Exercise: metre.
1
This is a text from Gúðlác, from the Toronto corpus. The capital letters and punctuation have
been supplied by the editors, but they have not divided the text into line and half-lines - and
such divisions are not to be found in the original.
Your job is to add line-breaks and caesura (half-line breaks). Also, underline the alliterative
beats (whether or not they actually alliterate), and mark the höfuðstafur especially:
 two beats in the a-line, of which ONE or BOTH alliterate with the höfuðstafur;
 two bets in the b-line, og which the first is the höfuðstafur and the second must not
alliterate with the höfuðstafur.
Note that this text starts in the middle of the line.
Woruld is onhrered, colaþ Cristes lufu, sindan costinga geond middangeard monge arisene,
swa þæt geara iu godes spelbodan wordum sægdon ond þurh witedom eal anemdon, swa hit
nu gongeð. Ealdað eorþan blæd æþela gehwylcre ond of wlite wendað wæstma gecyndu; bið
seo siþre tid sæda gehwylces <mætræ> in mægne. Forþon se mon ne þearf to þisse worulde
wyrpe gehycgan, þæt he us fægran gefean bringe ofer þa niþas þe we nu dreogað, ærþon
endien ealle gesceafte ða he gesette on siex dagum, ða nu under heofonum hadas cennað,
micle ond mæte. Is þes middangeard dalum gedæled.
2
In this text, hypermetric verses ( “long lines”) alternate with normal verses.
Cyning sceal rice healdan. Ceastra beoð feorran gesyne, orðanc enta geweorc, þa þe on þysse
eorðan syndon, wrætlic weallstana geweorc. Wind byð on lyfte swiftust, þunar byð þragum
hludast. Þrymmas syndan Cristes myccle, wyrd byð swiðost. Winter byð cealdost, lencten
hrimigost he byð lengest ceald, sumor sunwlitegost swegel byð hatost, hærfest hreðeadegost,
hæleðum bringeð geres wæstmas, þa þe him god sendeð. Soð bið <switolost,> sinc byð
deorost, gold gumena gehwam, and gomol snoterost, fyrngearum frod, se þe ær feala gebideð.
Weax bið wundrum clibbor. Wolcnu scriðað.