The Old Ways

Norse · Anglo-Saxon Poetry · 197 of 343

The Paris Psalter: Psalm 113

Old English originals (Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records)

þa ut eode Israheles cynn and of ægyptum ealle foran Iacobes hus of gramum folce, þa elreordige ealle wæron. þa wæs geworden werude Iudea, þæt heo hæl gehlutan haliges syþþan; hæfdan ealdurdom ofer Israhelas, mihta mære and mycel rice. Swa heo sæ geseah, he hio sniome fleah, for him Iordanen gengde on hinder. Hæfdan þær beorgas bliðe sæle and rammum þa restan gelice; wæron geswyru swyðe on blisse, swa on sceapum beoð sceone lambru.

Hwæt wæs þe, sæ swiþa? Forhwan fluge þu swa? Oððe þu, Iordanen, for hwi gengdest on bæcling? Beorgas wæron bliðe, gebærdon swa rammas; wurdan gesweoru on seledreame, swa on sceapum beoð sceone lambru. For ansyne ecan dryhtnes þeos eorþe sceal eall abifigan and for Iacobes gode geara forhtigean. He wendeð stan on widne mere, and clifu cyrreð on cwicu swylce wæteres wellan mid his gewealdendre hand. Nalæs us, nalæs us, nergend dryhten, ac we naman þinum neode secgeað wuldur wide geond woruldricu,

For ðinre þære myclan mildheortnysse and for þinre soðfæstnysse samed ætgædere, þy læs þæt æfre cweðan oðre þeode: "Hwær is heora agen god ahwær nu ða?" Ys ure se halga god on heofondreame uppe mid englum, and he eall gedeð, swa his willa byð, on woruldrice. þa wæron deofulgild deorce hæþenra golde and seolfre, þa her geara menn worhtan wigsmiðas wræste mid folmum. þa muð habbað, and ne magon hwæþere wiht hleoðrian ne word sprecan; beoð onforan eagan, ne magon feor geseon. Earan habbað swylce and opene nose,

ne magon eþian, awyht gehyran. Handa hi habbað, ne hio hwæðere magon gegrapian godes awiht, and fet habbað, ne magon feala gangan. Ne cleopigað hi care, þeah þe hi ceolan habban, ne him hluttur gast on hracan eardað. Ac heo wæron þam wyrcendum wel gelice and æghwylcum, þe him on treowað. Israhela hus ærest on drihten helpe gehogedan, holdne begeaton fælne fultum; he hi wið feondum geheold. Aarones hus eac on dryhten leofne gelyfdan; he him liðe wearð and him fultum gestod fæste æt þearfe.

þa ðe a wegen egsan dryhtnes, hio hyht heora habban on drihten, he him fultum fæste gestandeð and him scyldend byð symble æt þearfe. Weorð þu ure gemyndig, mihtig dryhten, and þine bletsunge bring ofer us; þu gebletsudest bearn Israheles, Aarones hus eac gebletsadest; þu gebletsadest bliðe mode ealle þa þe on ðe egsan hæfdan, mycle and mæte ofer middangeard. Gemænigfealdige þis mihtig dryhten ofer eow ealle and ofer agene bearn. Wesað ge fram gode geara gebletsade,

þam þe heofon worhte, hrusan swylce; heofonas healdeð halig dryhten, sealde þas moldan manna bearnum. Næfre þe, dryhten, deade heriað, ne ealle þa þe heonan helle seceað. Ac we lifigende leofne dryhten balde bletsigað, ne þæs blinnað nu of ðyssan forð awa to worulde.