Cyning
King his name is “Noble Lord”/king and lord of men
Lete læge licgean hyne heom tell ne gellan
Let low lie there him tell them not to shout
Gomban gyldan riht and ranc Þes scegz tiewÞes blysie
Gifts to yield/ just and straight this vessel of truth blushes
In se blæse gehalgodes husles smycÞ him eorÞan pryte geoffrian
In the bright fire of consecrated sacrifice smokes to him/ offering up pride of earth
Haligne land scinon and lihtan heofon-candele hylle multon swā weax
holy land shined and lighted by heaven-candle (star) / hills melted like wax
swā ūre Fæder swā ūre biscop
just as our father/ so our bishop
se cynincg ne sceall arīsan Þær he longe wæs
the king shall not arise/ there he long was
This poem is about æthelfrea cornwall. The first name means "noble lord." This poem is a memoriam to the king and lord. It uses some religious metaphors to connote his goodness and also the loss at his death.
1 comment:
Great job.
You have some great descriptions. For example, I loved "this vessel of truth blushes."
I love the compound "heaven-candle" for star. Not only is it really creative and full of great imagery, but they really did do that in OE: "whale-road" (hran rad, I think) for the sea is just one example of many.
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