I. Worcester Fragments

“Worcester Cathedral Library, 174.... Its contents are ... (2) the scrap here marked A; (3) the pieces B and C with five more fragments of the same poem. A completes the page on which the glossary ends, and B is on the verso of the leaf. The leaves have been slightly shorn at one side and reduced at top and bottom, but probably to no great extent: the conjectural complement, which is here printed within square brackets, is for the most part fairly obvious, the more so as portions of the lost letters often remain. The whole MS. is in the same large square hand, but the pieces in verse, which are written continuously, like prose, are less carefully executed. The handwriting is of the second half of the twelfth century, perhaps about 1180 A.D. The Latin headings are not in the MS.”

A. Sicut Oues absque Pastore

[S]

anctus beda was iboren her on breotene mid us ·

⁊ he wisliche [writen] awende

þ̵ þeo englisc leoden þurh weren ilerde ·

⁊ he þeo c[not]ten unwreih · þe questiuns hoteþ ·

þa derne diȝelnesse · þe de[or]wurþe is ·

ælfric abbod þe we alquin hoteþ ·

he was bocare · ⁊ þe [fif] bec wende ·

Genesis · Exodus · Vtronomius · Numerus · Leuiticus ·

þ[urh] þeos weren ilærde ure leoden · on englisc ·

þet weren þeos biscop[es þeo] bodeden cristendom

wilfrid of Ripum · Johan of beoferlai · Cuþb[ert] of Dunholme · Oswald of wireceastre · Egwin of heoueshame · æl[dhelm] of malmesburi · Swiþþun · æþelwold · Aidan · Biern of wincæstre · [Pau]lin of rofecæstre · S. Dunston · ⁊ S. ælfeih of cantore · buri ·

þeos læ[rden] ure leodan on englisc ·

næs deorc heore liht · ac hit fæire glod ·

[nu is] þeo leore forleten · ⁊ þet folc is forloren ·

[nu beoþ] oþre leoden · þeo læ[reþ] ure folc ·

⁊ feole of þen lorþeines losiæþ · ⁊ þ̵ folc forþ mid

Nu sæiþ [ure] drihten þus · Sicut aquila prouocat

pullos suos ad uolandum · ⁊ super eo[s uolitat ·]

þis beoþ godes word to worlde asende ·

þ̵ we sceolen fæier feþ [festen to him] ·

B. Homo Putredo et Filius Hominis Vermis

en earde ·

⁊ alle þeo isceæftan · þe him to [s]cu[l]en ·

⁊ mid muchele cre[fte · þe]ne mon he idihte ·

⁊ him on ileide · lif ⁊ soule ·

Softliche he heo isom[nede] · ac þær biþ sor idol ·

þ̵ bodeþ þ̵ bearn : þonne hit iboren biþ ·

hit [woan]eþ ⁊ mænet þeo weowe ·

⁊ þene seoruhfule siþ · ⁊ þ̵ sori idol ·

þ̵ soule schal [⁊ li]came · sorliche idælen ·

forþon hit cumeþ weopinde · ⁊ woniende iwiteþ ·

[swo D]eaþ mid his pricke · pineþ þene licame ·

he walkeþ ⁊ wendeþ ⁊ woneþ [oftes]iþes ·

he sæiþ on his bedde · wo me þ̵ ic libbe ·

þ̵ æffre mine lif dawes · þus [lon]ge me ilesteþ ·

for heui is his greoning · ⁊ seorhful is his woaning ·

⁊ al [biþ] his siþ · mid seorwe biwunden ·

him deaueþ þa æren : him dimmeþ [þa] iȝen ·

him scerpeþ þe neose · him scrinckeþ þa lippen ·

him scorteþ [þe] tunge · [him starkeþ his skin ·]

him trukeþ his iwit · him teoreþ his miht ·

him coldeþ his [siden ·] liggeþ þe ban stille ·

þonne biþ þ̵ soule hus · seoruhliche bereaued ·

[at] also muchele wunne · þe þer inne wunede ·

þus biþ þæs bearnes · [bod]unge ifulled ·

þeo moder greoneþ · ⁊ þ̵ bearn woaneþ ·

So biþ þeo [bu]rdtid · mid ba`le´wen imenged ·

so biþ eft þe feorþsiþ · Mid seoruwen al bewunden ·

þonne þe licame ⁊ þe sowle · soriliche to[dæl]eþ :

þonne biþ þ̵ wræcche lif · iended al mid sori siþ ·

þonne biþ þe [fei]ȝe · iflut to þen flore ·

he biþ eastward istreiht · he biþ sone stif ·

he [col]deþ also clei · hit is him ikunde ·

Mon hine met mid one ȝerde · ⁊ þa mol[de] seoþþen ·

ne mot he of þære molde · habben nammore ·

þonne þ̵ rihte imet · [rih]tliche tæcheþ ·

þonne liþ þe clei clot · colde on þen flore ·

⁊ him sone from [fleoþ] · þeo he ær freome dude ·

nulleþ heo mid honden · his heafod riht wen[den] ·

heom þuncheþ þ̵ hore honden · swuþe beoþ ifuled ·

Gif heo hondleþ þe[ne d]eade · seoþþen his deaȝes beoþ igon ·

sone cumeþ þ̵ wrecche wif · þe [forh]oweþ þene earfeþ siþ ·

forbindeþ þæs dædan muþ · ⁊ his dimme eȝen ·

[þon]ne þet riche wif · forhoweþ þene earueþ siþ ·

for ufel is þeo wrecche lufe · [þari]nne þeo un blisse cumaþ ·

þonne besihþ þeo soule · sorliche to þen lich[ame ·]

C. Confabulabor cum Amaritudine Animae Meae

þu me · þeo hwule þet ic wunede inne þe ·

for þu were leas ⁊ lutiȝ · ⁊ u[n]riht lufedest ·

Godnesse ⁊ riht · æfre þu onscunedest ·

hwar is nu þe[o mo]dinesse · swo muchel þe þu lufedæst ·

hwar beoþ nu þeo pundes · þurh [pa]newes igædered ·

heo weren monifolde · bi markes itolde ·

hwar beoþ [nu] þeo Goldfæten · þeo þe Guldene · comen to þine honden ·

þin blisse is [nu] al agon · min seoruwe is fornon ·

hwar beoþ nu þine wæde · þe þ[u] wel lufedest ·

hwar beoþ [sibbe ·] þe seten sori ofer þe ·

beden swuþe ȝeorne · [þet] þe come bote ·

heom þuþte alto longe · þ̵ þu were on liue ·

for heo [we]ren grædie · to gripen þine æihte ·

nu heo hi dæleþ heom imong · [heo] doþ þe wiþ uten ·

ac nu heo beoþ fuse · to bringen þe ut of huse,

b[rin]gen þe ut æt þire dure · of weolen þu ært bedæled ·

hwui noldest þ[u be]þenchen me · þeo hwile ic was innen þe ·

ac semdest me mid sunne · fo[rþon] ic seoruhful eam ·

weile þ̵ ic souhte · so seoruhfulne · buc ·

noldest þ[u lo]kien lufe · wiþ ilærede men ·

ȝiuen ham of þine Gode · þ̵ heo þe fo[re] beden ·

heo mihten mid salm songe · þine sunne acwenchen ·

Mid [ho]re messe · þine misdeden fore biddan ·

heo mihten offrian loc · leofli[che] for þe ·

swuþe deor wurþe lac · licame cristes ·

þurh þæne þu were · alese[d] from helle wite ·

⁊ mid his reade blode · þ̵ he ȝeat on rode ·

þo þu we[re] ifreoed to farene into heouene ·

ac þu fenge to þeowdome · þurh þæs de[ofles] lore ·

Bi þe hit is iseid · ⁊ soþ hit is on boken ·

Qui custodit diuitias ser[uus] est diuitiis

þu were þeow · þines weolan ·

noldest þu nouht þær of d[ælen ·] for drihtenes willæn ·

ac æfre þu grædiliche · gæderedest þe more ·

lu[þer]liche eart þu forloren · from al þ̵ þu lufedest ·

⁊ ic scal wræcche soule [· weo]we nu driæn ·

eart þu nu loþ ⁊ unwurþ · alle þine freonden ·

nu ham [þun]cheþ alto long · þ̵ þu ham neih list ·

ær þu beo ibrouht · þaer þu be[on] scalt ·

on deope sæþe · on durelease huse ·

þær wurmes wældeþ · al [þet þe] wurþest was ·

füweles quale holde · þe þu icwemdest ær ·

Mid alre [þære] swetnesse · þeo þu swuþe lufedest ·

þeo swetnesse is nu al agon · þ̵ b[ittere] þe biþ fornon ·

þ̵ bittere ilæsteþ æffre · þ̵ swete ne cumeþ þe [næffre ·]