(Feoh) byş frofur fira gehwylcum.
Sceal ğeah manna gehwylc miclun hyt dælan
gif he wile for drihtne domes hleotan.
(Feoh) Wealth is a comfort to every man,
Although each should share it freely,
To gain the approval of the Lord.
(Ur) byş anmod and oferhyrned,
felafrecne deor, feohteş mid hornum,
mære morstapa; şæt is modig wuht.
(Ur) Aurochs is a courageous beast, having huge
horns,
A savage beast, it fights with its horns,
A noble stalker of the moors, it is a fierce beast!
(Thorn) byş ğearle scearp; ğegna gehwylcum
anfeng ys yfyl, ungemetun reşe
manna gehwylcun ğe him mid resteğ.
(Thorn) Thorn is extremely sharp,
Painful to any thane that grasps it,
Immeasurably fierce to any man,
That rests among them.
(Os) byş ordfruma ælcre spræce,
wisdomes wraşu and witena frofur,
and eorla gehwam eadnys and tohiht.
(Os) Mouth is the source of every statement,
Wisdom's support and a comfort to the wise,
And the joy and delight of the nobleman.1
(Rad) byş on recyde rinca gehwylcum
sefte, and swişhwæt ğam ğe sitteş on ufan
meare mægenheardum ofer milpaşas.
(Rad) Riding is to the warrior in the hall easy,
But very strenuous for one who sits on top,
Of a powerful horse over the long miles.2
(Cen) byş cwicera gehwam cuş on fyre,
blac and beorhtlic, byrneş oftust
ğær hi æşelingas inne restaş.
(Cen) Torch is to the living, known by its fire,
Shining and bright, most often it burns inside,
Where princes sit at ease. 3
(Gifu) gumena byş gleng and herenys,
wraşu and wyrşscype, and wræcna gehwam
ar and ætwist ğe byş oşra leas.
(Gifu) Generosity is a mark of distinction and praise
for men,
A prop to their honor and for the wretched ,
A benefit and a means of survival, when there is
no other.
(Wen) ne bruceş ğe can weana lyt,
sares and sorge, and him sylfa hæfş
blæd and blysse and eac byrga geniht.
(Wen) He has Joy, who knows little of the woes of
pain or sorrow,
And has for himself, prosperity and happiness,
And also the contentment of a fortified town. 4
(Haegl) byş hwitust corna; hwyrft hit of
heofones lyfte,
wealcaş hit windes scuras, weorşeş hit to
wætere syğğan.
(Haegl) Hail is the whitest of grains,
whirling from heaven's height,
Gusts of wind toss it about,
and then it becomes water.
(Nyd) byş nearu on breostan, weorşeş hi
ğeah oft nişa bearnum
to helpe and to hæle gehwæşre, gif hi his
hlystaş æror.
(Nyd) Need oppresses the heart,
Yet often it becomes for the sons of men,
A source of help and salvation,
If they heed it in time.
(Is) byş oferceald, ungemetum slidor,
glisnaş glæshluttur, gimmum gelicust,
flor forste geworuht, fæger ansyne.
(Is) Ice is very cold, and immeasurably slippery,
It glitters, clear as glass, very like jewels,
A floor, wrought by frost, fair to behold.
(ger) byş gumena hiht, ğon god læteş,
halig heofones cyning, hrusan syllan
beorhte bleda beornum and ğearfum.
(Ger) Harvest is a joy to men, when God, heaven's
holy king,
Causes the earth to produce bright fruits,
For both the rich and the poor.
(Eoh) byş utan unsmeşe treow,
heard, hrusan fæst, hyrde fyres,
wyrtrumun underwreşyd, wyn on eşle.
(Eoh) Yew is a tree, rough on the outside,
Hard and firm in the earth, guardian of fires,
Supported by roots, a joy on the estate.
(Peorth) byş symble plega and hlehter
wlancum ğar wigan sittaş
on beorsele blişe ætsomne.
(Peorth) Lot-cup is recreation and laughter to the
high spirited ...
For the warriors gathered happily together in the
mead hall.5
(Eolhx) secg eard hæfş oftust on fenne,
wexeğ on wature, wundaş grimme,
blode breneğ beorna gehwylcne
ğe him ænigne onfeng gedeğ.
(Eolhx) Elk-sedge is usually found in the fens,
Growing on the water, Grimly wounding,
Staining with blood, any man who grasps it.
(Sigel) semannum symble biş on hihte,
ğonn hi hine feriaş ofer fisces beş,
oş hi brimhengest bringeş to lande.
(Sigel) Sun is always hope for seamen,
When they row the sea-stead over the fishes bath,
Until it brings them to land.
(Tir) biş tacna sum, healdeğ trywa wel
wiş æşelingas, a biş on færylde,
ofer nihta genipu næfre swiceş.
(Tir) Tir is one of the guiding signs,
It keeps faith well with noblemen,
Ever it holds on course, through cloudy night
And never fails.
(Beorc) byş bleda leas, bereş efne swa ğeah
tanas butan tudder, biş on telgum wlitig,
heah on helme hrysted fægere,
geloden leafum, lyfte getenge.
(Beorc) Birch is void of fruit,
Nevertheless it bears shoots without seed,
It is beautiful by its branches,
High of crown, fairly adorned,
Tall and leafy, touching the heights.
(Eh) byş for eorlum æşelinga wyn,
hors hofum wlanc, ğær him hæleş ymbe,
welege on wicgum, wrixlaş spræce,
and biş unstyllum æfre frofur.
(Eh) Horse is a joy for princes among the noble,
A steed proud in its hooves, when warriors
Prosperous on horseback exchange speech concerning
it,
And it is always a comfort to the restless. 6
(Man) byş on myrgşe his magan leof;
sceal şeah anra gehwylc oğrum swican,
for ğam dryhten wyle dome sine
şæt earme flæsc eorşan betæcan.
(Man) Man rejoicing in life is beloved by his kinsmen
Yet everyone shall betray another,
Because the Lord wills it by his judgement,
To commit that wretched flesh to the earth.7
(Lagu) byş leodum langsum geşuht,
gif hi sculun neşan on nacan tealtum,
and hi sæyşa swyşe bregaş,
and se brimhengest bridles ne gymeğ.
(Lagu) Water seems to be unending to men,
If they are obliged to venture out on a tossing
ship,
And the sea waves terrify them exceedingly,
And the sea-steed8 does not heed the bridle.
(Ing) wæs ærest mid Eastdenum
gesewen secgun, oş he siğğan eft
ofer wæg gewat, wæn æfter ran;
ğus heardingas ğone hæle nemdun.
(Ing) Ing was first among the East Danes,
Beheld by men, until afterwards to the east,
He went over the waves, (his) chariot ran after,
Then the warriors named the hero thusly. 9
(Ethel) byş oferleof æghwylcum men,
gif he mot ğær rihtes and gerysena on
brucan on bolde bleadum oftast.
(Ethel) The ancestral estate is very dear to every
man,
If he may there in his house enjoy most often in
prosperity,
That which is right and fitting.
(Daeg) byş drihtnes sond, deore mannum,
mære metodes leoht, myrgş and tohiht
eadgum and earmum, eallum brice.
(Daeg) Day is sent by the Lord, beloved of man,
Glorious light of the Creator, joy and hope,
To those who have and have not, of benefit to all.
(Ac) byş on eorşan elda bearnum
flæsces fodor, fereş gelome
ofer ganotes bæş; garsecg fandaş
hwæşer ac hæbbe æşele treowe.
(Ac) Oak is the nourishment of meat on the earth
,10
For the children of men; often it travels,
Over the gannet's bath11 - the spear-sea tests,
Whether the oak keeps faith nobly.
(Aesc) biş oferheah, eldum dyre,
stiş on staşule, stede rihte hylt,
ğeah him feohtan on firas monige.
(Aesc) The ash is very tall, dear to mankind,
Strong in its position, it holds its ground rightly,
Though many men attack it.13
(Yr) byş æşelinga and eorla gehwæs
wyn and wyrşmynd, byş on wicge fæger,
fæstlic on færelde, fyrdgeatewa sum.
(Yr) Yew is a joy and honor to all princes and nobles,
And is fair on a mount, reliable on a journey,
A type of army gear. 14
(Iar) byş eafix, and ğeah a bruceş
fodres on foldan, hafaş fægerne eard,
wætre beworpen, ğær he wynnum leofaş.
(Iar) Eel is a river fish, and yet it takes its
food on land,
It has a beautiful dwelling place, surrounded by
water,
There it lives in delight.
(Ear) byş egle eorla gehwylcun,
ğonn fæstlice flæsc onginneş,
hraw colian, hrusan ceosan
blac to gebeddan; bleda gedreosaş,
wynna gewitaş, wera geswicaş.
(Ear) Earth is loathsome to every nobleman.
When irresistibly the flesh,
The dead body, begins to grow cold,
The livid one chooses the earth for a bedmate,
Fruits fail, joys vanish, covenants are broken.
Notes:
1. Who speaks only noble things?
2. That is: it is easier to boast of riding (or any difficult
task) than to
actually do it.
3. This is often translated as "burns in the hall"
but the literal Old English
merely means "inside" and thus can refer to
some sort of spiritual quality or
virtue which like a fire burns brightly within the nobleman.
4. The use of the word for a fortified town here (OE byrga)
suggests that Joy
lies in the security of knowing that one's contentment
will last...
5. This is thought to be a table game of some sort, but
is no longer known for
certain. The lot-cup, that is a gambling or dice cup is
suggested
orthographically by the Elder Futhark form of this rune.
6. Perhaps it allays restlessness because it is always
a ready topic for idle
conversation...
7. This is an interesting concept: that we betray our
kinsmen by dying on them!
8. A ship.
9. Fro Ing is a deity, corresponding to the Vanic Freyr.
The verse may be an
aetiological one that explains the "meaning"
of his name, but it is no longer
clear...
10. Acorns are primary food of wild pigs...
11. The sea. Oak is used to make ships and is tested afterwards
by the sea.
12. Meaning the stormy sea.
13. Ash is often used as a synecdoche for spear and here
by extension the
connection is turned around so that the spear through
the Ash is likened to a
warrior who stands his ground against an onslaught of
foemen.
14. Note the riddle-like usage here. This rune stands
for the Yew which is the
wood used to make a bow. Thus the verse is about a bow.
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