Week Two
Old English
Nū scylun hergan hefaenrīces Uard,
Metudæs maecti end his mōdgidanc,
uerc Uuldurfadur, suē hē uundra gihuaes,
ēci dryctin, ōr āstelidæ.
Hē āērist scōp aelda barnum
heben til hrōfe, hāleg Scepen.
Thā middungeard moncynnæs Uard,
ēci Dryctin, æfter tīadæ
firum foldu, Frēa allmectig.primo cantauit Cædmon istud carmen.
Modern English
Now [we] must honour the guardian of heaven,
the might of the architect, and his purpose,
the work of the father of glory
as he, the eternal lord, established the beginning of wonders;
he first created for the children of men
heaven as a roof, the holy creator
Then the guardian of mankind,
the eternal lord, afterwards appointed the middle earth,
the lands for men, the Lord almighty.
Sources
“Cædmon’s Hymn” by Cædmon is in the public domain. This version was retrieved from Wikisource.