|
Gewritu
secgað þæt seo wiht sy
|
|
Writings reveal this creature's plain
|
|
|
mid moncynne miclum tidum
|
|
Presence on middle-earth, marked by man
|
|
|
sweotol ond gesyne. Sundorcræft
hafað
|
|
For many years. Its
magic, shaping power
|
|
|
maran micle, þonne
hit men witen.
|
|
Passes knowing. It seeks the living
|
|
|
Heo
wile gesecan sundor æghwylcne
|
5 |
One by one, winds an exile's road,
|
5 |
|
feorhberendra, gewiteð
eft feran on weg.
|
|
Wanders homeless without blame, never
there
|
|
|
Ne
bið hio næfre niht þær oþre,
|
|
Another night. It has no hands
or feet
|
|
|
ac hio sceal wideferh wreccan
laste
|
|
To touch the ground, no mouth to speak
|
|
|
hamleas hweorfan; no þy
heanre biþ.
|
|
With men or mind to know the books
|
|
|
Ne
hafað hio fot ne folme, ne æfre foldan hran,
|
10 |
Which claim it is the least of creatures
|
10 |
|
ne eagena ægþer
twega,
|
|
Shaped by nature. It
has no soul, no life,
|
|
|
ne muð hafaþ,
ne wiþ monnum spræc,
|
|
Yet it moves everywhere in the wide world.
|
|
|
ne gewit hafað, ac
gewritu secgað
|
|
It has no blood or bone, yet carries comfort
|
|
|
þæt seo sy earmost
ealra wihta,
|
|
To the children of men on middle-earth.
|
|
|
þara þe æfter gecyndum
cenned wære.
|
15 |
It has never reached heaven and cannot reach
|
15 |
|
Ne
hafað hio sawle ne feorh, ac hio siþas sceal
|
|
Hell--but must live long through the word
|
|
|
geond þas wundorworuld
wide dreogan.
|
|
And will of the king of creation's glory.
|
|
|
Ne
hafaþ hio blod ne ban, hwæþre bearnum wearð
|
|
It would take too long to tell its fate
|
|
|
geond þisne middangeard mongum to frofre.
|
|
Through the world's web: that would be
|
|
|
Næfre
hio heofonum hran, ne to helle mot,
|
20 |
A wonder of speaking. Each
man's way
|
20 |
|
ac hio sceal wideferh wuldorcyninges
|
|
Of catching the creature with words is
true.
|
|
|
larum lifgan.
Long is to secganne
|
|
It has no limbs, yet it lives!
|
|
|
hu hyre ealdorgesceaft æfter gongeð,
|
|
If you can solve a riddle quickly,
|
|
|
woh wyrda gesceapu; þæt is wrætlic þing
|
|
Say what this creature is called.
|
|
|
to gesecganne. Soð is æghwylc
|
25 |
|
|
|
þara þe ymb þas wiht wordum becneð;
|
|
|
|
|
ne hafað heo ænig lim, leofaþ efne seþeah.
|
|
|
|
|
Gif
þu mæge reselan recene gesecgan
|
|
|
|
|
soþum wordum, saga hwæt hio hatte.
|
|
|
|
iddle
37
