What follows is the Old English original of the song which the party of dwarves sings in Bilbo's hobbit-hole, translated into Modern English in the chapter "An Unexpected Party" in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien. This text is directly from The Red Book of Westmarch, though interestingly is not in alliterative verse. Presumably the dwarves actually sang in Old Norse and Bilbo translated as best he could for the Red Book.
Feor ofer mistheahbeorgum iscealdum
Oþ clustorlocu cinelic ond cleofas ealde
We astægan scoldaþ on ealne ærne mergen
Ure sincgewæge findanne, lange forlaten.
Þes dweorgas geardaga wyrcedon gode galdonleoþ
Ða hameras feollon gelice nonhring
On stowum deopum þær þeostre þinge slæpaþ,
On holrecedum niðer more.
For cyning gamol ond drihten ælflic
Þær manigum scir goldhordu
Hie scapen ond geworht, ond leoht fangan hie
Hydon þæt hie on ancleowes sweordes gimmum.
On silfren gewealdseclan cnytton
Þa tungol blowen, on heafodgoldum hie hengon
Þæt fyr wyrmes, on isenbræd aslungen
Hie aslungon þæt leoht sunnan ond monan.
Feor ofer mistheahbeorgum iscealdum
Oþ clustorlocu cinelic ond cleofas ealde
We astægan scoldaþ on ealne ærne mergen
Ure sincgewæge findanne, lange forlaten.
Bunan hie curfen for hiera selfum
Ond gyldan hearpan; þær nan man ne dilfþ
Þær lang hie legd, ond fela manige leoþ
Sungen ne hierdon noht fram mannum oððe fram ælfum.
Þa pinbeamas wæron hlimmende on lyfte
Þa windas wæron wepende on þære niht.
Þæt read fyr brædon on ligas
Þa treowas gelic blæsa abeorn mid leohte.
Þa bellan wæron galende on þæm dæl
Ond men besawon æt him mid andwlitan blaclic
Ða wymes yrre grimor ða fyr
Fylede hira recedas ond ærnu lærnan.
Þa heahbeorges smucon under þæm monan
Þa dweorgas hie hierdon wyrdes for.
Hie hire reced flugon to feallaþ acwelende
Niðer his fet, niðer þæm monan.
Feor ofer mistheahbeorgum biterum
Oð clustorlocu cinelic ond cleofas deorce
We sculaþ astægan on ealne ærne mergen
To fenganne hira hearpan ond gold fram him!
A parchment page from a late copy of the Red Book has turned up, which contains this poem. While the copyist has made many errors in transcribing the Englisc, the illuminations give some idea of the importance of the codex to the copyist's society.
| Þæs ofereode | About the author | comp.lang.objective-c FAQ | Darwin/Mac OS X code | Code stuff blog |
