Original by Markus Kuhn, adapted for HTML by Martin Dürst.

Two different forms of the first six verses of the "Anglo Saxon Rune Poem"


Firstly, Latin-based Anglo-Saxon orthography.

  Feoh byþ frofur fira gehwylcum;
  sceal ðeah manna gehwylc miclun hyt dælan
  gif he wile for drihtne domes hleotan.

  Ur byþ anmod ond oferhyrned,
  felafrecne deor, feohteþ mid hornum
  mære morstapa; þæt is modig wuht.

  Ðorn byþ ðearle scearp; ðegna gehwylcum
  anfeng ys yfyl, ungemetum reþe
  manna gehwelcum, ðe him mid resteð.

  Os byþ ordfruma ælere spræce,
  wisdomes wraþu ond witena frofur
  and eorla gehwam eadnys ond tohiht.

  Rad byþ on recyde rinca gehwylcum
  sefte ond swiþhwæt, ðamðe sitteþ on ufan
  meare mægenheardum ofer milpaþas.

  Cen byþ cwicera gehwam, cuþ on fyre
  blac ond beorhtlic, byrneþ oftust
  ðær hi æþelingas inne restaþ.

Secondly, in Runic (Futhorc) Anglo-Saxon orthography

  ᚠᛇᚻ᛫ᛒᛦᚦ᛫ᚠᚱᚩᚠᚢᚱ᛫ᚠᛁᚱᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᛦᛚᚳᚢᛗ
  ᛋᚳᛖᚪᛚ᛫ᚦᛖᚪᚻ᛫ᛗᚪᚾᚾᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᛦᛚᚳ᛫ᛗᛁᚳᛚᚢᚾ᛫ᚻᛦᛏ᛫ᛞᚫᛚᚪᚾ
  ᚷᛁᚠ᛫ᚻᛖ᛫ᚹᛁᛚᛖ᛫ᚠᚩᚱ᛫ᛞᚱᛁᚻᛏᚾᛖ᛫ᛞᚩᛗᛖᛋ᛫ᚻᛚᛇᛏᚪᚾ᛬

  ᚢᚱ᛫ᛒᛦᚦ᛫ᚪᚾᛗᚩᛞ᛫ᚩᚾᛞ᛫ᚩᚠᛖᚱᚻᛦᚱᚾᛖᛞ
  ᚠᛖᛚᚪᚠᚱᛖᚳᚾᛖ᛫ᛞᛇᚱ᛫ᚠᛇᚻᛏᛖᚦ᛫ᛗᛁᛞ᛫ᚻᚩᚱᚾᚢᛗ
  ᛗᚫᚱᛖ᛫ᛗᚩᚱᛋᛏᚪᛈᚪ᛫ᚦᚫᛏ᛫ᛁᛋ᛫ᛗᚩᛞᛁᚷ᛫ᚹᚢᚻᛏ᛬

  ᚦᚩᚱᚾ᛫ᛒᛦᚦ᛫ᚦᛖᚪᚱᛚᛖ᛫ᛋᚳᛖᚪᚱᛈ᛫ᚦᛖᚷᚾᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᛦᛚᚳᚢᛗ
  ᚪᚾᚠᛖᛝ᛫ᛦᛋ᛫ᛦᚠᛦᛚ᛫ᚢᛝᛖᛗᛖᛏᚢᛗ᛫ᚱᛖᚦᛖ
  ᛗᚪᚾᚾᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᛖᛚᚳᚢᛗ᛫ᚦᛖ᛫ᚻᛁᛗ᛫ᛗᛁᛞ᛫ᚱᛖᛋᛏᛖᚦ᛬

  ᚩᛋ᛫ᛒᛦᚦ᛫ᚩᚱᛞᚠᚱᚢᛗᚪ᛫ᚫᛚᛖᚱᛖ᛫ᛋᛈᚱᚫᚳᛖ
  ᚹᛁᛋᛞᚩᛗᛖᛋ᛫ᚹᚱᚪᚦᚢ᛫ᚩᚾᛞ᛫ᚹᛁᛏᛖᚾᚪ᛫ᚠᚱᚩᚠᚢᚱ
  ᚪᚾᛞ᛫ᛇᚱᛚᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᚪᛗ᛫ᛖᚪᛞᚾᛦᛋ᛫ᚩᚾᛞ᛫ᛏᚩᚻᛁᚻᛏ᛬

  ᚱᚪᛞ᛫ᛒᛦᚦ᛫ᚩᚾ᛫ᚱᛖᚳᛦᛞᛖ᛫ᚱᛁᚾᚳᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᛦᛚᚳᚢᛗ
  ᛋᛖᚠᛏᛖ᛫ᚩᚾᛞ᛫ᛋᚹᛁᚦᚻᚹᚫᛏ᛫ᚦᚪᛗᚦᛖ᛫ᛋᛁᛏᛏᛖᚦ᛫ᚩᚾ᛫ᚢᚠᚪᚾ
  ᛗᛖᚪᚱᛖ᛫ᛗᚫᚷᛖᚾᚻᛖᚪᚱᛞᚢᛗ᛫ᚩᚠᛖᚱ᛫ᛗᛁᛚᛈᚪᚦᚪᛋ᛬

  ᚳᛖᚾ᛫ᛒᛦᚦ᛫ᚳᚹᛁᚳᛖᚱᚪ᛫ᚷᛖᚻᚹᚪᛗ᛫ᚳᚢᚦ᛫ᚩᚾ᛫ᚠᛦᚱᛖ
  ᛒᛚᚪᚳ᛫ᚩᚾᛞ᛫ᛒᛇᚱᚻᛏᛚᛁᚳ᛫ᛒᛦᚱᚾᛖᚦ᛫ᚩᚠᛏᚢᛋᛏ
  ᚦᚫᚱ᛫ᚻᛁ᛫ᚫᚦᛖᛚᛁᛝᚪᛋ᛫ᛁᚾᚾᛖ᛫ᚱᛖᛋᛏᚪᚦ᛬

See <http://www.ragweedforge.com/poems.html> for more rune poems.


1999-11-08  Robert Brady  <rwb197@ecs.soton.ac.uk>