Dream (l. 1-43)

Question 1

Hwæt, iċ swefna cyst secgan wylle,

Answer 1

Listen, I will tell the best of dreams

Question 2

hwæt mē ġemǣtte tō midre nihte

Answer 2

what I dreamt in the middle of the night

Question 3

syðþan reordberend reste wunedon.

Answer 3

when speech-bearers dwelled at rest.

Question 4

Þūhte mē þæt iċ ġesāwe syllicre trēow

Answer 4

It seemed to me that I saw a more wondrous tree

Question 5

on lyft lǣdan, lēohte bewunden,

Answer 5

raised in the air, wound round with light,

Question 6

bēama beorhtost.

Answer 6

the brightest of beams.

Question 7

Eall þæt bēacen wæs / begoten mid golde; ġimmas stōdon

Answer 7

All that beacon was infused with gold; gems stood

Question 8

fæġere æt foldan scēatum; swylċe þǣr fīfe wǣron

Answer 8

fair at the corners of the earth; so that there were five

Question 9

uppe on þām eaxleġespanne.

Answer 9

upon the cross-beam.

Question 10

Behēoldon þǣr enġel Dryhtnes ealle / fæġere þurh forðġesceaft.

Answer 10

All those fair through the eternity of creation beheld the Lord’s angel there.

Question 11

Ne wæs ðǣr hūru fracodes ġealga,

Answer 11

Indeed never was there wicked in the gallows,

Question 12

ac hine þǣr behēoldon hāliġe gāstas,

Answer 12

but the holy spirits beheld him there,

Question 13

men ofer moldan, ond eall þēos mǣre ġesceaft.

Answer 13

men over earth, and all this glorious creation.

Question 14

Sylliċ wæs se siġebēam ond iċ synnum fāh,

Answer 14

Wondrous was the tree of victory, and I decorated with sins,

Question 15

forwunded mid wommum. Ġeseah iċ wuldres trēow

Answer 15

was wounded by defilements. I saw the tree of glory

Question 16

“wuldres”

Answer 16

“glory”

Question 17

wǣdum ġeweorðode, wynnum scīnan,

Answer 17

honoured with dressing, shining with joys,

Question 18

ġeġyred mid golde; ġimmas hæfdon

Answer 18

adorned with gold; gems had

Question 19

bewriġene weorðlīċe Wealdendes trēow.

Answer 19

splendidly covered the Ruler’s tree.

Question 20

“bewriġene”

Answer 20

“covered”

Question 21

“weorðlīċe”

Answer 21

“worthily”, “splendidly”

Question 22

Hwæðre iċ þurh þæt gold onġytan meahte

Answer 22

However I, through that gold, was able to perceive

Question 23

earmra ǣrġewin, þæt hit ǣrest ongan

Answer 23

wretched ancient hostily, so that first it began

Question 24

swǣtan on þā swīðran healfe.

Answer 24

to bleed on the right side.

Question 25

Eall iċ wæs mid sorgum ġedrēfed;

Answer 25

I was all afflicted with sorrows;

Question 26

“ġedrēfed”

Answer 26

“afflicted”

Question 27

forht iċ wæs for þǣre fæġran ġesyhðe.

Answer 27

I was afraid of that beautiful sight.

Question 28

Ġeseah iċ þæt fūse bēacen

Answer 28

I saw that eager beacon

Question 29

wendan wǣdum ond blēom; hwīlum hit wæs mid wǣtan bestēmed,

Answer 29

change its clothing and colourings; sometimes it was soaked with blood,

Question 30

beswyled mid swātes gange; hwīlum mid since ġeġyrwed.

Answer 30

drenched by sweat’s flow; sometimes it was dressed with treasures.

Question 31

Hwæðre iċ þǣr licgende lange hwīle

Answer 31

Yet as I lay there a long while

Question 32

behēold hrēowċeariġ Hǣlendes trēow,

Answer 32

I beheld, troubled, the Healer’s tree,

Question 33

“hrēowċeariġ”

Answer 33

“sorrowful”, “troubled”, “anxious”

Question 34

oð ðæt iċ ġehȳrde þæt hit hlēoðrode.

Answer 34

until I heard it make a noise.

Question 35

“hlēoðrode”

Answer 35

“speak”, “make a noise”

Question 36

Ongan þā word sprecan wudu sēlesta:

Answer 36

That best of trees began to speak these words:

Question 37

“Þæt wæs ġeāra iū (iċ þæt ġȳta ġeman)

Answer 37

It was very long ago (I remember it still)

Question 38

“ġeman”

Answer 38

“remember”

Question 39

þæt iċ wæs āhēawen holtes on ende, / āstyred of stefne mīnum.

Answer 39

that I was cut out at the end of a wood, / removed by my root.

Question 40

Ġenāman mē ðǣr strange fēondas,

Answer 40

Those strange fiends seized me there,

Question 41

ġeworhton him þǣr tō wǣfersȳne, hēton mē heora wergas hebban.

Answer 41

made me a spectacle for them there, ordered me to raise up their criminals.

Question 42

“wǣfersȳne”

Answer 42

“spectacle”,

Question 43

“hebban”

Answer 43

“raise up”, “lift”

Question 44

“wergas”

Answer 44

“criminals” / “monster”, “evil spirit”

Question 45

Bǣron mē ðǣr beornas on eaxlum

Answer 45

Men carried me there on their shoulders

Question 46

oð ðæt hīe mē on beorg āsetton; / ġefæstnodon mē þǣr fēondas ġenōge.

Answer 46

until they set me on a hill; / many enemies fastened me there.

Question 47

“ġenōge”

Answer 47

“many”, “enough”

Question 48

Ġeseah iċ þā Frēan mancynnes

Answer 48

I saw the mankind’s Saviour

Question 49

efstan elne myċle þæt hē mē wolde on ġestīgan.

Answer 49

hasten with great courage as though he wished to ascend me.

Question 50

“efstan”

Answer 50

“hasten”, “hurry”

Question 51

“ġestīgan”

Answer 51

“ascend”, “climb”

Question 52

Þǣr iċ þā ne dorste ofer Dryhtnes word

Answer 52

There I did not dare against the Lord’s word

Question 53

būgan oððe berstan, þā iċ bifian ġeseah / eorðan scēatas.

Answer 53

to bend or to burst, when I saw the corners of the earth tremble.

Question 54

Ealle iċ mihte /

fēondas ġefyllan, hwæðre iċ fæste stōd.

Answer 54

I might have struck down all those fiends, but I stood fast.

Question 55

Onġyrede hine þā ġeong hæleð - þæt wæs God ælmihtiġ,

Answer 55

That young hero then stripped himself - that was God almighty,

Question 56

“onġyrede”

Answer 56

“undressed”, “stripped”

Question 57

strang ond stīðmōd.

Answer 57

strong and resolute.

Question 58

Ġestāh hē on ġealgan hēanne,

Answer 58

He mounted the high gallows,

Question 59

“gestāh”

Answer 59

“to ascend”, “to climb”

Question 60

mōdiġ on maniġra ġesyhðe, þā hē wolde mancyn lȳsan.

Answer 60

brave in the sight of many, as he wished to redeem mankind.

Question 61

“lȳsan”

Answer 61

“to redeem”, “to liberate”

Question 62

Bifode iċ þā mē se beorn ymbclypte.

Answer 62

I trembled when the warrior embraced me.

Question 63

“bifode”

Answer 63

“trembled”, “quaked”

Question 64

Ne dorste iċ hwæðre būgan tō eorðan,

Answer 64

I did not dare, however, to bow to the earth,

Question 65

feallan tō foldan scēatum, ac iċ sceolde fæste standan.

Answer 65

to fall to the corners of the earth, so I stood fast.