Part 9 (1/2)

Their proud works of war now lie waste and deserted; This fortress has fallen. Its defenders lie low, Its repairmen perished. Thus the palace stands dreary, And its purple expanse; despoiled of its tiles 30 Is the roof of the dome. The ruin sank to earth, Broken in heaps --there where heroes of yore, Glad-hearted and gold-bedecked, in gorgeous array, Wanton with wine-drink in war-trappings shone: They took joy in jewels and gems of great price, 35 In treasure untold and in topaz-stones, In the firm-built fortress of a far-stretching realm.

The stone courts stood; hot streams poured forth, Wondrously welled out. The wall encompa.s.sed all In its bright embrace. Baths were there then, 40 Hot all within --a healthful convenience.

They let then pour . . . . . . . . . .

Over the h.o.a.ry stones the heated streams, Such as never were seen by our sires till then.

Hringmere was its name . . . . . . . . . .

45 The baths were there then; then is . . . . . .

. . . . . . . . . That is a royal thing In a house . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

14-18. The text is too corrupt to permit of reconstruction. A literal translation of the fragmentary lines has been given in order to show the student something of the loss we have suffered in not having the whole of this finely conceived lament for fallen grandeur. The line numbers are those of Kluge's text.

II. CHRISTIAN POETRY

1. CaeDMONIAN SCHOOL

[Concerning the man Caedmon, we have nothing but Bede's account in his _Ecclesiastical History_ (see p. 179 below) and Caedmon's Hymn.

_Genesis_ was first published in Amsterdam 1655, next in 1752. The first editions brought _Genesis_ under Caedmon's name, because of Bede's account. There is, however, no such clue in the ma.n.u.script. The a.s.signment of _Genesis_ to Caedmon was questioned by Hicks as early as 1689. The Caedmonian authors.h.i.+p was defended in the early part of the nineteenth century by Conybeare and Thorpe. It is now agreed that all the Caedmonian Paraphrases are probably by different authors.

Cf. A. S. Cook, ”The Name Caedmon,” _Publications of the Modern Language a.s.sociation of America_, vi, 9, and ”Caedmon and the Ruthwell Cross,”

_Modern Language Notes_, v, 153.]

CaeDMON'S HYMN

[Text used: Kluge, _Angelsachsisches Lesebuch_.

Prose translation: Kennedy, _The Caedmon Poems_, p. xvii.

The poem is interesting in that it is found in two texts, the Northumbrian and the West Saxon. It is the only thing we have that was undoubtedly written by Caedmon.]

Now shall we praise the Prince of heaven, The might of the Maker and his manifold thought, The work of the Father: of what wonders he wrought The Lord everlasting, when he laid out the worlds.

5 He first raised up for the race of men The heaven as a roof, the holy Ruler.

Then the world below, the Ward of mankind, The Lord everlasting, at last established As a home for man, the Almighty Lord.

_Primo cantavit_ Caedmon _istud carmen_.

6. The many synonyms (known as ”kennings”) make this pa.s.sage impossible to translate into smooth English. This fact is true in a measure of all old English poetry, but it is especially the case with this hymn.

BEDE'S DEATH SONG

[Text used: Kluge, _Angelsachsisches Lesebuch_.