Fun with Old English

[patgund]

Blame selenesue for sending this to me.....

Thriddan Ealdres Eorthbuendra
thonne waes seo Daegung aefter thrage Guthe
Minbari maegthe ond Middangeardes
teothan geare. Se Begang Babylon
waes slaepswefn sweotol macod,
his wen: forwiernan wigniwunge,
to stathelianne stede hwaer in stilnesse cuthen
eorthmenniscas ond eltheodge
hira faehtha geseman. Hit is forhaefen,
unhamlic ham halsiendum rica,
uncystceorlum, ciepemonnum,
ond eardstapum. Ge eltheodge
ge foldmenn befongne on fif ond twentig
hundthusend tonna hwaerfiendes wecges,
eall anan on neahte. Hit can beon nithhedgu stowe,
ac us is eac se ytmaeste wen
sibbe, ond seleste. This is thaere sithemestan byrig
Babylone talu. Twa ond twentig hund
eahta ond fiftigotha thaes Frean is se gear.
Thaes byhtes nama is Babylon Fif.

Lagu ofer lyfte, seo latste mearc.
Thes sind tha staepstaeru steorrascipes
Enterprise. His aerende fif geara*:
Wendan ofer worlda, wundorlica ond niwa;
Uncuthu cwicnesse ond cynnu secan;
Faestlice faran hwaer beforan man ne eode.

*fif geara] MS B has _standend_

On edit: http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006126.html and http://www.math.uchicago.edu/~wald/lit/babylon_oe.txt

Comments

[fionnbharro.livejournal.com]

I am totally impressed. As will my dad -- a former English teacher who used to present a couple of units about OE in his classes....

[winterlion.livejournal.com]

Wow. and LOL!