The Wife’s Lament
Toronto electronic text: the4 entries are by sentence, note line.
1 Ic þis giedd wrece bi me ful geomorre,
Read Bake’s note on “minre sylfra síð”
minre sylfre sið.
2 Ic þæt secgan mæg, hwæt ic yrmþa gebad,
yrmðu, strong feminine. misery; poverty;
siþþan ic up weox, niwes oþþe ealdes, no ma crime.
þonne nu.
(ge)bīdan, class 1 strong verb (with acc. or
gen. object). wait; wait for; experience;
endure.
5 A ic wite wonn minra wræcsiþa.
wīte, strong neuter. punishment; perdition;
torment.
winnan, class 3 strong verb. labor; struggle;
contend; suffer.
6 Ærest min hlaford gewat heonan of leodum ūhtċearu, strong feminine. dawn-care; sorrow
ofer yþa gelac; hæfde ic uhtceare hwær min
at dawn. -- Wanderer: Oft ic sceolde āna
leodfruma londes wære.
ūhtna gehwylce mīne ceare cwīþan.
9 Ða ic me feran gewat folgað secan,
folgað, strong masculine. service; office;
wineleas <wræcca,> for minre weaþearfe.
authority.
wēaþearf, strong feminine. woeful need.
11 Ongunnon þæt þæs monnes magas hycgan dyrne, adjective. secret.
þurh dyrne geþoht, þæt hy todælden unc, þæt geþōht, strong masculine. thought.
wit gewidost in woruldrice lifdon laðlicost,
ond mec longade.
yearned
15 Het mec hlaford min herheard niman, ahte 1 herh-eard, herheard, strong masculine.
ic leofra lyt on þissum londstede, holdra
residence in a pagan shrine grove, sanctuary;
freonda.
“hörg”
2 her heard 3 her eard niman
17 Forþon is min hyge geomor, ða ic me ful
follows on from folgað secan 9?
gemæcne monnan funde, heardsæligne,
heardsǣliġ, adjective. unfortunate.
hygegeomorne, mod miþendne, morþor
mīþan, class 1 strong verb. conceal; be
<hycgendne.>
concealed; refrain from.
21 Bliþe gebæro ful oft wit beotedan þæt unc
ne gedælde nemne deað ana owiht elles: eft is
þæt onhworfen, is nu <swa> hit no wære
freondscipe uncer.
25 <Sceal> ic feor ge neah mines felaleofan
fæhðu dreogan.
27 Heht mec mon wunian on wuda bearwe,
under actreo in þam eorðscræfe.
29 Eald is þes eorðsele, eal ic eom oflongad,
sindon dena dimme, duna uphea, bitre
burgtunas, brerum beweaxne, wic wynna
leas.
No stop before blíþe
gebǣre, strong neuter (indeclinable in sg.).
conduct; demeanor; gesture; cry. Instr.
onhweorfan, class 3 strong verb. change.
frēondscipe, strong masculine. friendship;
love.
ge, conjunction. and; both.
fǣhðo, strong feminine. feud; enmity.
drēogan, class 2 strong verb. perform;
commit; experience; endure.
bearu, strong masculine. wood; grove.
eorðscræf, strong neuter. earthen cave.
oflongad, adjective (past part. of -longian).
seized with longing.
denu, strong feminine. valley.
dūn, strong feminine. hill.
brēr, strong feminine. briar.
wīc, strong neuter. habitation.
32 Ful oft mec her wraþe begeat fromsiþ
frean.
33 Frynd sind on eorþan, leofe lifgende, leger
weardiað, þonne ic on uhtan ana gonge under
actreo geond þas eorðscrafu.
37 Þær ic <sittan> mot sumorlangne dæg,
þær ic wepan mæg mine wræcsiþas, earfoþa
fela; forþon ic æfre ne mæg þære modceare
minre gerestan, ne ealles þæs longaþes þe
mec on þissum life begeat.
wrāþe, adverb. fiercely; cruelly.
beġytan, class 5 strong verb. acquire; seize.
fromsīþ, strong masculine. journey away;
departure.
frēond, masculine nd-stem. friend; loved one.
leġer, strong neuter. bed.
must
can
ġerestan, class 1 weak verb. rest; find rest
from something (gen.).
Baker: “Of the various interpretations offered of this
and the following lines (to 45a), the most persuasive is
that they are gnomic--a statement of a universal truth.
Such gnomic statements are common in Old English
poetry: see, for example, The Wanderer, ll. 65-77.
Subjunctive scyle is frequent in such statements,
though it should be translated as an indicative.
42 A scyle geong mon wesan geomormod,
heard heortan geþoht, swylce habban sceal
bliþe gebæro,
eac þon breostceare, sinsorgna gedreag, sy æt
him sylfum gelong eal his worulde wyn,
swylce also
gebǣre, strong neuter (indeclinable in sg.).
conduct; demeanor; gesture; cry.
in adition to that
ġedreag, strong neuter. assembly; multitude.
gelong goes with wyn.
He is responsible for his own joy; his joy is of
his own making
sy ful wide fah feorres folclondes, þæt min
Baker says “se´….sé…”
freond siteð under stanhliþe storme behrimed, fāh, adjective. guilty of something (dat.);
wine werigmod, wætre beflowen on
outlawed.; in a distant nation
dreorsele.
wine masc nom
50 Dreogeð se min wine micle modceare; he
gemon to oft wynlicran wic.
52 Wa bið þam þe sceal of langoþe leofes
ābīdan, class 1 strong verb. await (with gen.
abidan.
object).