresand have passed to the King of Glory,And high in the heavenswith the holy God135Are living eternally.And I long for the timeTo arrive at lastwhen the rood of the Lord,Which once so plainlyappeared to my sight,Shall summon my soulfrom this sorrowful life,And bring me to that bournewhere bliss is unending140And happiness of heaven,where the holy saintsAll join in a banquet,where joy is eternal.May He set me where alwaysin after timeI shall dwell in glorywith God’s chosen onesIn delights everlasting.May the Lord be my friend,145Who came to earthand of old on the crossSuffered and sorrowedfor the sins of men.He broke there our bondsand bought for us lifeAnd a heavenly home.The hearts were now filledWith blessings and bliss,which once burned with remorse.150To the Son was his journeysuccessful and joyfulAnd crowned with triumph,when he came with his troops,With his gladsome guestsinto God’s kingdom,The Almighty Judge’s,and brought joy to the angels,And the host of the holywho in heaven before155Dwelt in glorywhen their God arrived,The Lord Most High,at his home at last.39.The lines that follow appear with some changes on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire.44.This and the following line form the basis of an inscription on a reliquary containing a cross preserved in the Cathedral at Brussels.

[Critical edition: Cook,The Dream of the Rood, Oxford, 1905.Author: “Making all due allowance, then, for the weakness of certain arguments both pro and con, the balance of probability seems to incline decidedly in favor of Cynewulfian authorship.”—Cook.Translations: English Prose: Kemble. Verse: Stephens, 1866; Morley, 1888; Miss Iddings, 1902.The poem has much in common withElene, especially the intimate self-analysis. Portions of it are on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire. It is claimed as Cynewulf’s, but there is nothing to indicate this except the beauty of style, which has caused it to be called “the choicest blossom of Old English Christian poetry.”]

[Critical edition: Cook,The Dream of the Rood, Oxford, 1905.

Author: “Making all due allowance, then, for the weakness of certain arguments both pro and con, the balance of probability seems to incline decidedly in favor of Cynewulfian authorship.”—Cook.

Translations: English Prose: Kemble. Verse: Stephens, 1866; Morley, 1888; Miss Iddings, 1902.

The poem has much in common withElene, especially the intimate self-analysis. Portions of it are on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire. It is claimed as Cynewulf’s, but there is nothing to indicate this except the beauty of style, which has caused it to be called “the choicest blossom of Old English Christian poetry.”]

Lo, I shall tell youthe truest of visions,A dream that I dreamtin the dead of nightWhile people reposedin peaceful sleep.I seemed to seethe sacred tree5Lifted on highin a halo of light,The brightest of beams;that beacon was whollyGorgeous with gold;glorious gems stoodFair at the foot;and five were assembled,At the crossing of the arms.The angels of God looked on,10Fair through the firmament.It was truly no foul sinner’s cross,For beholding his sufferingswere the holy spirits,The men of the earthand all of creation.Wondrous was that victory-wood,and I wounded and stainedWith sorrows and sins.I saw the tree of glory15Blessed and brightin brilliant adornments,Made joyous with jewels.Gems on all sidesFull rarely enrichedthe rood of the Savior.Through the sight of that crossI came to perceiveIts stiff struggle of old,when it started first20To bleed on the right side.I was broken and cast down with sorrow;The fair sight inspired me with fear.Before me the moving beaconChanged its clothing and color.At times it was covered with bloodFearful and grimy with gore.At times with gold ’twas adorned.Then I lay and lookedfor a long time25And saw the Savior’ssorrowful treeUntil I heard itlift high its voice.The worthiest of the wood-raceformed words and spoke:“It was ages ago—I shall always remember—When first I was felledat the forest’s edge,30My strong trunk stricken.Then strange enemies took meAnd fashioned my frame to a cross;and their felons I raised on high.On their backs and shoulders they bore meto the brow of the lofty hill.There the hated ones solidly set me.I saw there the Lord of MankindStruggling forward with courageto climb my sturdy trunk.35I dared not then opposethe purpose of the Lord,So I bent not nor brokewhen there burst forth a tremblingFrom the ends of the earth.Easily might IDestroy the murderers,but I stood unmoved.“The Young Herounclothed him—it was the holy God—40Strong and steadfast;he stepped to the high gallows,Not fearing the look of the fiends,and there he freed mankind.At his blessed embrace I trembled,but bow to the earth I dared not,Or forward to fall to the ground,but fast and true I endured.As a rood I was raised up;a royal King I bore,45The Lord of heavenly legions.I allowed myself never to bend.Dark nails through me they drove;so that dastardly scars are upon me,Wounds wide open;but not one of them dared I to harm.They cursed and reviled us together.I was covered all over with blood,That flowed from the Savior’s sidewhen his soul had left the flesh.50Sorrowful the sightsI have seen on that hill,Grim-visaged grief:the God of mankind I sawAnd his frightful death.The forces of darknessCovered with cloudsthe corpse of the Lord,The shining radiance;the shadows darkened55Under the cover of clouds.Creation all wept,The king’s fall bewailed.Christ was on the rood.Finally from afarcame faithful comradesTo the Savior’s side,and I saw it all.Bitter the grief that I bore,but I bowed me low to their hands;60My travail was grievous and sore.They took then God Almighty,From loathsome torment they lifted him.The warriors left me deserted,To stand stained with blood.I was stricken and wounded with nails.Limb-weary they laid him there,and at their Lord’s head they stood.They beheld there the Ruler of heaven;and they halted a while to rest,65Tired after the terrible struggle.A tomb then they began to make,His friends in sight of his foes.Of the fairest of stone they built it,And set their Savior upon it.A sorrowful dirge they chanted,Lamented their Master at evening,when they made their journey home,Tired from their loved Lord’s side.And they left him with the guard.70We crosses stood therestreaming with blood,And waited longafter the wailing ceasedOf the brave company.The body grew cold,The most precious of corpses.Then they pulled us down,All to the earth—an awful fate!75They buried us low in a pit.But the loved disciples of Christ,His faithful friends made searchand found me and brought me to light,And gorgeously decked mewith gold and with silver.“Now mayst thou learn,my beloved friend,That the work of the wickedI have worthily borne,80The most trying of torments.The time is now comeWhen through the wide worldI am worshipped and honored,That all manner of men,and the mighty creation,Hold sacred this sign.On me the Son of GodDeath-pangs endured.Hence, dauntless in glory,85I rise high under heaven,and hold out salvationTo each and to allwho have awe in my presence.“Long ago I was the greatestand most grievous of torments,Most painful of punishments,till I pointed arightThe road of lifefor the race of men.90“Lo, a glory was givenby the God of CreationTo the worthless wood—by the Warden of heaven—Just as Mary, his mother,the maiden blessed,Received grace and gloryfrom God Almighty,And homage and worshipover other women.95“And now I bid thee,my best of comrades,That thou revealthis vision to men.Tell them I am trulythe tree of glory,That the Savior sorrowedand suffered upon meFor the race of menand its many sins,100And the ancient evilthat Adam wrought.“He there tasted of death;but in triumph he rose,The Lord in his mightand gave life unto men.Then he ascended to heaven,and hither againShall the Savior descendto seek mankind105On the day of doom,the dreaded RulerOf highest heaven,with his host of angels.Then will he adjudgewith justice and firmnessRewards to the worthywhose works have deserved them,Who loyally livedtheir lives on the earth.110Then a feeling of fearshall fill every heartFor the warning they hadin the words of their Master:He shall demand of manywhere the man may be foundTo consent for the sakeof his Savior to tasteThe bitter deathas He did on the cross.115They are filled with fearand few of them thinkWhat words they shall speakin response to Christ.Then no feeling of frightor fear need he haveWho bears on his heartthe brightest of tokens,But there shall come to the kingdomthrough the cross and its power120All the souls of the savedfrom the sorrows of earth,Of the holy who hopefor a home with their Lord.”Then I adored the crosswith undaunted courage,With the warmest zeal,while I watched aloneAnd saw it in secret.My soul was eager125To depart on its path,but I have passed through manyAn hour of longing.Through all my lifeI shall seek the sightof that sacred treeAlone more oftenthan all other menAnd worthily worship it.My will for this service130Is steadfast and sturdy,and my strength is everIn the cross of Christ.My comrades of old,The friends of fortune,all far from the earthHave departed from the world and its pleasuresand have passed to the King of Glory,And high in the heavenswith the holy God135Are living eternally.And I long for the timeTo arrive at lastwhen the rood of the Lord,Which once so plainlyappeared to my sight,Shall summon my soulfrom this sorrowful life,And bring me to that bournewhere bliss is unending140And happiness of heaven,where the holy saintsAll join in a banquet,where joy is eternal.May He set me where alwaysin after timeI shall dwell in glorywith God’s chosen onesIn delights everlasting.May the Lord be my friend,145Who came to earthand of old on the crossSuffered and sorrowedfor the sins of men.He broke there our bondsand bought for us lifeAnd a heavenly home.The hearts were now filledWith blessings and bliss,which once burned with remorse.150To the Son was his journeysuccessful and joyfulAnd crowned with triumph,when he came with his troops,With his gladsome guestsinto God’s kingdom,The Almighty Judge’s,and brought joy to the angels,And the host of the holywho in heaven before155Dwelt in glorywhen their God arrived,The Lord Most High,at his home at last.

Lo, I shall tell youthe truest of visions,

A dream that I dreamtin the dead of night

While people reposedin peaceful sleep.

I seemed to seethe sacred tree

5Lifted on highin a halo of light,

The brightest of beams;that beacon was wholly

Gorgeous with gold;glorious gems stood

Fair at the foot;and five were assembled,

At the crossing of the arms.The angels of God looked on,

10Fair through the firmament.It was truly no foul sinner’s cross,

For beholding his sufferingswere the holy spirits,

The men of the earthand all of creation.

Wondrous was that victory-wood,and I wounded and stained

With sorrows and sins.I saw the tree of glory

15Blessed and brightin brilliant adornments,

Made joyous with jewels.Gems on all sides

Full rarely enrichedthe rood of the Savior.

Through the sight of that crossI came to perceive

Its stiff struggle of old,when it started first

20To bleed on the right side.I was broken and cast down with sorrow;

The fair sight inspired me with fear.Before me the moving beacon

Changed its clothing and color.At times it was covered with blood

Fearful and grimy with gore.At times with gold ’twas adorned.

Then I lay and lookedfor a long time

25And saw the Savior’ssorrowful tree

Until I heard itlift high its voice.

The worthiest of the wood-raceformed words and spoke:

“It was ages ago—I shall always remember—

When first I was felledat the forest’s edge,

30My strong trunk stricken.Then strange enemies took me

And fashioned my frame to a cross;and their felons I raised on high.

On their backs and shoulders they bore meto the brow of the lofty hill.

There the hated ones solidly set me.I saw there the Lord of Mankind

Struggling forward with courageto climb my sturdy trunk.

35I dared not then opposethe purpose of the Lord,

So I bent not nor brokewhen there burst forth a trembling

From the ends of the earth.Easily might I

Destroy the murderers,but I stood unmoved.

“The Young Herounclothed him—it was the holy God—

40Strong and steadfast;he stepped to the high gallows,

Not fearing the look of the fiends,and there he freed mankind.

At his blessed embrace I trembled,but bow to the earth I dared not,

Or forward to fall to the ground,but fast and true I endured.

As a rood I was raised up;a royal King I bore,

45The Lord of heavenly legions.I allowed myself never to bend.

Dark nails through me they drove;so that dastardly scars are upon me,

Wounds wide open;but not one of them dared I to harm.

They cursed and reviled us together.I was covered all over with blood,

That flowed from the Savior’s sidewhen his soul had left the flesh.

50Sorrowful the sightsI have seen on that hill,

Grim-visaged grief:the God of mankind I saw

And his frightful death.The forces of darkness

Covered with cloudsthe corpse of the Lord,

The shining radiance;the shadows darkened

55Under the cover of clouds.Creation all wept,

The king’s fall bewailed.Christ was on the rood.

Finally from afarcame faithful comrades

To the Savior’s side,and I saw it all.

Bitter the grief that I bore,but I bowed me low to their hands;

60My travail was grievous and sore.They took then God Almighty,

From loathsome torment they lifted him.The warriors left me deserted,

To stand stained with blood.I was stricken and wounded with nails.

Limb-weary they laid him there,and at their Lord’s head they stood.

They beheld there the Ruler of heaven;and they halted a while to rest,

65Tired after the terrible struggle.A tomb then they began to make,

His friends in sight of his foes.Of the fairest of stone they built it,

And set their Savior upon it.A sorrowful dirge they chanted,

Lamented their Master at evening,when they made their journey home,

Tired from their loved Lord’s side.And they left him with the guard.

70We crosses stood therestreaming with blood,

And waited longafter the wailing ceased

Of the brave company.The body grew cold,

The most precious of corpses.Then they pulled us down,

All to the earth—an awful fate!

75They buried us low in a pit.But the loved disciples of Christ,

His faithful friends made searchand found me and brought me to light,

And gorgeously decked mewith gold and with silver.

“Now mayst thou learn,my beloved friend,

That the work of the wickedI have worthily borne,

80The most trying of torments.The time is now come

When through the wide worldI am worshipped and honored,

That all manner of men,and the mighty creation,

Hold sacred this sign.On me the Son of God

Death-pangs endured.Hence, dauntless in glory,

85I rise high under heaven,and hold out salvation

To each and to allwho have awe in my presence.

“Long ago I was the greatestand most grievous of torments,

Most painful of punishments,till I pointed aright

The road of lifefor the race of men.

90“Lo, a glory was givenby the God of Creation

To the worthless wood—by the Warden of heaven—

Just as Mary, his mother,the maiden blessed,

Received grace and gloryfrom God Almighty,

And homage and worshipover other women.

95“And now I bid thee,my best of comrades,

That thou revealthis vision to men.

Tell them I am trulythe tree of glory,

That the Savior sorrowedand suffered upon me

For the race of menand its many sins,

100And the ancient evilthat Adam wrought.

“He there tasted of death;but in triumph he rose,

The Lord in his mightand gave life unto men.

Then he ascended to heaven,and hither again

Shall the Savior descendto seek mankind

105On the day of doom,the dreaded Ruler

Of highest heaven,with his host of angels.

Then will he adjudgewith justice and firmness

Rewards to the worthywhose works have deserved them,

Who loyally livedtheir lives on the earth.

110Then a feeling of fearshall fill every heart

For the warning they hadin the words of their Master:

He shall demand of manywhere the man may be found

To consent for the sakeof his Savior to taste

The bitter deathas He did on the cross.

115They are filled with fearand few of them think

What words they shall speakin response to Christ.

Then no feeling of frightor fear need he have

Who bears on his heartthe brightest of tokens,

But there shall come to the kingdomthrough the cross and its power

120All the souls of the savedfrom the sorrows of earth,

Of the holy who hopefor a home with their Lord.”

Then I adored the crosswith undaunted courage,

With the warmest zeal,while I watched alone

And saw it in secret.My soul was eager

125To depart on its path,but I have passed through many

An hour of longing.Through all my life

I shall seek the sightof that sacred tree

Alone more oftenthan all other men

And worthily worship it.My will for this service

130Is steadfast and sturdy,and my strength is ever

In the cross of Christ.My comrades of old,

The friends of fortune,all far from the earth

Have departed from the world and its pleasuresand have passed to the King of Glory,

And high in the heavenswith the holy God

135Are living eternally.And I long for the time

To arrive at lastwhen the rood of the Lord,

Which once so plainlyappeared to my sight,

Shall summon my soulfrom this sorrowful life,

And bring me to that bournewhere bliss is unending

140And happiness of heaven,where the holy saints

All join in a banquet,where joy is eternal.

May He set me where alwaysin after time

I shall dwell in glorywith God’s chosen ones

In delights everlasting.May the Lord be my friend,

145Who came to earthand of old on the cross

Suffered and sorrowedfor the sins of men.

He broke there our bondsand bought for us life

And a heavenly home.The hearts were now filled

With blessings and bliss,which once burned with remorse.

150To the Son was his journeysuccessful and joyful

And crowned with triumph,when he came with his troops,

With his gladsome guestsinto God’s kingdom,

The Almighty Judge’s,and brought joy to the angels,

And the host of the holywho in heaven before

155Dwelt in glorywhen their God arrived,

The Lord Most High,at his home at last.

39.The lines that follow appear with some changes on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire.44.This and the following line form the basis of an inscription on a reliquary containing a cross preserved in the Cathedral at Brussels.

39.The lines that follow appear with some changes on the Ruthwell Cross in Dumfriesshire.

44.This and the following line form the basis of an inscription on a reliquary containing a cross preserved in the Cathedral at Brussels.

JUDITH[Critical edition: Cook,Judith, Boston, 1904.Translation:Hall, Judith, Phoenix and Other Anglo-Saxon Poems.Manuscript: The same as the one containingBeowulf. It was injured by a fire in 1731. It had been printed by Thwaites in 1698 before the injury.Authorship and date: The mixture of dialect forms seems to indicate that a northern original passed through one or more hands and that at least the last scribe belonged to the late West Saxon period. Cook thinks that it is not earlier than about 825 nor later than 937, and that it is possibly by Cynewulf.Source: Apocryphal book of Judith.]1. The Feast. . . . . . . . . .Shedoubted [not] the giftsIn this wide world.There worthily she foundHelp at the hands of the Lord,when she had the highest need,Grace from God on high,that against the greatest of dangers5The Lord of Hosts should protect her;for this the Heavenly FatherGraciously granted her wish,for she had given true faithTo the holy Ruler of heaven.Holofernes then, I am told,Called his warriors to a wine-feastand a wondrous and gloriousBanquet prepared.To this the prince of men10Bade the bravest of thanes.Then with bold hasteTo the powerful princecame the proud shield-warriors,Before the chief of the folk.That was the fourth daySince the gentle Judith,just in her thoughts,Of fairy-like beauty,was brought to the king.15Then they sought the assemblyto sit at the banquet,Proud to the wine-pouring,all his partners in woe,Bold burnie-warriors.Bowls large and deepWere borne along the benches;beakers also and flagonsFull to the feasters.Fated they drank it,20Renowned shield-knights,though he knew not their doom,The hateful lord of heroes.Holofernes, the king,Bestower of jewels,took joy in the wine-pouring,Howled and hurled fortha hideous dinThat the folk of the earthfrom afar might hear25How the stalwart and strong-mindedstormed and bellowed,Maddened by mead-drink;he demanded full oftThat the brave bench-sittersshould bear themselves well.So the hellish demonthrough the whole of the dayDrenched with drinkhis dear companions,30The cruel gold-king,till unconscious they lay,All drunk his doughty ones,as if in death they were slain,Every good gone from them.1.Although the fragment begins in the middle of a line, it presents the appearance of being practically complete. Certainly, as it stands it makes an artistic whole: we begin and end the poem by showing how Judith was favored of God. Within a very short space after the opening lines we are in the midst of the action: Judith has come from her beleaguered city of Bethulia and enchanted Holofernes by her beauty, and Holofernes has finished his great feast by summoning her to him. All this is put before us in the first 37 lines. The rest of the poem is vividly conceived, from the slaying of the Assyrian king to the final victory and rejoicing.2. The Slaying of HolofernesHe gave then commandsTo serve the hall-sitterstill descending upon themDark night came near.The ignoble one ordered35The blessed maiden,burdened with jewels,Freighted with rings,to be fetched in all hasteTo his hated bedside.His behest they performed,His corps of retainers—the commands of their lord,Chief of the champions.Cheerfully they stepped40To the royal guest-room,where full ready they foundThe queenly Judith,and quickly thenThe goodly knightsbegan to leadThe holy maidento the high tent,Where the rich rulerrested always,45Lay him at night,loathsome to God,Holofernes.There hung an all-goldenRadiant fly-netaround the folk-chief’sBed embroidered;so that the baleful one,The loathed leader,might look unhindered50On everyoneof the warrior bandWho entered in,and on him noneOfthe sons of men,unless some of his nobles,Contrivers of crime,he called to his presence:His barons to bring him advice.Then they bore to his rest55The wisest of women;went then the strong-hearted bandTo make known to their masterthat the maiden of GodWas brought to his bower.Then blithe was the chief in his heart,The builder of burg-steads;the bright maiden he plannedWith loathsome filth to defile,but the Father of heaven knew60His purpose, the Prince of goodnessand with power he restrained him,God, the Wielder of Glory.Glad then the hateful oneWent with his riotousrout of retainersBaleful to his bedside,where his blood should be spilledSuddenly in a single night.Full surely his end approached65On earth ungentle,even as he lived,Stern striver for evil,while still in this worldHe dwelt under the roof of the clouds.Drunken with wine then he fellIn the midst of his regal restso that he recked not of counselIn the chamber of his mind;the champions stepped70Out of his presenceand parted in haste,The wine-sated warriorswho went with the false one,And the evil enemy of manushered to bedFor the last time.Then the Lord’s servantThe mighty hand-maiden,was mindful in all things75How she most easilyfrom the evil contriverHis life might snatchere the lecherous deceiver,The creature crime-laden awoke.The curly-locked maidenOf God then seizedthe sword well ground,Sharp from the hammers,and from its sheath drew it80With her right hand;heaven’s Guardian she beganTo call by name,Creator of allThe dwellers in the world,and these words she spoke:“O Heavenly God,and Holy Ghost,Son of the Almighty,I will seek from Thee85Thy mercy unfailingto defend me from evil,O Holiest Trinity.Truly for me nowFull sore is my souland sorrowful my heart,Tormented with griefs.Grant me, Lord of the skies,Success and soundness of faith,that with this sword I may90Behead this hideous monster.Heed my prayer for salvation,Noble Lord of nations;never have I hadMore need of thy mercy;mighty Lord, avenge nowBright-minded Bringer of glory,that I am thus baffled in spirit,Heated in heart.”Her then the greatest of Judges95With dauntless daring inspired,as he doth ever to allThe sons of the Spiritwho seek him for help,With reason and with right belief.Then was to the righteous in mind,Holy hope renewed;the heathen man then she took,And held by his hair;with her hands she drew him100Shamefully toward her,and the traitorous deceiverLaid as she listed,most loathsome of men,In order that easilythe enemy’s bodyShe might wield at her will.The wicked one she slew,The curly-locked maidenwith her keen-edged sword,105Smote the hateful-hearted onetill she half cut throughSevering his neck,so that swooning he layDrunken and death-wounded.Not dead was he yet,Nor lifeless entirely:the triumphant ladyMore earnestly smotethe second time110The heathen hound,so that his head was thrownForth on the floor;foul lay the carcass,Bereft of a soul;the spirit went elsewhereUnder the burning abysswhere abandoned it lay,Tied down in tormenttill time shall cease,115With serpents bewound,amid woes and tortures,All firmly fixedin the flames of hell,When death came upon him.He durst not hope,Enveloped in blackness,to venture forth everFrom that dreary hole,but dwell there he shall120Forever and ayetill the end of time,In that hideous homewithout hope of joy.52.Here begins a series of extended lines which some critics think are intended to lend an air of solemnity to the passage. A study of the occurrence of these long lines in this and other poems, such asThe Wanderer,The Charms, orWidsith, does not seem to bear out this contention. Usually these long lines have three accents in each half. The rules for the alliteration are the same as for the short verses.3. The Return to BethuliaGreat was the glorythen gained in the fightBy Judith at war,through the will of God,The mighty Master,who permitted her victory.125Then the wise-minded maidenimmediately threwThe heathen warrior’shead so bloody,Concealed it in the sackthat her servant had brought—The pale-faced woman,polished in manners—Which before she had filledwith food for them both.130Then the gory head gave sheto her goodly maid-servantTo bear to their home,to her helper she gave it,To her junior companion.Then they journeyed together,Both of the women,bold in their daring,The mighty in mind,the maidens exultant,135Till they had wholly escapedfrom the host of the enemy,And could full clearlycatch the first sightOf their sacred cityand see the wallsOf bright Bethulia.Then the bracelet-adorned ones,Traveling on foot,went forth in haste,140Until they had journeyed,with joy in their hearts,To the wall-gate.The warriors satUnwearied in watching,the wardens on duty,Fast in the fortress,as the folk erstwhile,The grieved ones of mind,by the maiden were counselled,145By the wary Judith,when she went on her journey,The keen-witted woman.She had come once more,Dear to her people,the prudent in counsel.She straightway summonedcertain of the heroesFrom the spacious cityspeedily to meet her150And allow her to enterwithout loss of timeThrough the gate of the wall,and these words she spokeTo the victor-tribe:“I may tell to you nowNoteworthy news,that you need no longerMourn in your mind,for the Master is kind to you,155The Ruler of nations.It is known afarAround the wide worldthat you have won glory;Very great victoryis vouchsafed in returnFor all the evilsand ills you have suffered.”Blithe then becamethe burghers within,160When they heard howthe Holy Maid spokeOver the high wall.The warriors rejoiced;To the gate of the fortressthe folk then hastened,Wives with their husbands,in hordes and in bands,In crowds and in companies;they crushed and thronged165Towards the handmaid of Godby hundreds and thousands,Old ones and young ones.All of the menIn the goodly citywere glad in their heartsAt the joyous newsthat Judith was comeAgain to her home,and hastily then170With humble heartsthe heroes received her.Then gave the gold-adorned,sagacious in mind,Command to her comrade,her co-worker faithfulThe heathen chief’s headto hold forth to the people,To the assembly to showas a sign and a token,175All bloody to the burghers,how in battle they sped.To the famed victory-folkthe fair maiden spoke:“O proudest of peoples,princely protectors,Gladly now gazeon the gory face,On the hated headof the heathen warrior,180Holofernes,wholly life-bereft,Who most of all mencontrived murder against us,The sorest of sorrows,and sought even yetWith greater to grind us,but God would not suffer himLonger to live,that with loathsomest evils185The proud one should oppress us;I deprived him of lifeThrough the grace of God.Now I give commandsTo you citizens bold,you soldiers brave-hearted,Protectors of the people,to prepare one and allForthwith for the fight.When first from the east190The King of creation,the kindest of Lords,Sends the first beams of light,bring forth your linden-shields,Boards for your breastsand your burnie-corselets,Your bright-hammered helmetsto the hosts of the scathers,To fell the folk-leaders,the fated chieftains,195With your fretted swords.Your foes are allDoomed to the death,and dearly-won gloryShall be yours in battle,as the blessed CreatorThe mighty Master,through me has made known.”4. The BattleThen a band of bold knightsbusily gathered,200Keen men at the conflict;with courage they stepped forth,Bearing banners,brave-hearted companions,And fared to the fight,forth in right order,Heroes under helmetsfrom the holy cityAt the dawning of day;dinned forth their shields205A loud-voiced alarm.Now listened in joyThe lank wolf in the woodand the wan raven,Battle-hungry bird,both knowing wellThat the gallant peoplewould give to them soonA feast on the fated;now flew on their track210The deadly devourer,the dewy-winged eagle,Singing his war-song,the swart-coated bird,The horned of beak.Then hurried the warriors,Keen for the conflict,covered with shields,With hollow lindens—they who long had endured215The taunts and the tricksof the treacherous strangers,The host of the heathen;hard was it repaid nowTo all the Assyrians,every insult revenged,At the shock of the shields,when the shining-armed HebrewsBravely to battle marchedunder banners of war220To face the foeman.Forthwith then theySharply shot forthshowers of arrows,Bitter battle-addersfrom their bows of horn,Hurled straight from the string;stormed and raged loudlyThe dauntless avengers;darts were sent whizzing225Into the hosts of the hardy ones.Heroes were angryThe dwellers in the land,at the dastardly race.Strong-hearted they stepped,stern in their mood;On their enemies of oldtook awful revenge,On their mead-weary foes.With the might of their hands230Their shining swordsfrom their sheaths they drew forth.With the choicest of edgesthe champions they smote—Furiously felledthe folk of Assyria,The spiteful despoilers.They spared not a oneOf the hated host,neither high nor low235Of living menthat they might overcome.So the kinsmen-companionsat the coming of morningFollowed the foemen,fiercely attacking them,Till, pressed and in panic,the proud ones perceivedThat the chief and the championsof the chosen people240With the swing of the swordswept all before them,The wise Hebrew warriors.Then word they carriedTo the eldest officersover the camp,Ran with the wretched news,arousing the leaders,Fully informed themof the fearful disaster,245Told the merry mead-drinkersof the morning encounterOf the horrible edge-play.I heard then suddenlyThe slaughter-fated menfrom sleep awakenedAnd toward the bower-tentof the baleful chief,Holofernes, they hastened:in hosts they crowded,250Thickly they thronged.One thought had they only,Their lasting loyaltyto their lord to show,Before in their furythey fell upon him,The host of the Hebrews.The whole crowd imaginedThat the lord of despoilersand the spotless lady255Together remainedin the gorgeous tent,The virtuous virginand the vicious deceiver,Dreadful and direful;they dared not, however,Awaken the warrior,not one of the earls,Nor be first to findhow had fared through the night260The most churlish of chieftainsand the chastest of maidens,The pride of the Lord.Now approached in their strengthThe folk of the Hebrews.They fought remorselesslyWith hard-hammered weapons,with their hilts requitedTheir strife of long standing,with stained swords repaid265Their ancient enmity;all of AssyriaWas subdued and doomedthat day by their work,Its pride bowed low.In panic and fright,In terror they stoodaround the tent of their chief,Moody in mind.Then the men all together270In concert clamoredand cried aloud,Ungracious to God,and gritted their teeth,Grinding them in their grief.Then was their glory at an end,Their noble deeds and daring hopes.Then they deemed it wiseTo summon their lord from his sleep,but success was denied them.275A loyal liegeman,—long had he wavered—Desperately daredthe door to enter,Ventured into the pavilion;violent need drove him.On the bed then he found,in frightful state lying,His gold-giver ghastly;gone was his spirit,280No life in him lingered.The liegeman straight fell.Trembling with terror,he tore at his hair,He clawed at his clothes;he clamored despairing,And to the waiting warriorsthese words he said,As they stood outsidein sadness and fear:285“Here is made manifestour imminent doom,Is clearly betokenedthat the time is near,Pressing upon uswith perils and woes,When we lose our lives,and lie defeatedBy the hostile host;here hewn by the sword,290Our lord is beheaded.”With heavy spiritsThey threw their weapons away,and weary in heart,Scattered in flight.205.The picture of the birds of prey hovering over the battle field is one of the constant features of Anglo-Saxon battle poetry. Note its occurrence inThe Fight at FinnsburgandThe Battle of Brunnanburgespecially.5. The PursuitThen their foemen pursued them,Their grim power growing,until the greatest partOf the cowardly bandthey conquered in battle295On the field of victory.Vanquished and sword-hewn,They lay at the will of the wolves,for the watchful and greedyFowls to feed upon.Then fled the survivorsFrom the shields of their foemen.Sharp on their trail cameThe crowd of the Hebrews,covered with victory,300With honors well-earned;aid then accorded them,Graciously granted them,God, Lord Almighty.They then daringly,with dripping swords,The corps of brave kinsmen,cut them a war-pathThrough the host of the hated ones;they hewed with their swords,305Sheared through the shield-wall.They shot fast and furiously,Men stirred to strife,the stalwart Hebrews,The thanes, at that time,thirsting exceedingly,Fain for the spear-fight.Then fell in the dustThe chiefest partof the chosen warriors,310Of the staunch and the steadfastAssyrian leaders,Of the fated race of the foe.Few of them came backAlive to their own land.The leaders returnedOver perilous pathsthrough the piles of the slaughtered,Of reeking corpses;good occasion there was315For the landsmen to plundertheir lifeless foes,Their ancient enemiesin their armor laid low,Of battle spoils bloody,of beautiful trappings,Of bucklers and broad-swords,of brown war-helmets,Of glittering jewels.Gloriously had been320In the folk-fieldtheir foes overcome,By home-defenders,their hated oppressorsPut to sleep by the sword.Senseless on the pathLay those who in life,the loathsomest wereOf the tribes of the living.6. The SpoilThen the landsmen all,325Famous of family,for a full month’s time,The proud curly-locked ones,carried and ledTo their glorious city,gleaming Bethulia,Helms and hip-knives,hoary burnies,Men’s garments of war,with gold adorned,330With more of jewelsthan men of judgment,Keen in cunningmight count or estimate;So much successthe soldier-troop won,Bold under bannersand in battle-strifeThrough the counselof the clever Judith,335Maiden high-minded.As meed for her bravery,From the field of battle,the bold-hearted earlsBrought in as her earningsthe arms of Holofernes,His broad sword and bloody helmet,likewise his breast-armor large,Chased with choice red gold,all that the chief of the warriors,340The betrayer, possessed of treasure,of beautiful trinkets and heirlooms,Bracelets and brilliant gems.All these to the bright maid they gaveAs a gift to her, ready in judgment.7. The PraiseFor all this Judith now renderedThanks to the Heavenly Host,from whom came all her success,Greatness and glory on earthand likewise grace in heaven,345Paradise as a victorious prize,because she had pure beliefAlways in the Almighty;at the end she had no doubtOf the prize she had prayed for long.For this be praise to God,Glory in ages to come,who shaped the clouds and the winds,Firmament and far-flung realms,also the fierce-raging streams350And the blisses of heaven,through his blessed mercy.

[Critical edition: Cook,Judith, Boston, 1904.Translation:Hall, Judith, Phoenix and Other Anglo-Saxon Poems.Manuscript: The same as the one containingBeowulf. It was injured by a fire in 1731. It had been printed by Thwaites in 1698 before the injury.Authorship and date: The mixture of dialect forms seems to indicate that a northern original passed through one or more hands and that at least the last scribe belonged to the late West Saxon period. Cook thinks that it is not earlier than about 825 nor later than 937, and that it is possibly by Cynewulf.Source: Apocryphal book of Judith.]

[Critical edition: Cook,Judith, Boston, 1904.

Translation:Hall, Judith, Phoenix and Other Anglo-Saxon Poems.

Manuscript: The same as the one containingBeowulf. It was injured by a fire in 1731. It had been printed by Thwaites in 1698 before the injury.

Authorship and date: The mixture of dialect forms seems to indicate that a northern original passed through one or more hands and that at least the last scribe belonged to the late West Saxon period. Cook thinks that it is not earlier than about 825 nor later than 937, and that it is possibly by Cynewulf.

Source: Apocryphal book of Judith.]

1. The Feast. . . . . . . . . .Shedoubted [not] the giftsIn this wide world.There worthily she foundHelp at the hands of the Lord,when she had the highest need,Grace from God on high,that against the greatest of dangers5The Lord of Hosts should protect her;for this the Heavenly FatherGraciously granted her wish,for she had given true faithTo the holy Ruler of heaven.Holofernes then, I am told,Called his warriors to a wine-feastand a wondrous and gloriousBanquet prepared.To this the prince of men10Bade the bravest of thanes.Then with bold hasteTo the powerful princecame the proud shield-warriors,Before the chief of the folk.That was the fourth daySince the gentle Judith,just in her thoughts,Of fairy-like beauty,was brought to the king.15Then they sought the assemblyto sit at the banquet,Proud to the wine-pouring,all his partners in woe,Bold burnie-warriors.Bowls large and deepWere borne along the benches;beakers also and flagonsFull to the feasters.Fated they drank it,20Renowned shield-knights,though he knew not their doom,The hateful lord of heroes.Holofernes, the king,Bestower of jewels,took joy in the wine-pouring,Howled and hurled fortha hideous dinThat the folk of the earthfrom afar might hear25How the stalwart and strong-mindedstormed and bellowed,Maddened by mead-drink;he demanded full oftThat the brave bench-sittersshould bear themselves well.So the hellish demonthrough the whole of the dayDrenched with drinkhis dear companions,30The cruel gold-king,till unconscious they lay,All drunk his doughty ones,as if in death they were slain,Every good gone from them.1.Although the fragment begins in the middle of a line, it presents the appearance of being practically complete. Certainly, as it stands it makes an artistic whole: we begin and end the poem by showing how Judith was favored of God. Within a very short space after the opening lines we are in the midst of the action: Judith has come from her beleaguered city of Bethulia and enchanted Holofernes by her beauty, and Holofernes has finished his great feast by summoning her to him. All this is put before us in the first 37 lines. The rest of the poem is vividly conceived, from the slaying of the Assyrian king to the final victory and rejoicing.

. . . . . . . . . .Shedoubted [not] the giftsIn this wide world.There worthily she foundHelp at the hands of the Lord,when she had the highest need,Grace from God on high,that against the greatest of dangers5The Lord of Hosts should protect her;for this the Heavenly FatherGraciously granted her wish,for she had given true faithTo the holy Ruler of heaven.Holofernes then, I am told,Called his warriors to a wine-feastand a wondrous and gloriousBanquet prepared.To this the prince of men10Bade the bravest of thanes.Then with bold hasteTo the powerful princecame the proud shield-warriors,Before the chief of the folk.That was the fourth daySince the gentle Judith,just in her thoughts,Of fairy-like beauty,was brought to the king.15Then they sought the assemblyto sit at the banquet,Proud to the wine-pouring,all his partners in woe,Bold burnie-warriors.Bowls large and deepWere borne along the benches;beakers also and flagonsFull to the feasters.Fated they drank it,20Renowned shield-knights,though he knew not their doom,The hateful lord of heroes.Holofernes, the king,Bestower of jewels,took joy in the wine-pouring,Howled and hurled fortha hideous dinThat the folk of the earthfrom afar might hear25How the stalwart and strong-mindedstormed and bellowed,Maddened by mead-drink;he demanded full oftThat the brave bench-sittersshould bear themselves well.So the hellish demonthrough the whole of the dayDrenched with drinkhis dear companions,30The cruel gold-king,till unconscious they lay,All drunk his doughty ones,as if in death they were slain,Every good gone from them.

. . . . . . . . . .Shedoubted [not] the gifts

In this wide world.There worthily she found

Help at the hands of the Lord,when she had the highest need,

Grace from God on high,that against the greatest of dangers

5The Lord of Hosts should protect her;for this the Heavenly Father

Graciously granted her wish,for she had given true faith

To the holy Ruler of heaven.

Holofernes then, I am told,

Called his warriors to a wine-feastand a wondrous and glorious

Banquet prepared.To this the prince of men

10Bade the bravest of thanes.Then with bold haste

To the powerful princecame the proud shield-warriors,

Before the chief of the folk.That was the fourth day

Since the gentle Judith,just in her thoughts,

Of fairy-like beauty,was brought to the king.

15Then they sought the assemblyto sit at the banquet,

Proud to the wine-pouring,all his partners in woe,

Bold burnie-warriors.Bowls large and deep

Were borne along the benches;beakers also and flagons

Full to the feasters.Fated they drank it,

20Renowned shield-knights,though he knew not their doom,

The hateful lord of heroes.Holofernes, the king,

Bestower of jewels,took joy in the wine-pouring,

Howled and hurled fortha hideous din

That the folk of the earthfrom afar might hear

25How the stalwart and strong-mindedstormed and bellowed,

Maddened by mead-drink;he demanded full oft

That the brave bench-sittersshould bear themselves well.

So the hellish demonthrough the whole of the day

Drenched with drinkhis dear companions,

30The cruel gold-king,till unconscious they lay,

All drunk his doughty ones,as if in death they were slain,

Every good gone from them.

1.Although the fragment begins in the middle of a line, it presents the appearance of being practically complete. Certainly, as it stands it makes an artistic whole: we begin and end the poem by showing how Judith was favored of God. Within a very short space after the opening lines we are in the midst of the action: Judith has come from her beleaguered city of Bethulia and enchanted Holofernes by her beauty, and Holofernes has finished his great feast by summoning her to him. All this is put before us in the first 37 lines. The rest of the poem is vividly conceived, from the slaying of the Assyrian king to the final victory and rejoicing.

2. The Slaying of HolofernesHe gave then commandsTo serve the hall-sitterstill descending upon themDark night came near.The ignoble one ordered35The blessed maiden,burdened with jewels,Freighted with rings,to be fetched in all hasteTo his hated bedside.His behest they performed,His corps of retainers—the commands of their lord,Chief of the champions.Cheerfully they stepped40To the royal guest-room,where full ready they foundThe queenly Judith,and quickly thenThe goodly knightsbegan to leadThe holy maidento the high tent,Where the rich rulerrested always,45Lay him at night,loathsome to God,Holofernes.There hung an all-goldenRadiant fly-netaround the folk-chief’sBed embroidered;so that the baleful one,The loathed leader,might look unhindered50On everyoneof the warrior bandWho entered in,and on him noneOfthe sons of men,unless some of his nobles,Contrivers of crime,he called to his presence:His barons to bring him advice.Then they bore to his rest55The wisest of women;went then the strong-hearted bandTo make known to their masterthat the maiden of GodWas brought to his bower.Then blithe was the chief in his heart,The builder of burg-steads;the bright maiden he plannedWith loathsome filth to defile,but the Father of heaven knew60His purpose, the Prince of goodnessand with power he restrained him,God, the Wielder of Glory.Glad then the hateful oneWent with his riotousrout of retainersBaleful to his bedside,where his blood should be spilledSuddenly in a single night.Full surely his end approached65On earth ungentle,even as he lived,Stern striver for evil,while still in this worldHe dwelt under the roof of the clouds.Drunken with wine then he fellIn the midst of his regal restso that he recked not of counselIn the chamber of his mind;the champions stepped70Out of his presenceand parted in haste,The wine-sated warriorswho went with the false one,And the evil enemy of manushered to bedFor the last time.Then the Lord’s servantThe mighty hand-maiden,was mindful in all things75How she most easilyfrom the evil contriverHis life might snatchere the lecherous deceiver,The creature crime-laden awoke.The curly-locked maidenOf God then seizedthe sword well ground,Sharp from the hammers,and from its sheath drew it80With her right hand;heaven’s Guardian she beganTo call by name,Creator of allThe dwellers in the world,and these words she spoke:“O Heavenly God,and Holy Ghost,Son of the Almighty,I will seek from Thee85Thy mercy unfailingto defend me from evil,O Holiest Trinity.Truly for me nowFull sore is my souland sorrowful my heart,Tormented with griefs.Grant me, Lord of the skies,Success and soundness of faith,that with this sword I may90Behead this hideous monster.Heed my prayer for salvation,Noble Lord of nations;never have I hadMore need of thy mercy;mighty Lord, avenge nowBright-minded Bringer of glory,that I am thus baffled in spirit,Heated in heart.”Her then the greatest of Judges95With dauntless daring inspired,as he doth ever to allThe sons of the Spiritwho seek him for help,With reason and with right belief.Then was to the righteous in mind,Holy hope renewed;the heathen man then she took,And held by his hair;with her hands she drew him100Shamefully toward her,and the traitorous deceiverLaid as she listed,most loathsome of men,In order that easilythe enemy’s bodyShe might wield at her will.The wicked one she slew,The curly-locked maidenwith her keen-edged sword,105Smote the hateful-hearted onetill she half cut throughSevering his neck,so that swooning he layDrunken and death-wounded.Not dead was he yet,Nor lifeless entirely:the triumphant ladyMore earnestly smotethe second time110The heathen hound,so that his head was thrownForth on the floor;foul lay the carcass,Bereft of a soul;the spirit went elsewhereUnder the burning abysswhere abandoned it lay,Tied down in tormenttill time shall cease,115With serpents bewound,amid woes and tortures,All firmly fixedin the flames of hell,When death came upon him.He durst not hope,Enveloped in blackness,to venture forth everFrom that dreary hole,but dwell there he shall120Forever and ayetill the end of time,In that hideous homewithout hope of joy.52.Here begins a series of extended lines which some critics think are intended to lend an air of solemnity to the passage. A study of the occurrence of these long lines in this and other poems, such asThe Wanderer,The Charms, orWidsith, does not seem to bear out this contention. Usually these long lines have three accents in each half. The rules for the alliteration are the same as for the short verses.

He gave then commandsTo serve the hall-sitterstill descending upon themDark night came near.The ignoble one ordered35The blessed maiden,burdened with jewels,Freighted with rings,to be fetched in all hasteTo his hated bedside.His behest they performed,His corps of retainers—the commands of their lord,Chief of the champions.Cheerfully they stepped40To the royal guest-room,where full ready they foundThe queenly Judith,and quickly thenThe goodly knightsbegan to leadThe holy maidento the high tent,Where the rich rulerrested always,45Lay him at night,loathsome to God,Holofernes.There hung an all-goldenRadiant fly-netaround the folk-chief’sBed embroidered;so that the baleful one,The loathed leader,might look unhindered50On everyoneof the warrior bandWho entered in,and on him noneOfthe sons of men,unless some of his nobles,Contrivers of crime,he called to his presence:His barons to bring him advice.Then they bore to his rest55The wisest of women;went then the strong-hearted bandTo make known to their masterthat the maiden of GodWas brought to his bower.Then blithe was the chief in his heart,The builder of burg-steads;the bright maiden he plannedWith loathsome filth to defile,but the Father of heaven knew60His purpose, the Prince of goodnessand with power he restrained him,God, the Wielder of Glory.Glad then the hateful oneWent with his riotousrout of retainersBaleful to his bedside,where his blood should be spilledSuddenly in a single night.Full surely his end approached65On earth ungentle,even as he lived,Stern striver for evil,while still in this worldHe dwelt under the roof of the clouds.Drunken with wine then he fellIn the midst of his regal restso that he recked not of counselIn the chamber of his mind;the champions stepped70Out of his presenceand parted in haste,The wine-sated warriorswho went with the false one,And the evil enemy of manushered to bedFor the last time.Then the Lord’s servantThe mighty hand-maiden,was mindful in all things75How she most easilyfrom the evil contriverHis life might snatchere the lecherous deceiver,The creature crime-laden awoke.The curly-locked maidenOf God then seizedthe sword well ground,Sharp from the hammers,and from its sheath drew it80With her right hand;heaven’s Guardian she beganTo call by name,Creator of allThe dwellers in the world,and these words she spoke:“O Heavenly God,and Holy Ghost,Son of the Almighty,I will seek from Thee85Thy mercy unfailingto defend me from evil,O Holiest Trinity.Truly for me nowFull sore is my souland sorrowful my heart,Tormented with griefs.Grant me, Lord of the skies,Success and soundness of faith,that with this sword I may90Behead this hideous monster.Heed my prayer for salvation,Noble Lord of nations;never have I hadMore need of thy mercy;mighty Lord, avenge nowBright-minded Bringer of glory,that I am thus baffled in spirit,Heated in heart.”Her then the greatest of Judges95With dauntless daring inspired,as he doth ever to allThe sons of the Spiritwho seek him for help,With reason and with right belief.Then was to the righteous in mind,Holy hope renewed;the heathen man then she took,And held by his hair;with her hands she drew him100Shamefully toward her,and the traitorous deceiverLaid as she listed,most loathsome of men,In order that easilythe enemy’s bodyShe might wield at her will.The wicked one she slew,The curly-locked maidenwith her keen-edged sword,105Smote the hateful-hearted onetill she half cut throughSevering his neck,so that swooning he layDrunken and death-wounded.Not dead was he yet,Nor lifeless entirely:the triumphant ladyMore earnestly smotethe second time110The heathen hound,so that his head was thrownForth on the floor;foul lay the carcass,Bereft of a soul;the spirit went elsewhereUnder the burning abysswhere abandoned it lay,Tied down in tormenttill time shall cease,115With serpents bewound,amid woes and tortures,All firmly fixedin the flames of hell,When death came upon him.He durst not hope,Enveloped in blackness,to venture forth everFrom that dreary hole,but dwell there he shall120Forever and ayetill the end of time,In that hideous homewithout hope of joy.

He gave then commands

To serve the hall-sitterstill descending upon them

Dark night came near.The ignoble one ordered

35The blessed maiden,burdened with jewels,

Freighted with rings,to be fetched in all haste

To his hated bedside.His behest they performed,

His corps of retainers—the commands of their lord,

Chief of the champions.Cheerfully they stepped

40To the royal guest-room,where full ready they found

The queenly Judith,and quickly then

The goodly knightsbegan to lead

The holy maidento the high tent,

Where the rich rulerrested always,

45Lay him at night,loathsome to God,

Holofernes.There hung an all-golden

Radiant fly-netaround the folk-chief’s

Bed embroidered;so that the baleful one,

The loathed leader,might look unhindered

50On everyoneof the warrior band

Who entered in,and on him none

Ofthe sons of men,unless some of his nobles,

Contrivers of crime,he called to his presence:

His barons to bring him advice.Then they bore to his rest

55The wisest of women;went then the strong-hearted band

To make known to their masterthat the maiden of God

Was brought to his bower.Then blithe was the chief in his heart,

The builder of burg-steads;the bright maiden he planned

With loathsome filth to defile,but the Father of heaven knew

60His purpose, the Prince of goodnessand with power he restrained him,

God, the Wielder of Glory.Glad then the hateful one

Went with his riotousrout of retainers

Baleful to his bedside,where his blood should be spilled

Suddenly in a single night.Full surely his end approached

65On earth ungentle,even as he lived,

Stern striver for evil,while still in this world

He dwelt under the roof of the clouds.Drunken with wine then he fell

In the midst of his regal restso that he recked not of counsel

In the chamber of his mind;the champions stepped

70Out of his presenceand parted in haste,

The wine-sated warriorswho went with the false one,

And the evil enemy of manushered to bed

For the last time.

Then the Lord’s servant

The mighty hand-maiden,was mindful in all things

75How she most easilyfrom the evil contriver

His life might snatchere the lecherous deceiver,

The creature crime-laden awoke.The curly-locked maiden

Of God then seizedthe sword well ground,

Sharp from the hammers,and from its sheath drew it

80With her right hand;heaven’s Guardian she began

To call by name,Creator of all

The dwellers in the world,and these words she spoke:

“O Heavenly God,and Holy Ghost,

Son of the Almighty,I will seek from Thee

85Thy mercy unfailingto defend me from evil,

O Holiest Trinity.Truly for me now

Full sore is my souland sorrowful my heart,

Tormented with griefs.Grant me, Lord of the skies,

Success and soundness of faith,that with this sword I may

90Behead this hideous monster.Heed my prayer for salvation,

Noble Lord of nations;never have I had

More need of thy mercy;mighty Lord, avenge now

Bright-minded Bringer of glory,that I am thus baffled in spirit,

Heated in heart.”Her then the greatest of Judges

95With dauntless daring inspired,as he doth ever to all

The sons of the Spiritwho seek him for help,

With reason and with right belief.Then was to the righteous in mind,

Holy hope renewed;the heathen man then she took,

And held by his hair;with her hands she drew him

100Shamefully toward her,and the traitorous deceiver

Laid as she listed,most loathsome of men,

In order that easilythe enemy’s body

She might wield at her will.The wicked one she slew,

The curly-locked maidenwith her keen-edged sword,

105Smote the hateful-hearted onetill she half cut through

Severing his neck,so that swooning he lay

Drunken and death-wounded.Not dead was he yet,

Nor lifeless entirely:the triumphant lady

More earnestly smotethe second time

110The heathen hound,so that his head was thrown

Forth on the floor;foul lay the carcass,

Bereft of a soul;the spirit went elsewhere

Under the burning abysswhere abandoned it lay,

Tied down in tormenttill time shall cease,

115With serpents bewound,amid woes and tortures,

All firmly fixedin the flames of hell,

When death came upon him.He durst not hope,

Enveloped in blackness,to venture forth ever

From that dreary hole,but dwell there he shall

120Forever and ayetill the end of time,

In that hideous homewithout hope of joy.

52.Here begins a series of extended lines which some critics think are intended to lend an air of solemnity to the passage. A study of the occurrence of these long lines in this and other poems, such asThe Wanderer,The Charms, orWidsith, does not seem to bear out this contention. Usually these long lines have three accents in each half. The rules for the alliteration are the same as for the short verses.

3. The Return to BethuliaGreat was the glorythen gained in the fightBy Judith at war,through the will of God,The mighty Master,who permitted her victory.125Then the wise-minded maidenimmediately threwThe heathen warrior’shead so bloody,Concealed it in the sackthat her servant had brought—The pale-faced woman,polished in manners—Which before she had filledwith food for them both.130Then the gory head gave sheto her goodly maid-servantTo bear to their home,to her helper she gave it,To her junior companion.Then they journeyed together,Both of the women,bold in their daring,The mighty in mind,the maidens exultant,135Till they had wholly escapedfrom the host of the enemy,And could full clearlycatch the first sightOf their sacred cityand see the wallsOf bright Bethulia.Then the bracelet-adorned ones,Traveling on foot,went forth in haste,140Until they had journeyed,with joy in their hearts,To the wall-gate.The warriors satUnwearied in watching,the wardens on duty,Fast in the fortress,as the folk erstwhile,The grieved ones of mind,by the maiden were counselled,145By the wary Judith,when she went on her journey,The keen-witted woman.She had come once more,Dear to her people,the prudent in counsel.She straightway summonedcertain of the heroesFrom the spacious cityspeedily to meet her150And allow her to enterwithout loss of timeThrough the gate of the wall,and these words she spokeTo the victor-tribe:“I may tell to you nowNoteworthy news,that you need no longerMourn in your mind,for the Master is kind to you,155The Ruler of nations.It is known afarAround the wide worldthat you have won glory;Very great victoryis vouchsafed in returnFor all the evilsand ills you have suffered.”Blithe then becamethe burghers within,160When they heard howthe Holy Maid spokeOver the high wall.The warriors rejoiced;To the gate of the fortressthe folk then hastened,Wives with their husbands,in hordes and in bands,In crowds and in companies;they crushed and thronged165Towards the handmaid of Godby hundreds and thousands,Old ones and young ones.All of the menIn the goodly citywere glad in their heartsAt the joyous newsthat Judith was comeAgain to her home,and hastily then170With humble heartsthe heroes received her.Then gave the gold-adorned,sagacious in mind,Command to her comrade,her co-worker faithfulThe heathen chief’s headto hold forth to the people,To the assembly to showas a sign and a token,175All bloody to the burghers,how in battle they sped.To the famed victory-folkthe fair maiden spoke:“O proudest of peoples,princely protectors,Gladly now gazeon the gory face,On the hated headof the heathen warrior,180Holofernes,wholly life-bereft,Who most of all mencontrived murder against us,The sorest of sorrows,and sought even yetWith greater to grind us,but God would not suffer himLonger to live,that with loathsomest evils185The proud one should oppress us;I deprived him of lifeThrough the grace of God.Now I give commandsTo you citizens bold,you soldiers brave-hearted,Protectors of the people,to prepare one and allForthwith for the fight.When first from the east190The King of creation,the kindest of Lords,Sends the first beams of light,bring forth your linden-shields,Boards for your breastsand your burnie-corselets,Your bright-hammered helmetsto the hosts of the scathers,To fell the folk-leaders,the fated chieftains,195With your fretted swords.Your foes are allDoomed to the death,and dearly-won gloryShall be yours in battle,as the blessed CreatorThe mighty Master,through me has made known.”

Great was the glorythen gained in the fightBy Judith at war,through the will of God,The mighty Master,who permitted her victory.125Then the wise-minded maidenimmediately threwThe heathen warrior’shead so bloody,Concealed it in the sackthat her servant had brought—The pale-faced woman,polished in manners—Which before she had filledwith food for them both.130Then the gory head gave sheto her goodly maid-servantTo bear to their home,to her helper she gave it,To her junior companion.Then they journeyed together,Both of the women,bold in their daring,The mighty in mind,the maidens exultant,135Till they had wholly escapedfrom the host of the enemy,And could full clearlycatch the first sightOf their sacred cityand see the wallsOf bright Bethulia.Then the bracelet-adorned ones,Traveling on foot,went forth in haste,140Until they had journeyed,with joy in their hearts,To the wall-gate.The warriors satUnwearied in watching,the wardens on duty,Fast in the fortress,as the folk erstwhile,The grieved ones of mind,by the maiden were counselled,145By the wary Judith,when she went on her journey,The keen-witted woman.She had come once more,Dear to her people,the prudent in counsel.She straightway summonedcertain of the heroesFrom the spacious cityspeedily to meet her150And allow her to enterwithout loss of timeThrough the gate of the wall,and these words she spokeTo the victor-tribe:“I may tell to you nowNoteworthy news,that you need no longerMourn in your mind,for the Master is kind to you,155The Ruler of nations.It is known afarAround the wide worldthat you have won glory;Very great victoryis vouchsafed in returnFor all the evilsand ills you have suffered.”Blithe then becamethe burghers within,160When they heard howthe Holy Maid spokeOver the high wall.The warriors rejoiced;To the gate of the fortressthe folk then hastened,Wives with their husbands,in hordes and in bands,In crowds and in companies;they crushed and thronged165Towards the handmaid of Godby hundreds and thousands,Old ones and young ones.All of the menIn the goodly citywere glad in their heartsAt the joyous newsthat Judith was comeAgain to her home,and hastily then170With humble heartsthe heroes received her.Then gave the gold-adorned,sagacious in mind,Command to her comrade,her co-worker faithfulThe heathen chief’s headto hold forth to the people,To the assembly to showas a sign and a token,175All bloody to the burghers,how in battle they sped.To the famed victory-folkthe fair maiden spoke:“O proudest of peoples,princely protectors,Gladly now gazeon the gory face,On the hated headof the heathen warrior,180Holofernes,wholly life-bereft,Who most of all mencontrived murder against us,The sorest of sorrows,and sought even yetWith greater to grind us,but God would not suffer himLonger to live,that with loathsomest evils185The proud one should oppress us;I deprived him of lifeThrough the grace of God.Now I give commandsTo you citizens bold,you soldiers brave-hearted,Protectors of the people,to prepare one and allForthwith for the fight.When first from the east190The King of creation,the kindest of Lords,Sends the first beams of light,bring forth your linden-shields,Boards for your breastsand your burnie-corselets,Your bright-hammered helmetsto the hosts of the scathers,To fell the folk-leaders,the fated chieftains,195With your fretted swords.Your foes are allDoomed to the death,and dearly-won gloryShall be yours in battle,as the blessed CreatorThe mighty Master,through me has made known.”

Great was the glorythen gained in the fight

By Judith at war,through the will of God,

The mighty Master,who permitted her victory.

125Then the wise-minded maidenimmediately threw

The heathen warrior’shead so bloody,

Concealed it in the sackthat her servant had brought—

The pale-faced woman,polished in manners—

Which before she had filledwith food for them both.

130Then the gory head gave sheto her goodly maid-servant

To bear to their home,to her helper she gave it,

To her junior companion.Then they journeyed together,

Both of the women,bold in their daring,

The mighty in mind,the maidens exultant,

135Till they had wholly escapedfrom the host of the enemy,

And could full clearlycatch the first sight

Of their sacred cityand see the walls

Of bright Bethulia.Then the bracelet-adorned ones,

Traveling on foot,went forth in haste,

140Until they had journeyed,with joy in their hearts,

To the wall-gate.

The warriors sat

Unwearied in watching,the wardens on duty,

Fast in the fortress,as the folk erstwhile,

The grieved ones of mind,by the maiden were counselled,

145By the wary Judith,when she went on her journey,

The keen-witted woman.She had come once more,

Dear to her people,the prudent in counsel.

She straightway summonedcertain of the heroes

From the spacious cityspeedily to meet her

150And allow her to enterwithout loss of time

Through the gate of the wall,and these words she spoke

To the victor-tribe:

“I may tell to you now

Noteworthy news,that you need no longer

Mourn in your mind,for the Master is kind to you,

155The Ruler of nations.It is known afar

Around the wide worldthat you have won glory;

Very great victoryis vouchsafed in return

For all the evilsand ills you have suffered.”

Blithe then becamethe burghers within,

160When they heard howthe Holy Maid spoke

Over the high wall.The warriors rejoiced;

To the gate of the fortressthe folk then hastened,

Wives with their husbands,in hordes and in bands,

In crowds and in companies;they crushed and thronged

165Towards the handmaid of Godby hundreds and thousands,

Old ones and young ones.All of the men

In the goodly citywere glad in their hearts

At the joyous newsthat Judith was come

Again to her home,and hastily then

170With humble heartsthe heroes received her.

Then gave the gold-adorned,sagacious in mind,

Command to her comrade,her co-worker faithful

The heathen chief’s headto hold forth to the people,

To the assembly to showas a sign and a token,

175All bloody to the burghers,how in battle they sped.

To the famed victory-folkthe fair maiden spoke:

“O proudest of peoples,princely protectors,

Gladly now gazeon the gory face,

On the hated headof the heathen warrior,

180Holofernes,wholly life-bereft,

Who most of all mencontrived murder against us,

The sorest of sorrows,and sought even yet

With greater to grind us,but God would not suffer him

Longer to live,that with loathsomest evils

185The proud one should oppress us;I deprived him of life

Through the grace of God.Now I give commands

To you citizens bold,you soldiers brave-hearted,

Protectors of the people,to prepare one and all

Forthwith for the fight.When first from the east

190The King of creation,the kindest of Lords,

Sends the first beams of light,bring forth your linden-shields,

Boards for your breastsand your burnie-corselets,

Your bright-hammered helmetsto the hosts of the scathers,

To fell the folk-leaders,the fated chieftains,

195With your fretted swords.Your foes are all

Doomed to the death,and dearly-won glory

Shall be yours in battle,as the blessed Creator

The mighty Master,through me has made known.”

4. The BattleThen a band of bold knightsbusily gathered,200Keen men at the conflict;with courage they stepped forth,Bearing banners,brave-hearted companions,And fared to the fight,forth in right order,Heroes under helmetsfrom the holy cityAt the dawning of day;dinned forth their shields205A loud-voiced alarm.Now listened in joyThe lank wolf in the woodand the wan raven,Battle-hungry bird,both knowing wellThat the gallant peoplewould give to them soonA feast on the fated;now flew on their track210The deadly devourer,the dewy-winged eagle,Singing his war-song,the swart-coated bird,The horned of beak.Then hurried the warriors,Keen for the conflict,covered with shields,With hollow lindens—they who long had endured215The taunts and the tricksof the treacherous strangers,The host of the heathen;hard was it repaid nowTo all the Assyrians,every insult revenged,At the shock of the shields,when the shining-armed HebrewsBravely to battle marchedunder banners of war220To face the foeman.Forthwith then theySharply shot forthshowers of arrows,Bitter battle-addersfrom their bows of horn,Hurled straight from the string;stormed and raged loudlyThe dauntless avengers;darts were sent whizzing225Into the hosts of the hardy ones.Heroes were angryThe dwellers in the land,at the dastardly race.Strong-hearted they stepped,stern in their mood;On their enemies of oldtook awful revenge,On their mead-weary foes.With the might of their hands230Their shining swordsfrom their sheaths they drew forth.With the choicest of edgesthe champions they smote—Furiously felledthe folk of Assyria,The spiteful despoilers.They spared not a oneOf the hated host,neither high nor low235Of living menthat they might overcome.So the kinsmen-companionsat the coming of morningFollowed the foemen,fiercely attacking them,Till, pressed and in panic,the proud ones perceivedThat the chief and the championsof the chosen people240With the swing of the swordswept all before them,The wise Hebrew warriors.Then word they carriedTo the eldest officersover the camp,Ran with the wretched news,arousing the leaders,Fully informed themof the fearful disaster,245Told the merry mead-drinkersof the morning encounterOf the horrible edge-play.I heard then suddenlyThe slaughter-fated menfrom sleep awakenedAnd toward the bower-tentof the baleful chief,Holofernes, they hastened:in hosts they crowded,250Thickly they thronged.One thought had they only,Their lasting loyaltyto their lord to show,Before in their furythey fell upon him,The host of the Hebrews.The whole crowd imaginedThat the lord of despoilersand the spotless lady255Together remainedin the gorgeous tent,The virtuous virginand the vicious deceiver,Dreadful and direful;they dared not, however,Awaken the warrior,not one of the earls,Nor be first to findhow had fared through the night260The most churlish of chieftainsand the chastest of maidens,The pride of the Lord.Now approached in their strengthThe folk of the Hebrews.They fought remorselesslyWith hard-hammered weapons,with their hilts requitedTheir strife of long standing,with stained swords repaid265Their ancient enmity;all of AssyriaWas subdued and doomedthat day by their work,Its pride bowed low.In panic and fright,In terror they stoodaround the tent of their chief,Moody in mind.Then the men all together270In concert clamoredand cried aloud,Ungracious to God,and gritted their teeth,Grinding them in their grief.Then was their glory at an end,Their noble deeds and daring hopes.Then they deemed it wiseTo summon their lord from his sleep,but success was denied them.275A loyal liegeman,—long had he wavered—Desperately daredthe door to enter,Ventured into the pavilion;violent need drove him.On the bed then he found,in frightful state lying,His gold-giver ghastly;gone was his spirit,280No life in him lingered.The liegeman straight fell.Trembling with terror,he tore at his hair,He clawed at his clothes;he clamored despairing,And to the waiting warriorsthese words he said,As they stood outsidein sadness and fear:285“Here is made manifestour imminent doom,Is clearly betokenedthat the time is near,Pressing upon uswith perils and woes,When we lose our lives,and lie defeatedBy the hostile host;here hewn by the sword,290Our lord is beheaded.”With heavy spiritsThey threw their weapons away,and weary in heart,Scattered in flight.205.The picture of the birds of prey hovering over the battle field is one of the constant features of Anglo-Saxon battle poetry. Note its occurrence inThe Fight at FinnsburgandThe Battle of Brunnanburgespecially.

Then a band of bold knightsbusily gathered,200Keen men at the conflict;with courage they stepped forth,Bearing banners,brave-hearted companions,And fared to the fight,forth in right order,Heroes under helmetsfrom the holy cityAt the dawning of day;dinned forth their shields205A loud-voiced alarm.Now listened in joyThe lank wolf in the woodand the wan raven,Battle-hungry bird,both knowing wellThat the gallant peoplewould give to them soonA feast on the fated;now flew on their track210The deadly devourer,the dewy-winged eagle,Singing his war-song,the swart-coated bird,The horned of beak.Then hurried the warriors,Keen for the conflict,covered with shields,With hollow lindens—they who long had endured215The taunts and the tricksof the treacherous strangers,The host of the heathen;hard was it repaid nowTo all the Assyrians,every insult revenged,At the shock of the shields,when the shining-armed HebrewsBravely to battle marchedunder banners of war220To face the foeman.Forthwith then theySharply shot forthshowers of arrows,Bitter battle-addersfrom their bows of horn,Hurled straight from the string;stormed and raged loudlyThe dauntless avengers;darts were sent whizzing225Into the hosts of the hardy ones.Heroes were angryThe dwellers in the land,at the dastardly race.Strong-hearted they stepped,stern in their mood;On their enemies of oldtook awful revenge,On their mead-weary foes.With the might of their hands230Their shining swordsfrom their sheaths they drew forth.With the choicest of edgesthe champions they smote—Furiously felledthe folk of Assyria,The spiteful despoilers.They spared not a oneOf the hated host,neither high nor low235Of living menthat they might overcome.So the kinsmen-companionsat the coming of morningFollowed the foemen,fiercely attacking them,Till, pressed and in panic,the proud ones perceivedThat the chief and the championsof the chosen people240With the swing of the swordswept all before them,The wise Hebrew warriors.Then word they carriedTo the eldest officersover the camp,Ran with the wretched news,arousing the leaders,Fully informed themof the fearful disaster,245Told the merry mead-drinkersof the morning encounterOf the horrible edge-play.I heard then suddenlyThe slaughter-fated menfrom sleep awakenedAnd toward the bower-tentof the baleful chief,Holofernes, they hastened:in hosts they crowded,250Thickly they thronged.One thought had they only,Their lasting loyaltyto their lord to show,Before in their furythey fell upon him,The host of the Hebrews.The whole crowd imaginedThat the lord of despoilersand the spotless lady255Together remainedin the gorgeous tent,The virtuous virginand the vicious deceiver,Dreadful and direful;they dared not, however,Awaken the warrior,not one of the earls,Nor be first to findhow had fared through the night260The most churlish of chieftainsand the chastest of maidens,The pride of the Lord.Now approached in their strengthThe folk of the Hebrews.They fought remorselesslyWith hard-hammered weapons,with their hilts requitedTheir strife of long standing,with stained swords repaid265Their ancient enmity;all of AssyriaWas subdued and doomedthat day by their work,Its pride bowed low.In panic and fright,In terror they stoodaround the tent of their chief,Moody in mind.Then the men all together270In concert clamoredand cried aloud,Ungracious to God,and gritted their teeth,Grinding them in their grief.Then was their glory at an end,Their noble deeds and daring hopes.Then they deemed it wiseTo summon their lord from his sleep,but success was denied them.275A loyal liegeman,—long had he wavered—Desperately daredthe door to enter,Ventured into the pavilion;violent need drove him.On the bed then he found,in frightful state lying,His gold-giver ghastly;gone was his spirit,280No life in him lingered.The liegeman straight fell.Trembling with terror,he tore at his hair,He clawed at his clothes;he clamored despairing,And to the waiting warriorsthese words he said,As they stood outsidein sadness and fear:285“Here is made manifestour imminent doom,Is clearly betokenedthat the time is near,Pressing upon uswith perils and woes,When we lose our lives,and lie defeatedBy the hostile host;here hewn by the sword,290Our lord is beheaded.”With heavy spiritsThey threw their weapons away,and weary in heart,Scattered in flight.

Then a band of bold knightsbusily gathered,

200Keen men at the conflict;with courage they stepped forth,

Bearing banners,brave-hearted companions,

And fared to the fight,forth in right order,

Heroes under helmetsfrom the holy city

At the dawning of day;dinned forth their shields

205A loud-voiced alarm.Now listened in joy

The lank wolf in the woodand the wan raven,

Battle-hungry bird,both knowing well

That the gallant peoplewould give to them soon

A feast on the fated;now flew on their track

210The deadly devourer,the dewy-winged eagle,

Singing his war-song,the swart-coated bird,

The horned of beak.Then hurried the warriors,

Keen for the conflict,covered with shields,

With hollow lindens—they who long had endured

215The taunts and the tricksof the treacherous strangers,

The host of the heathen;hard was it repaid now

To all the Assyrians,every insult revenged,

At the shock of the shields,when the shining-armed Hebrews

Bravely to battle marchedunder banners of war

220To face the foeman.Forthwith then they

Sharply shot forthshowers of arrows,

Bitter battle-addersfrom their bows of horn,

Hurled straight from the string;stormed and raged loudly

The dauntless avengers;darts were sent whizzing

225Into the hosts of the hardy ones.Heroes were angry

The dwellers in the land,at the dastardly race.

Strong-hearted they stepped,stern in their mood;

On their enemies of oldtook awful revenge,

On their mead-weary foes.With the might of their hands

230Their shining swordsfrom their sheaths they drew forth.

With the choicest of edgesthe champions they smote—

Furiously felledthe folk of Assyria,

The spiteful despoilers.They spared not a one

Of the hated host,neither high nor low

235Of living menthat they might overcome.

So the kinsmen-companionsat the coming of morning

Followed the foemen,fiercely attacking them,

Till, pressed and in panic,the proud ones perceived

That the chief and the championsof the chosen people

240With the swing of the swordswept all before them,

The wise Hebrew warriors.Then word they carried

To the eldest officersover the camp,

Ran with the wretched news,arousing the leaders,

Fully informed themof the fearful disaster,

245Told the merry mead-drinkersof the morning encounter

Of the horrible edge-play.I heard then suddenly

The slaughter-fated menfrom sleep awakened

And toward the bower-tentof the baleful chief,

Holofernes, they hastened:in hosts they crowded,

250Thickly they thronged.One thought had they only,

Their lasting loyaltyto their lord to show,

Before in their furythey fell upon him,

The host of the Hebrews.The whole crowd imagined

That the lord of despoilersand the spotless lady

255Together remainedin the gorgeous tent,

The virtuous virginand the vicious deceiver,

Dreadful and direful;they dared not, however,

Awaken the warrior,not one of the earls,

Nor be first to findhow had fared through the night

260The most churlish of chieftainsand the chastest of maidens,

The pride of the Lord.

Now approached in their strength

The folk of the Hebrews.They fought remorselessly

With hard-hammered weapons,with their hilts requited

Their strife of long standing,with stained swords repaid

265Their ancient enmity;all of Assyria

Was subdued and doomedthat day by their work,

Its pride bowed low.In panic and fright,

In terror they stoodaround the tent of their chief,

Moody in mind.Then the men all together

270In concert clamoredand cried aloud,

Ungracious to God,and gritted their teeth,

Grinding them in their grief.Then was their glory at an end,

Their noble deeds and daring hopes.Then they deemed it wise

To summon their lord from his sleep,but success was denied them.

275A loyal liegeman,—long had he wavered—

Desperately daredthe door to enter,

Ventured into the pavilion;violent need drove him.

On the bed then he found,in frightful state lying,

His gold-giver ghastly;gone was his spirit,

280No life in him lingered.The liegeman straight fell.

Trembling with terror,he tore at his hair,

He clawed at his clothes;he clamored despairing,

And to the waiting warriorsthese words he said,

As they stood outsidein sadness and fear:

285“Here is made manifestour imminent doom,

Is clearly betokenedthat the time is near,

Pressing upon uswith perils and woes,

When we lose our lives,and lie defeated

By the hostile host;here hewn by the sword,

290Our lord is beheaded.”With heavy spirits

They threw their weapons away,and weary in heart,

Scattered in flight.

205.The picture of the birds of prey hovering over the battle field is one of the constant features of Anglo-Saxon battle poetry. Note its occurrence inThe Fight at FinnsburgandThe Battle of Brunnanburgespecially.

5. The PursuitThen their foemen pursued them,Their grim power growing,until the greatest partOf the cowardly bandthey conquered in battle295On the field of victory.Vanquished and sword-hewn,They lay at the will of the wolves,for the watchful and greedyFowls to feed upon.Then fled the survivorsFrom the shields of their foemen.Sharp on their trail cameThe crowd of the Hebrews,covered with victory,300With honors well-earned;aid then accorded them,Graciously granted them,God, Lord Almighty.They then daringly,with dripping swords,The corps of brave kinsmen,cut them a war-pathThrough the host of the hated ones;they hewed with their swords,305Sheared through the shield-wall.They shot fast and furiously,Men stirred to strife,the stalwart Hebrews,The thanes, at that time,thirsting exceedingly,Fain for the spear-fight.Then fell in the dustThe chiefest partof the chosen warriors,310Of the staunch and the steadfastAssyrian leaders,Of the fated race of the foe.Few of them came backAlive to their own land.The leaders returnedOver perilous pathsthrough the piles of the slaughtered,Of reeking corpses;good occasion there was315For the landsmen to plundertheir lifeless foes,Their ancient enemiesin their armor laid low,Of battle spoils bloody,of beautiful trappings,Of bucklers and broad-swords,of brown war-helmets,Of glittering jewels.Gloriously had been320In the folk-fieldtheir foes overcome,By home-defenders,their hated oppressorsPut to sleep by the sword.Senseless on the pathLay those who in life,the loathsomest wereOf the tribes of the living.

Then their foemen pursued them,Their grim power growing,until the greatest partOf the cowardly bandthey conquered in battle295On the field of victory.Vanquished and sword-hewn,They lay at the will of the wolves,for the watchful and greedyFowls to feed upon.Then fled the survivorsFrom the shields of their foemen.Sharp on their trail cameThe crowd of the Hebrews,covered with victory,300With honors well-earned;aid then accorded them,Graciously granted them,God, Lord Almighty.They then daringly,with dripping swords,The corps of brave kinsmen,cut them a war-pathThrough the host of the hated ones;they hewed with their swords,305Sheared through the shield-wall.They shot fast and furiously,Men stirred to strife,the stalwart Hebrews,The thanes, at that time,thirsting exceedingly,Fain for the spear-fight.Then fell in the dustThe chiefest partof the chosen warriors,310Of the staunch and the steadfastAssyrian leaders,Of the fated race of the foe.Few of them came backAlive to their own land.The leaders returnedOver perilous pathsthrough the piles of the slaughtered,Of reeking corpses;good occasion there was315For the landsmen to plundertheir lifeless foes,Their ancient enemiesin their armor laid low,Of battle spoils bloody,of beautiful trappings,Of bucklers and broad-swords,of brown war-helmets,Of glittering jewels.Gloriously had been320In the folk-fieldtheir foes overcome,By home-defenders,their hated oppressorsPut to sleep by the sword.Senseless on the pathLay those who in life,the loathsomest wereOf the tribes of the living.

Then their foemen pursued them,

Their grim power growing,until the greatest part

Of the cowardly bandthey conquered in battle

295On the field of victory.Vanquished and sword-hewn,

They lay at the will of the wolves,for the watchful and greedy

Fowls to feed upon.Then fled the survivors

From the shields of their foemen.Sharp on their trail came

The crowd of the Hebrews,covered with victory,

300With honors well-earned;aid then accorded them,

Graciously granted them,God, Lord Almighty.

They then daringly,with dripping swords,

The corps of brave kinsmen,cut them a war-path

Through the host of the hated ones;they hewed with their swords,

305Sheared through the shield-wall.They shot fast and furiously,

Men stirred to strife,the stalwart Hebrews,

The thanes, at that time,thirsting exceedingly,

Fain for the spear-fight.Then fell in the dust

The chiefest partof the chosen warriors,

310Of the staunch and the steadfastAssyrian leaders,

Of the fated race of the foe.Few of them came back

Alive to their own land.

The leaders returned

Over perilous pathsthrough the piles of the slaughtered,

Of reeking corpses;good occasion there was

315For the landsmen to plundertheir lifeless foes,

Their ancient enemiesin their armor laid low,

Of battle spoils bloody,of beautiful trappings,

Of bucklers and broad-swords,of brown war-helmets,

Of glittering jewels.Gloriously had been

320In the folk-fieldtheir foes overcome,

By home-defenders,their hated oppressors

Put to sleep by the sword.Senseless on the path

Lay those who in life,the loathsomest were

Of the tribes of the living.

6. The SpoilThen the landsmen all,325Famous of family,for a full month’s time,The proud curly-locked ones,carried and ledTo their glorious city,gleaming Bethulia,Helms and hip-knives,hoary burnies,Men’s garments of war,with gold adorned,330With more of jewelsthan men of judgment,Keen in cunningmight count or estimate;So much successthe soldier-troop won,Bold under bannersand in battle-strifeThrough the counselof the clever Judith,335Maiden high-minded.As meed for her bravery,From the field of battle,the bold-hearted earlsBrought in as her earningsthe arms of Holofernes,His broad sword and bloody helmet,likewise his breast-armor large,Chased with choice red gold,all that the chief of the warriors,340The betrayer, possessed of treasure,of beautiful trinkets and heirlooms,Bracelets and brilliant gems.All these to the bright maid they gaveAs a gift to her, ready in judgment.

Then the landsmen all,325Famous of family,for a full month’s time,The proud curly-locked ones,carried and ledTo their glorious city,gleaming Bethulia,Helms and hip-knives,hoary burnies,Men’s garments of war,with gold adorned,330With more of jewelsthan men of judgment,Keen in cunningmight count or estimate;So much successthe soldier-troop won,Bold under bannersand in battle-strifeThrough the counselof the clever Judith,335Maiden high-minded.As meed for her bravery,From the field of battle,the bold-hearted earlsBrought in as her earningsthe arms of Holofernes,His broad sword and bloody helmet,likewise his breast-armor large,Chased with choice red gold,all that the chief of the warriors,340The betrayer, possessed of treasure,of beautiful trinkets and heirlooms,Bracelets and brilliant gems.All these to the bright maid they gaveAs a gift to her, ready in judgment.

Then the landsmen all,

325Famous of family,for a full month’s time,

The proud curly-locked ones,carried and led

To their glorious city,gleaming Bethulia,

Helms and hip-knives,hoary burnies,

Men’s garments of war,with gold adorned,

330With more of jewelsthan men of judgment,

Keen in cunningmight count or estimate;

So much successthe soldier-troop won,

Bold under bannersand in battle-strife

Through the counselof the clever Judith,

335Maiden high-minded.As meed for her bravery,

From the field of battle,the bold-hearted earls

Brought in as her earningsthe arms of Holofernes,

His broad sword and bloody helmet,likewise his breast-armor large,

Chased with choice red gold,all that the chief of the warriors,

340The betrayer, possessed of treasure,of beautiful trinkets and heirlooms,

Bracelets and brilliant gems.All these to the bright maid they gave

As a gift to her, ready in judgment.

7. The PraiseFor all this Judith now renderedThanks to the Heavenly Host,from whom came all her success,Greatness and glory on earthand likewise grace in heaven,345Paradise as a victorious prize,because she had pure beliefAlways in the Almighty;at the end she had no doubtOf the prize she had prayed for long.For this be praise to God,Glory in ages to come,who shaped the clouds and the winds,Firmament and far-flung realms,also the fierce-raging streams350And the blisses of heaven,through his blessed mercy.

For all this Judith now renderedThanks to the Heavenly Host,from whom came all her success,Greatness and glory on earthand likewise grace in heaven,345Paradise as a victorious prize,because she had pure beliefAlways in the Almighty;at the end she had no doubtOf the prize she had prayed for long.For this be praise to God,Glory in ages to come,who shaped the clouds and the winds,Firmament and far-flung realms,also the fierce-raging streams350And the blisses of heaven,through his blessed mercy.

For all this Judith now rendered

Thanks to the Heavenly Host,from whom came all her success,

Greatness and glory on earthand likewise grace in heaven,

345Paradise as a victorious prize,because she had pure belief

Always in the Almighty;at the end she had no doubt

Of the prize she had prayed for long.For this be praise to God,

Glory in ages to come,who shaped the clouds and the winds,

Firmament and far-flung realms,also the fierce-raging streams

350And the blisses of heaven,through his blessed mercy.

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