Sarai Being Barren Gives Hagar to Abram

948

ðat ðogte abram wel iwel don,

kagte iſ wei, quan it waſ nigt,
ðo cam on him vgging and frigt;
Abram drove them away. Then came on him fear and fright.

A michel fier he ſag, and an brigt,

952

gliden ðor twen ðo doles rigt.
A great and bright fire he saw glide down between the pieces.

God ſeide him ðor a ſoðe drem
ðe timinge of iſ beren-tem,
And hu he ſulde in pine ben,

956

And uten erdes ſorge ſen;
fowre hundred ger ſulden ben gon,
In a dream God showed Abram the future condition of his descendants.

Hor he ſulden wel cumen a-gon,
oc ſiðen ſulde in here hond,

960

bi-cumen ðat hotene lond.
Canaan is promised as his inheritance.

ðo wiſte abram wel michel mor
Quat waſ to cumen ðan he wiſte or.
Then knew Abram much more of what was to come than he ever knew before.

Siðen bi-fel ðat ſarrai,

964

for ghe waſ longe untuderi,
Sarai, being barren, gives Hagar to Abram.

Ghe bitagte abre maiden agar;
Ghe wurð wið childe and hem two bar;
forð ſiðen ghe bi abram ſlep,
[Fol. 19b.]

968

Of hire leuedi nam ghe no kep;
And ſarrai wuldet nogt ðolen
ðat agar wore ðuſ to-bolen;
Hagar having conceived, despised her mistress.

Ghe held hire hard in ðralleſ wune,

972

And dede hire ſorge and anger mune;
Sarai afflicts her thrall.

ðo fleg agar fro ſarray,
wimman wið childe, one and ſori,
In ðe diſerd, wil and weri,

976

And an angel cam ðor hire bi,
wiſte hire drogen ſori for ðriſt,
Hagar flees from Sarai into the desert homeless and weary.

At a welle quemede hire liſt,
And bad hire ſone wenden agen,

980

And to hire leuedi buxum ben;
An angel commands her to return and be buxom to her lady.

And ſeide ghe ſulde ſunen wel
And timen, and clepen it ſmael,
He tells her of her child.

A metrical licence for "iſmael."