# Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Wanderer

XXIII. THE WANDERER
[Preserved in the Exeter MS.]
Oft him ānhaga āre gebīdeð, Metudes miltse, þēah þe he mōdcearig geond lagulāde longe sceolde hrēran mid hǫndum hrīmcealde sǣ, 5wadan wræclāstas: wyrd bið ful ārǣd! Swā cwæð eardstapa, earfeþa gemyndig, wrāþra wælsleahta, winemǣga hryre: ‘Oft ic sceolde āna ūhtna gehwylce mīne ceare cwīþan; nis nū cwicra nān, 10þe ic him mōdsefan mīnne durre sweotule āsęcgan. Ic tō sōþe wāt þæt biþ in eorle indryhten þēaw, þæt hē his ferðlocan fæste binde, healde his hordcofan, hycge swā hē wille; 15ne mæg wērig mōd wyrde wiðstǫndan nē sē hrēo hyge helpe gefręmman: for ðon dōmgeorne drēorigne oft in hyra brēostcofan bindað fæste. Swā ic mōdsefan mīnne sceolde, 20oft earmcearig, ēðle bidǣled,[20] frēomǣgum feor feterum sǣlan, siþþan gēara iū goldwine mīnne hrūsan heolster biwrāh, and ic hēan þǫnan ​wōd wintercearig ofer waþema gebind,
sōhte sęle drēorig sinces bryttan,[25] hwǣr ic feor oþþe nēah findan meahte þone þe in meoduhealle minne wisse 5oþþe mec frēondlēasne  frēfran wolde, węnian mid wynnum. Wāt sā þe cunnað hū slīþen bið sorg tō gefēran[30] þām þe him lȳt hafað lēofra geholena: warað hine wræclāst, nāles wunden gold, 10ferðloca frēorig, nālæs foldan blǣd; gemǫn hē sęlesęcgas and sincþęge, hū hine on geoguðe his goldwine[35] węnede tō wiste: wyn eal gedrēas! For þon wāt sē þe sceal his winedryhtnes 15lēofes lārcwidum lǫnge forþolian, ðonne sorg and slǣp sǫmod ætgædre earmne ānhagan oft gebindað:[40] þinceð him on mōde þæt hā his mǫndryhten clyppe and cysse, and on cnēo lęcge 20hǫnda and hēafod, swā hē hwīlum ǣr in gēardagum giefstōlas brēac; ðonne onwæcneð eft winelēas guma,[45] gesihð him biforan fealwe wægas, baþian brimfuglas, brǣdan feþra, 25hrēosan hrīm and snāw hagle gemęnged. Þonne bēoð þȳ hęfigran heortan bęnne, sāre æfter swǣsne, sorg bið genīwad,[50] þonne māga gemynd mōd geondhweorfeð, grēteð glīwstafum, georne geondscēawað 30sęcga geseldan: swimmað eft on weg; ​flēotendra ferð no þǣr fela bringeð cūðra cwidegiedda; cearo bið genīwad[55] þām þe sęndan sceal swīþe geneahhe ofer waþema gebind wērigne sefan. 5For þon ic geþęncan ne mæg geond þās woruld for hwan mōdsefa min ne gesweorce, þonne ic eorla līf eal geondþęnce,[60] hū hī fǣrlīce flęt ofgēafon, mōdge maguþegnas. Swā þēs middangeard 10ealra dōgra gehwām drēoseð and fealleþ; for þon ne mæg weorþan wīs wer, ǣr hā āge wintra dǣl in woruldrīce. Wita sceal geþyldig,[65] nē sceal nō tō hātheort nē tō hrædwyrde, nē tō wāc wiga nē tō wanhȳdig, 15nē tō forht nē tō fægen nē tō feohgīfre, nē nǣfre gielpes tō georn, ǣr hē geare cunne. Beorn sceal gebīdan, þonne hē bēot spriceð,[70] oþ þæt collenferð cunne gearwe hwider hreþra gehygd hweorfan wille. 20Ongietan sceal glēaw hæle hū gæstlīc bið, þonne eall þisse worulde wela wēste stǫndeð, swā nū missenlīce geond þisne middangeard[75] winde biwāune weallas stǫndaþ, hrīme bihrorene, hryðge þā ederas. 25Wōriað þā wīnsalo, waldend licgað drēame bidrorene; duguð eal gecrǫng wlǫnc bī wealle: sume wīg fornōm, [80] fęrede in forðwege; sumne fugel oþbær ofer hēanne holm; sumne sē hāra wulf 30dēaðe gedǣlde; sumne drēorighlēor in eorðscræfe eorl gehȳdde: ​ȳþde swā þisne eardgeard ælda Scyppend,[85] oþ þæt burgwara breahtma lēase eald ęnta geweorc īdlu stōdon. Sē þonne þisne wealsteal wīse, geþōhte, 5and þis deorce līf dēope geondþęnceð, frōd in ferðe feor oft gemǫn[90] wælsleahta worn, and þās word ācwið: ‘Hwǣr cwōm mearg? hwǣr cwōm mago? hwǣr cwōm māþþumgyfa? hwǣr cwōm symbla gesetu? hwǣr sindon sęledrēamas? 10Ēalā beorht bune! ēalā byrnwiga! ēalā þēodnes þrym hū sēo þrāg gewāt,[95] genāp under nihthelm, swā hēo nō wǣre! Stǫndeð nū on lāste lēofre duguþe weal wundrum hēah, wyrmlīcum fāh: 15eorlas fornōmon asca þrȳþe, wǣpen wælgīfru, wyrd sēo mǣre;[100] and þās stānhleoþu stormas cnyssað; hrīð hrēosende hrūsan bindeð, wintres wōma, þonne wǫn cymeð, 20nīpeð nihtscūa, norþan onsęndeð hrēo hæglfare hæleþum on andan.[105] Eall is earfoðlīc eorþan rīce, onwęndeð wyrda gesceaft weoruld under heofonum: hēr bið feoh lǣne, hēr bið frēond lǣne, 25hēr bið mǫn lǣne, hēr bið mǣg lǣne; eal þis eorþan gesteal īdel weorþeð!’[110] Swā cwæð snottor on mōde, gesæt him sundor æt rūne ​Til biþ sē þe his trēowe gehealdeð: ne sceal nǣfre his torn tō rycene beorn of his brēostum ācȳþan, nemþe hē ǣr þā bōte cunne, eorl mid ęlne gefręmman. Wel bið þām þe him āre sēceð, frōfre tō Fæder on heofonum, þǣr ūs eal sēo fæstnung stǫndeð.[115]
* ↑ healdne
* ↑ mine
* ↑ heolstre
* ↑ waþena.
* ↑ mine; Thorpe.
* ↑ -lease.
* ↑ anhogan.
* ↑ læge.
* ↑ wegas.
* ↑ oft.
* ↑ mod sefan minne.
* ↑ wearþan.
* ↑ ealle.
* ↑ yþðe.
* ↑ deorcne.
* ↑ fornoman.
* ↑ hruse.