The Husband’s Message
This poem is found near the end of the Exeter Book, whose final folios have been badly damaged by fire. Despite the damage to the text, the situation it describes is clear: a husband has had to leave his country and his wife because of a feud; this poem is spoken by the rune staff he sends to his wife pledging his fidelity and asking her to join him. The poem seems to supply a happy ending to the darker narratives implied by Wulf and Eadwacer and The Wife's Lament.
Damaged places in the text are signalled with square brackets. These gaps are filled in where scholars have offered plausible reconstructions; however, a complete reconstruction of this poem is not possible.
Nū
iċ
onsundran
þē
secgan
wille
[......] trēocyn iċ tūdre āwēox
in mec æld[a .... .....] sceal
ellor londes setta[n ........]c
5 sealte strēamas [.......]sse.
Ful oft iċ on bātes [.... ......] ġesōhte,
þǣr mec mondryhten mīn [onsende
o]fer hēah hafu; eom nū hēr cumen
on ċēolþele, ond nū cunnan scealt
10 hū þū ymb mōdlufun mīnes frēan
on hyġe hycge. Iċ ġehātan dear
þæt þū þǣr tīrfæste trēowe findest.
Hwæt, þec þonne biddan hēt se þisne bēam āgrōf
þæt þū sinchroden sylf ġemunde
15 on ġewitlocan wordbēotunga
þe ġit on ǣrdagum oft ġesprǣcon,
þenden ġit mōston on meoduburgum
eard weardiġan, ān lond būgan,
frēondscype fremman. Hine fǣhþo ādrāf
20 of siġeþēode; heht nū sylfa þē
lustum lǣran þæt þū lagu drēfde
siþþan þū ġehȳrde on hliþes ōran
galan ġeōmorne ġēac on bearwe.
Ne lǣt þū þec siþþan sīþes ġetwǣfan,
25 lāde ġelettan lifġendne monn.
Onġin mere sēċan, mǣwes ēþel,
onsite sǣnacan þæt þū sūð heonan
ofer merelāde monnan findest
þǣr se þēoden is þīn on wēnum.
30 Ne mæġ him worulde willa ġelimpan
māra on ġemyndum, þæs þe hē mē sæġde,
þonne inc ġeunne alwaldend God
[þæt ġit] ætsomne siþþan mōtan
secgum ond ġesīþum s[inc brytnian]
35 næġlede bēagas. Hē ġenōh hafað
fǣttan goldes, [feohġestrēona
þæt hē mi]d elþēode ēþel healde,
fæġre foldan [..........
....]ra hæleþa, þēah þe hēr mīn wine
40 [....................]
nȳde ġebǣded, nacan ūt āþrong
ond on ȳþa ġelagu [āna] sceolde
faran on flotweġ, forðsīþes ġeorn,
menġan merestrēamas. Nū se mon hafað
45 wēan oferwunnen; nis him wilna gād,
ne mēara ne māðma ne meododrēama,
ǣnġes ofer eorþan eorlġestrēona,
þēodnes dohtor, ġif hē þīn beneah.
Ofer eald ġebēot incer twēġa
50 ġehȳre iċ ætsomne .ᛋ.ᚱ. ġeador
.ᛠ.ᚹ., ond .ᛗ. āþe benemnan
þæt hē þā wǣre ond þā winetrēowe
be him lifġendum lǣstan wolde
þe ġit on ǣrdagum oft ġesprǣconn.
[......] trēocyn iċ tūdre āwēox
in mec æld[a .... .....] sceal
ellor londes setta[n ........]c
5 sealte strēamas [.......]sse.
Ful oft iċ on bātes [.... ......] ġesōhte,
þǣr mec mondryhten mīn [onsende
o]fer hēah hafu; eom nū hēr cumen
on ċēolþele, ond nū cunnan scealt
10 hū þū ymb mōdlufun mīnes frēan
on hyġe hycge. Iċ ġehātan dear
þæt þū þǣr tīrfæste trēowe findest.
Hwæt, þec þonne biddan hēt se þisne bēam āgrōf
þæt þū sinchroden sylf ġemunde
15 on ġewitlocan wordbēotunga
þe ġit on ǣrdagum oft ġesprǣcon,
þenden ġit mōston on meoduburgum
eard weardiġan, ān lond būgan,
frēondscype fremman. Hine fǣhþo ādrāf
20 of siġeþēode; heht nū sylfa þē
lustum lǣran þæt þū lagu drēfde
siþþan þū ġehȳrde on hliþes ōran
galan ġeōmorne ġēac on bearwe.
Ne lǣt þū þec siþþan sīþes ġetwǣfan,
25 lāde ġelettan lifġendne monn.
Onġin mere sēċan, mǣwes ēþel,
onsite sǣnacan þæt þū sūð heonan
ofer merelāde monnan findest
þǣr se þēoden is þīn on wēnum.
30 Ne mæġ him worulde willa ġelimpan
māra on ġemyndum, þæs þe hē mē sæġde,
þonne inc ġeunne alwaldend God
[þæt ġit] ætsomne siþþan mōtan
secgum ond ġesīþum s[inc brytnian]
35 næġlede bēagas. Hē ġenōh hafað
fǣttan goldes, [feohġestrēona
þæt hē mi]d elþēode ēþel healde,
fæġre foldan [..........
....]ra hæleþa, þēah þe hēr mīn wine
40 [....................]
nȳde ġebǣded, nacan ūt āþrong
ond on ȳþa ġelagu [āna] sceolde
faran on flotweġ, forðsīþes ġeorn,
menġan merestrēamas. Nū se mon hafað
45 wēan oferwunnen; nis him wilna gād,
ne mēara ne māðma ne meododrēama,
ǣnġes ofer eorþan eorlġestrēona,
þēodnes dohtor, ġif hē þīn beneah.
Ofer eald ġebēot incer twēġa
50 ġehȳre iċ ætsomne .ᛋ.ᚱ. ġeador
.ᛠ.ᚹ., ond .ᛗ. āþe benemnan
þæt hē þā wǣre ond þā winetrēowe
be him lifġendum lǣstan wolde
þe ġit on ǣrdagum oft ġesprǣconn.