Old English
Literal Translation		 Tennyson's translation
1 Her Aethelstan cyning,
In this year King Aethelstan,		 Athelstan King
eorla dryhten,
Lord of earls,		 Lord among earls
beorna beag-giefa,
ring-giver to men, 		Bracelet-bestower and
Baron of Barons
and his brothor eac,
and his brother also, 		He with his Brother,
Eadmund aetheling,
Prince Eadmund, 		Eadmund Atheling
ealdor-lange tir
eternal glory		 Gaining a lifelong
Glory in battle
geslogon aet saecce
they won in battle
sweorda ecgum
with sword edges		 Slew with the sword edge
5 ymbe Brunanburh.
around Brunanburh. 		There by Brunanburh,
Bord-weall clufon
Shield-wall they split		 Brake the shield-wall,
heowon heathu-linde
they hewed battle shields (of linden) 		Hew'd the linden-wood
Hack'd the battle-shield,
hamora lafum,
with the leavings of hammers		 Sons of Edward with hammer'd brands
eaforan Eadweardes,
the sons of Eadweard,
swa him ge-aethele waes
it was only befitting their noble descent		 Theirs was a greatness
fram cneo-magum,
from their ancestors		 Got from their grand-sires —
thaet hie aet campe oft
that they in battle often		 Theirs that so often in
with lathra gehwone
against hostile ones		 Strife with their enemies
land ealgodon,
their land defended		 Struck for their hoards and their hearths
and their homes.
10 hord and hamas.
treasure (horde) and home.
Hettend crungon,
The enemy perished, 		Bow'd the spoiler,
Scotta leode
Scots men		 Bent the Scotsman
and scip-flotan,
and seamen		 Fell the ship-crews
faege feollon.
fated they fell. 		Doom'd to the death.
Feld dennode
The field flowed		 All the field with the blood of fighters
secga swate
with blood of warriors,
siththan sunne upp
from sun up		 Flow'd from the first great
on morgen-tid,
in the morning, 		Sun-star of morning-tide
maere tungol,
glorious star
15 glad ofer grundas,
glided over the earth, 		Lamp of the Lord God
Lord Everlasting
Glode over the earth till the glorious creature
Godes candel beorht,
God's bright candle,
eces Dryhtnes,
eternal lord,
oth seo aethele gesceaft
till that noble creation
sag to setle.
sank to [its] seat. 		Sank to his setting.
Thaer laeg secg manig
There lay many a warrior		 There lay many a man
garum agieted,
by spears destroyed		 Marr'd by the javelin,
guma Northerna
Northern men		 Men of the Northland
ofer scield scoten,
shot over shield		 Shot over shield
swelce Scyttisc eac,
likewise Scottish as well, 		There was the Scotsman
20 werig, wiges saed.
weary, war sated. 		Weary of war.
West-Seaxe forth
West-Saxons went forth		 We the West-Saxons
andlange daeg
the entire day		 Long as the daylight
eorod-cystum
in troops		 Lasted, in companies
on last legdon
they pursued the track of		 Troubled the track of
lathum theodum,
the hostile people. 		The host that we hated;
heowon here-flieman
they hewed the fugitive		 Grimly with swords that were sharp
from the grindstone
Fiercely we hack'd at the flyers before us.
hindan thearle
from behind grievously
mecum mylen-scearpum.
with swords sharp from the grinding
Mierce ne wierndon
The Mercians did not refuse		 Mighty the Mercian
25 heardes hand-plegan
hard hand-to-hand combat		 Hard was his hand-play,
haeletha nanum
to any warrior		 Sparind not any of
thara-the mid Anlafe
They who with Anlafe		 Those that with Anlaf
ofer ear-gebland
over the sea-surge		 Warriors over the
Weltering waters
on lides bosme
in the bosom of a ship		 Borne in the bark's-bosom
land gesohton,
sought land, 		Drew to this island —
faege to gefeohte.
fated to fight. 		Doom'd to the death.
Fife lagon
Five lay dead		 Five young kings put asleep by the sword-stroke,
on tham camp-stede
on the battle-field
cyningas geonge,
young kings
30 sweordum answefede,
by swords put to sleep,
swelce seofone eac
likewise also seven		 Seven strong earls of the army of Anlaf
eorlas Anlafes,
of Anlafe's earls,
unrim herges,
countless of the army, 		Fell on the war-field, numberless numbers, Shipmen and Scotsmen
flotena and Scotta.
sailors and Scots.
Thaere gefliemed wearth
There took to flight		 Then the Norse leader —
Dire was his need of it,
Few were his following —
Fled to his war-ship;
North-manna brego,
the North-men's chief,
niede gebaeded,
by need constrained
to lides stefne
to prow of ship
lytle weorode;
with a little troop:
35 cread cnear on flot,
he pressed the ship afloat, 		Fleeted his vessel to sea with the king in it,
cyning ut gewat
the king went out
on fealone flod,
on the dusky flood-tide, 		Saving his life on the fallow flood.
feorh generede.
he saved his life.
Swelce thaere eac se froda
Likewise, there also the aged one		 Also the crafty one,
mid fleame com
through flight came		 Constantinus,
Crept to his north again,
on his cyththe north,
to his own region in the north,
Constantinus,
Constantine,
har hilde-rinc.
hoary warrior. 		Hoar-headed hero!
Hreman ne thorfte
He had no reason to exult		 Slender warrant had
he to be proud of
40 meca gemanan;
the great meeting; 		The welcome of war-knives
he waes his maga sceard,
he was of his kinsmen bereft		 He that was reft of his
freonda gefielled
friends fell		 Folk and friends that had
on folc-stede,
on the battle-field		 Fallen in conflict
beslaegen aet saecce,
killed as strife,
and his sunu forlet
and [even] his son he left		 Leaving his son too
on wael-stowe
in the place of slaughter		 Lost in the carnage,
wundum forgrunden,
with wounds ground to pieces, 		Mangled to morsels,
geongne aet guthe.
young in battle. 		A youngster in war!
Gielpan ne thorfte
To boast he had no need, 		Slender reason had
He to be glad of
45 beorn blanden-feax
the grizzle-haired warrior,
bill-gesliehtes,
of sword-slaughter, 		The clash of the war-glaive —
eald inwitta,
old deceitful one, 		Traitor and trickster
And spurner of treaties —
ne Anlaf thy ma;
no more did Anlaf; 		He nor had Anlaf
mid hira here-lafum
with their remnant of an army		 With armies so broken
hliehhan ne thorfton
to laugh they had no reason, 		A reason for bragging
thaet hie beadu-weorca
that they in deed of war		 That they had the better
In perils of battle
beteran wurdon
were better
on camp-stede
in battle field		 On places of slaughter —
cumbol-gehnastes,
collision of banners, 		The struggle of standards
50 gar-mittunge,
encounter of spears, 		The rush of the javelins
gumena gemotes,
encounter of men, 		The crash of the charges
waepen-gewrixles,
exchange of weapons, 		The wielding of weapons —
thaes hie on wael-felda
when on the battle-field
with Eadweardes
with Edweard's		 The play that they play'd with
The children of Edward.
eaforan plegodon.
sons they played.
Gewiton him tha North-menn
Departed then the Northmen		 Then with their nail'd prow
Parted the Norsemen, a
naegled-cnearrum,
in nailed ships.
dreorig darotha laf,
Dejected survivors of the battle, 		Blood redden'd relic of
Javelins over
on Dinges mere
on the Sea of Storm
55 ofer deop waeter
over deep water		 The jarring breaker, the deep-sea billow,
Dyflin secan,
Dublin they sought, 		Shaping their way toward Dyflen again,
and eft Ira land,
back to Ireland,
aewisc-mode.
ashamed in spirit. 		Shamed in their souls.
Swelce tha gebrothor
Likewise the brothers		 Also the brethren,
begen aetsamne,
both together, 		King and Atheling
Each in his glory
cyning and aetheling,
King and Prince
cyththe sohton,
home sought, 		Went to his own West-Saxonland
West Seaxna lang,
West-Saxon land,
wiges hremge.
from battle exultant. 		Glad of the war.
60 Leton him behindan
They left behind them the		 Many a carcase they left to be carrion
hraew bryttian
corpses to enjoy
sealwig-padan,
the dark coated one,
thone sweartan hraefn
the dark raven		 Left for the white-tail'd eagle to tear it, and
Left for the horny-nibb'd raven to rend it, and
hyrned-nebban,
horny-beaked,
and thone hasu-padan,
and the dusky-coated one
earn aeftan hwit, aeses brucan, —
the eagle white from behind,
aeses brucan —
to partake of carrion, — 		Gave to the garbaging war-hawk to gorge it, and
graedigne guth-hafoc,
greedy war-hawk,
and thaet graege deor,
and that gray animal		 That gray beast, the wolf of the weald.
65 wulf on wealda.
the wolf in the forest.
Ne wearth wael mare
Never was there more slaughter		 Never had huger
Slaughter of heroes
Slain by the sword-edge —
Such as old writers
Have writ of in histories —
Hapt in this isle, since
on thys ig-lande
on this island,
aefre gieta
never yet as many
folces gefielled
people killed
beforan thissum
before this
sweordes ecgum,
with sword's edge,
thaes-the us secgath bec,
those who tell us from books,
eald uthwitan,
old wisemen,
siththan eastan hider
since hither from the east		 Up from the east hither
70 Engle and Seaxe
Angles and Saxons		 Saxon and Angle from
upp becomon,
came up
ofer brad brimu
over the broad sea		 Over the broad billow
Britene sohton,
Britain they sought, 		Broke into Britain with
wlance wig-smithas,
Proud war-smiths		 Haughty war-workers who
Wealas ofercomon,
the Welsh they overcame, 		Harried the Welshman, when
eorlas ar-hwaete
glorious warriors		 Earls that were lured by the
Hunger of glory gat
eard begeaton.
they took hold of the land.		 Hold of the land.

Related material


Victorian
Web

Authors

Alfred Lord
Tennyson

Biblio-
graphy

Created 1996; last modified 30 April 2015