Ful oft thaet gegongeth, mid godes meahtum,
Medieval Unknown old_englishtransliterator: thothica
work_id: "d5fe9e58-3f94-4c5e-961f-267c5e2f09f4" work_slug: "unknown-old-english-elegies-d5fe9e" work_title: Old English Elegies author_name: Unknown chapter_number: 2 chapter_title: Ful oft thaet gegongeth, mid godes meahtum, chapter_slug: "02-ful-oft-thaet-gegongeth-mid-godes-meahtum" variant_id: "19eba879-dab3-4cbf-b8ef-75ce76a47643" content_type: transliteration layout: prose language: old_english source_language: old_english language_direction: ltr script: latin word_count: 545 estimated_read_time: 5
Ful oft thaet gegongeth, mid godes meahtum, thaette wer ond wif in woruld cennath bearn mid gebyrdum ond mid bleom gyrwath, tennath ond taetath, oththaet seo tid cymeth, gegaeth gearrimum, thaet tha geongan leomu, liffaestan leothu, geloden weorthath. Fergath swa ond fethath faeder ond modor, giefath ond gierwath. God ana wat hwaet him weaxendum winter bringath!
Sumum thaet gegongeth on geoguthfeore thaet se endestaef earfethmaecgum wealic weortheth. Sceal hine wulf etan, har haethstapa; hinsith thonne modor bimurneth. Ne bith swylc monnes geweald!
Sumne sceal hungor ahithan, sumne sceal hreoh fordrifan, sumne sceal gar agetan, sumne guth abreotan. Sum sceal leomena leas lifes neotan, folmum aetfeohtan, sum on fethe lef, seonobennum seoc, sar cwanian, murnan meotudgesceaft mode gebysgad.
Sum sceal on holte of hean beame fitherleas feallan; bith on flihte setheah, laceth on lyfte, oththaet lengre ne bith westem wudubeames. thonne he on wyrtruman sigeth sworcenferth, sawle bireafod, falleth on foldan, feorth bith on sithe.
Sum sceal on fethe on feorwegas nyde gongan ond his nest beran, tredan uriglast eltheodigra, frecne foldan; ah he feormendra lyt lifgendra, lath bith aeghwaer fore his wonsceaftum wineleas haele.
Sum sceal on geapum galgan ridan, seomian aet swylte, oththaet sawlhord, bancofa blodig, abrocen weortheth. thaer him hrefn nimeth heafodsyne, sliteth salwigpad sawelleasne; nother he thy facne maeg folmum biwergan, lathum lyftsceathan, bith his lif scaecen, ond he feleleas, feores orwena, blac on beame bideth wyrde, bewegen waelmiste. Bith him werig noma!
Sumne on baele sceal brond aswencan, fretan frecne lig faegne monnan; thaer him lifgedal lungre weortheth, read rethe gled; reoteth meowle, seo hyre bearn gesihth brondas theccan.
Sumum meces ecg on meodubence yrrum ealowosan ealdor oththringeth, were winsadum; bith aer his worda to hraed.
Sum sceal on beore thurh byreles hond meodugal maecga; thonne he gemet ne con gemearcian his muthe mode sine, ac sceal ful earmlice ealdre linnan, dreogan dryhtenbealo dreamum biscyred, ond hine to sylfcwale secgas nemnath, maenath mid muthe meodugales gedrinc.
Sum sceal on geoguthe mid godes meahtum his earfothsith ealne forspildan, ond on yldo eft eadig weorthan, wunian wyndagum ond welan thicgan, mathmas ond meoduful maegburge on, thaes the aenig fira maege forth gehealdan.
Swa missenlice meahtig dryhten geond eorthan sceat eallum daeleth, scyreth ond scrifeth ond gesceapo healdeth, sumum eadwelan, sumum earfetha dael, sumum geogothe glaed, sumum guthe blaed, gewealdenne wigplegan, sumum wyrp oththe scyte, torhtlicne tiir, sumum taefle craeft, bleobordes gebregd. Sume boceras weorthath wisfaeste. Sumum wundorgiefe thurh goldsmithe gearwad weorthath; ful oft he gehyrdeth ond gehyrsteth wel, brytencyninges beorn, ond he him brad syleth lond to leane. He hit on lust thigeth.
Sum sceal on heape haelethum cweman, blissian aet beore bencsittendum; thaer bith drincendra dream se micla.
Sum sceal mid hearpan aet his hlafordes fotum sittan, feoh thicgan, ond a snellice snere wraestan, laetan scralletan sceacol, se the hleapeth, naegl neomegende; bith him neod micel.
Sum sceal wildne fugel wloncne atemian, heafoc on honda, oththaet seo heoroswealwe wynsum weortheth; deth he wyrplas on, fedeth swa on feterum fithrum dealne, lepeth lyftswiftne lytlum gieflum, oththaet se waelisca waedum ond daedum his aetgiefan eathmod weortheth ond to hagostealdes honda gelaered.
Swa wraetlice weoroda nergend geond middangeard monna craeftas sceop ond scyrede ond gesceapo ferede aeghwylcum on eorthan eormencynnes. Forthon him nu ealles thonc aeghwa secge, thaes the he fore his miltsum monnum scrifeth.