The Ruin

Wrtlic is es wealstan;
wyrde
gebrcon,
burgstede burston,
brosna enta
geweorc.
Hrofas sind gehrorene,
hreorge
torras,
hrungeat berofen,
hrim on
lime,
scearde scurbeorge
scorene,
gedorene,
Aeldo undereotone.
Eorgrop
hafa
waldendwyrhtan,
forweorone,
geleorene
heard gripe hrusan,
o hund
cnea
wereoda gewitan.
Oft s wag
gebad,
rghar and readfah,
rice fter
orum,
ofstondem under stormum; steap geap
gedreas.
...........................................

The city buildings fell apart, the works

Of giants crumble. Tumbled are the towers
Ruined the roofs, and broken the barred
gate,
Frost in the plaster, all the ceilings gape,
Torn and collapsed and eaten up by age.
And grit holds in its grip, the hard embrace
Of earth, the dead-departed masterbuilders,
Until a hundred generations now
Of people have passed by. Often this wall
Stained red and grey with lichen has stood
by
Surviving storms while kingdoms rose and
fell.
And now the high curved wall itself has
fallen.
..............................................
The heart inspired, incited to swift action.
Resolute masons, skilled in rounded
building
Wondrously linked the framework with iron
bonds.
The public halls were bright, with lofty
Mod monade,
myne swiftne
gables,
gebrgd;
Bath-houses many; great the cheerful
hwtred in hringas,
hygerof
noise,
gebond
And many mead-halls filled with human
weallwalan wirum
wundrum
pleasures.
togedre.
Till mighty fate brought change upon it all.
Beorht weron burgrced,
burnsele Slaughter was widespread, pestilence was
monige,
rife,
heah horngestreon,
heresweg
And death took all those valiant men away.
micel,
The martial halls became deserted places,
meodoheall monig
mondreama The cities crumbled, its repairers fell,
full,
Its armies to the earth. And so these halls
ot t onwende,
wyrd seo Are empty, and this red curved roof now
swie
sheds
Crungon walo wide,
cwoman
Its tiles, decay has brought it to the
woldagas
ground,
swylt eall fornom
secgrofra
Smashed it to piles of rubble, where long
wera;
since
wurdon hyra wigsteal
A host of heroes, glorious, gold-adorned,
westenstaolas
Gleaming in splendour, proud and flushed
brosnade burgsteall.
Betend
with wine,
crungon,
Shone in their armour, gazed on gems and
hergas to hrusan. Foron as hofu
treasure,
dreorgia
On silver, riches, wealth and jewellery,
and aes teaforgeapa
tigelum
On this bright city with its wide domains.

sceade
hrostbeages hrof.
Hryre wong
gecrong
gebrocen to beorgum
r iu beorn
monig
gldmod and goldbeorht
gleoma
gefrtwed,
wlonc and wingal
wighyrstum
scan,
seah on sinc, on sylfor,
on
searogimmas,
on ead, on ht,
on
eorcanstan,
on as beorhtan burg
bradan
rices.
Stanhofu stodan,
stream hate
wearp
widan wylme;
weal eall
befeng
beorhtan bosme
r a bau
wron,
hat on hrere;
t ws
hyelic.
Leton onne
geotan
......................
ofer harne stan
hate
streamas
under............
...................
.
ot
hringmere,
Hate..............
................
r a bau
wron.
...........................................

Stone buildings stood, and the hot streams

cast forth
Wide sprays of water, which a wall enclosed
In its bright compass, where convenient
Stood hot baths ready for them at the
centre.
Hot streams poured forth over the clear
grey stone,
To the round pool and down into the baths.
..........................................
Hamer, R. 1970 A Choice of Anglo-Saxon
Verse