Man makes his home here on earth,
Passing from the raw quickness of youth
To the slow quavering of old age.
God is eternal, untouched by time. 15
Events cannot change him, illness ail him,
Age trouble him. His spirit does not weather,
His heart never fails. He is as he was
And forever will be, our patient Prince.
He gives us minds to make meanings, 20
Myriad thoughts, diverse perceptions,
A variety of views, a host of tongues.
Earth’s islands offer a wide welcome
To all kinds of creatures, all peoples, all races.
Almighty God established these lands 25
In trust to man: broad, fertile plains
For a profusion of peoples, customs and cultures.
Wise men should hold meetings, sharing counsel.
Different minds may travel down the same road.
Sages can settle strife and shape a peace, 30
Where evil men only argue and antagonize
One another. Good advice goes hand in hand
With wisdom and justice, truth and trust.
Two together make good companions,
Woman and man, husband and wife, 35
Offering care and comfort, bearing children.
On earth each tree must shed its leaves
As its branches mourn; each man must be ready
To walk alone down death’s long road.
Only God knows where the plague goes 40
When it leaves our land. When death nestles
In one child’s heart, God grants them another.
A new baby makes up for what death takes.
It’s a balance between birth and bereavement.
A man who does not know his Lord is a fool. 45
He doesn’t recognize death’s little surprise.
The wise are righteous and safeguard their souls.
Heart-glad are those who thrive at home;
Heartbroken, those betrayed by their friends.
A man with no nest egg is bound to fail. 50
An innocent heart sings, full of gladness.
A blind man must endure without eyes,
Suffer the world without sight. He cannot see stars,
The reflective moon, the radiant sun.
When he mulls his fate over in his mind, 55
He sits in sorrow, drinks up distress,
Certain his sight may never return.
Loneliness is his constant companion.
The Lord gave him this gift of misery
And can claim it back, offering a cure, 60
Quickening the cold gems in his head,
Healing his sight if his heart is pure.
The sick man needs a doctor to tend him.
The young man needs a teacher to instruct
And inspire him so he can share knowledge 65
And cherish learning till he is sure of himself.
Let him be fed and clothed, treated with respect,
And never abused, so his character grows.
Give him a chance to learn his lessons
And prove himself so he knows his mind 70
And can prosper among people and prove worthy.
A strong mind may rule; a savage mind
Must be restrained. Often a storm rages,
Driving the sea into a fury—the wind whips up
The roiling waves. Then dark waters 75
Drive toward the shore, testing the land’s strength.
The cliff-walls hold firm, enduring the wind.
It’s the raging storm that provokes the waves;
The sea is calm on a windless night.
So people are peaceful when unprovoked, 80
When they settle disputes, lay feuds to rest,
Live securely in trust with kith and kin.
A king is eager for power. He longs for land,
Hates one who takes it, loves one who gives it.
Power rides with pride, rashness with courage, 85
Each of them eager to engage in battle.
An earl rides on his high horse, his men gallop
Together in a troop, his foot-soldiers stand fast.
A woman should sit at her table and sew—
Her art is embroidery. A wandering woman 90
Causes talk to spread; she will be slandered
And treated with contempt till she loses face.
A shameful man always slinks in the shadow;
A pure man rises up, striding in the light.
The head should always work the hand, 95
And the hand linger lovingly on the head.
A great treasure rests in its hiding place.
The gift-throne stands ready for sharing the hoard.
Men are eager, even greedy, for the king’s gold—
The holder of the high-seat has enough. 100
We owe the giver a return for his gifts
If we hold true and do not betray his trust.
MAXIMS I (B)
Unlike the preceding poem, this one begins without an invocation but with a quick succession of gnomic truths: Forst sceal freosan, fyr wudu meltan, “Frost shall freeze, fire melt (burn) wood.” It eventually leads from such compressed gnomes to the drawn-out story of the Frisian wife, who waits patiently for her sailor-husband to return home from his long sea journey. This is immediately followed by the counterexample of some less faithful wives who become curious about other lovers in their husbands’ absence. Here the antithesis between the ideal and the reality is spelled out in narrative form. The poem then moves on to a catalogue of needs: the mouth needs food, the soldier a shield, the bride a bracelet, the student a book. It concludes with a rare mention of Woden, who made idols, in contrast to God, who made glory and gave us rules to live by, like the maxims in this poem.
Maxims I (B)
Frost shall freeze, fire melt wood,
Earth bear blossoms, ice form a bridge,
A crown of bright water, locking up
Earth’s seeds and shoots. One shall unfasten
The bonds of frost, almighty God. 5
Winter will leave, fair weather return,
Summer hot with sun. The restless sea,
The deep road of the long dead,
Holds many secrets—its waters run deep.
Holly should burn on the funeral pyre. 10
A dead man’s precious possessions
Are often divided. The lasting memory
Of an honorable man is always best.
A king shall buy a queen with wealth,
Pay the proper bride-price, land and money, 15
Cups and rings. Both must be liberal,
Generous with gifts. A man must be ready for war;
A woman should prosper among her people.
A man keeps courage, a woman her secrets.
She should gladly give out horses and treasures. 20
At the meadhall banquet, she should greet her lord,
The people’s protector, with the first cup
Before his companions, keep good counsel,
Offering advice that is wise and useful to those
Who rule together the hearth and home. 25
A ship shall be nailed, its boards riveted.
A bright linden-shield shall be lashed with leather.
Dear is the welcome sailor to his Frisian wife,
When the ship is anchored and her husband is home.
She calls him in, washes his sea-stained shirt, 30
Offering him new clothes, old comforts,
And all the love he needs on land.
A wife must be faithful, not false to her husband;
If she’s not true, tongues will wag.
Many wives are constant, many are curious 35
And seek other pleasures to soothe separation,
Loving some stranger when the ship is gone.
> The sailor is long on the sea-voyage,
But one should always await the arms
Of a spouse, the welcoming home 40
Of a long-gone lover, and not worry over
What cannot be hurried. He will come home,
If he’s not harmed at sea, leaving her sweet pleasure
Asleep forever in the ocean’s clutch.
The rich merchant pays for a place to stay 45
For all of his men when he sails into port,
Secures food and drink, wood and water,
Begins to feast before he feels faint.
A man who seldom eats will grow sick—
You can hardly survive on sun and good weather. 50
If you want to thrive and keep sailing,
You need something to eat to stay alive.
Good food is for strength, a grave for hunger.
If you want to hide a sinister murder,
Bury it like a secret underground. 55
The humble shall bow down, the bent fall down,
The righteous flourish. A wise man chooses
Good counsel—it’s the most useful.
A foolish man chooses evil—it’s the most useless.
Goodness prevails in the stretch of time— 60
It’s close to God. The mind shall be measured,
The hand held in check. The eye shall have sight,
The spirit wisdom, the heart understanding.
The mind of man needs to reflect carefully
So his thoughts may thrive. Every mouth needs food; 65
Meals should be served at regular times.
Gold is fitting for a good sword, a precious blade;
Beautiful clothes and fine gems for a woman.
Heroes need a poet, a shaper of songs,
To spin out stories of great victories. 70
Warriors must keep their courage in battle
To defend the homeland against attack.
The soldier needs a shield, the raider a spear,
The bride a ring, the student a book,
The holy man the Eucharist, the heathen his sins. 75
Woden wrought idols; the Almighty, glory,
Broad skies, the plains of heaven.
He is our mighty Maker, King of truth,
Savior of souls, our World-shaper
Who gave us everything: rules to live by, 80
A world to live in, what we need
And long for, his blessing, his Being.
In the end he will rule the human race—
He is our Lord and our Creator.
MAXIMS I (C)
Maxims I (C) begins with the example of the wise man who needs friends, followed by the unwise man who is an exile and the friend of wolves. Like the previous poems, it asserts the need for dialogue and counsel since “there are as many thoughts and perceptions / As there are people on earth.” The contrast between friends who share ideas and support one another and outcasts who are friendless and hostile to everyone is exemplified in the legendary enmity and isolation of Cain, which leads eventually to a world in which feud flourishes and animosity plagues the peoples of earth. If there is any overarching theme to the three Maxims poems, it is that differing human perceptions may lead through shared dialogue to a deeper understanding and more lasting truth. Alternatively, isolation and arrogance lead to family feud and the blood of nations spilled on the battlefields of hostility and indifference.
Maxims I (C)
A wise man gives careful counsel,
Offers good advice, guards his secrets,
Writes runes, shapes stories, sings songs,
Earns fame, finds an honor-path to glory,
Works diligently each day as he should. 5
A smart man never forgets a fine horse,
Trained and broken, tamed and true,
Ready and round-hooved. No man ever needs
Or easily acquires too much. A man wants
A good friend on every journey, a road-mate; 10
One often travels a long way around a town
Where he knows no friends, finds no comfort.
The friendless man has no companions
Except wild wolves, savage beasts.
Often that slaughter-hound slashes and rips 15
His bare leg or throat, shredding his flesh.
Dread the gray wolf—give the dead man a grave.
The wolf mourns no murder, laments only hunger,
Weeps not for the kill, wails no dirge for the dead.
He wants only a quick feast of blood and bone. 20
A wound wants a bandage, a hard man revenge,
The arrow a bow, but a man needs both.
The gift needs giving, the treasure trading,
Gold given away—one gift deserves another.
God gives each gift, takes each treasure away. 25
A great hall stands tall, grows old alone.
In the forest a fallen tree grows least;
Trees should spread out, extend their arms.
Faith should flourish in the innocent heart.
A faithless man, reckless and rash, 30
His mind poisoned with bitter untruth,
Finds no care or comfort in his Maker.
God created what was in the beginning
And commanded it to come forward
Even unto now. Wise words are best 35
For every man, the song for a singer,
Prudent thought and talk for a man.
There are as many thoughts and perceptions
As there are people on earth. Everyone
Has a mind of his own. He longs less 40
Who knows how to sing songs, pluck harpstrings
With his quick-moving hands: he holds
The gift of music which God has given him.
He who lives alone drinks misery;
Fate has found him not one friend. 45
He would be better off if he had a brother,
And both were sons of the same lord.
If they had to attack a boar or kill a bear,
An animal with sharp tusks or cruel claws,
Together they might bring down the beast. 50
Warriors should bear arms and travel together,
Sleep in a troop, never be separated
By battle or slander till death takes them,
Tears them apart. Two shall sit together
At the game board till their troubles slip away, 55
Their sorrows sleep, and they forget fate.
Idle hands are good for nothing
But throwing dice; they are seldom seen
On a broad ship unless it’s under sail.
A man will be weary who rows against the wind. 60
A weak man is accused of losing courage,
Lacking strength; his oar lies dry at ship-side.
Cheating is corrupt, but cunning may be called for
As a stone on the board or a bracelet is taken.
Men may hurl hateful words at each other 65
Before turning their backs—each should be ready.
Enmity has ruled the earth since Cain’s
Crime against his brother Abel.
That was no one-day feud! Wickedness thrust
Its way into the world from that first blood. 70
Cain’s killing was mankind’s primal murder.
Afterwards feud flourished, and endless hatred
Plagued people, so the inhabitants of earth
Invented hard spears and tempered swords,
Endured the savage clash and claw of weapons. 75
The shield should be ready, the spear on its haft,
The blade on the sword, the arrow on its shaft,
Courage in a warrior’s heart, a helmet on the brave.
But for the man without courage, without spirit,
The least of treasures: no glory for the knave. 80
THE ORDER OF THE WORLD
The Order of the World, c
alled by early editors The Wonders of Creation, opens with an invitation to trade wise words with a woðbora, “a wise poet or seer,” about the nature of creation and its divinely fashioned wonders. The speaker calls this a herespel, a “praise-song or eulogy,” to celebrate both Creation and Creator. It is, as Hansen notes, a kind of creation theology reflecting the belief that the natural world embodies a shaping purpose and an infinite order under the aegis of God, where “the original act of creation is repeatedly defined as one that organizes and harmonizes a variety of elements for the benefit and delight of humankind; the work sings the praises of the workman, and by contrast the limitations of human knowledge are manifest” (82). Each and every worldly wonder signifies God’s purpose and glory; each is a “telling token” in this singer’s paean—both a revealing sign in nature and here signified by words, both real in the material world and reverberant in poetic meaning. Thus the poet’s herespel not only celebrates God’s glory; it also participates in it and reflects in its smaller shaping the larger design and purpose of Creation. Isaacs points out that this poem is also about the act of creation in the writing of poetry: “A poem describing the wonders of God’s Creation serves as a model for demonstrating the wonders of artistic creation and the Wonders which are the proper subject for artistic creation” (71).
The Order of the World
Are you willing to trade talk with a stranger,
Give a seer or singer, poet or prophet,
A greeting, a welcome with wise words,
Question the far-traveler about creation,
Its natural power, its bodying forth 5
Into everyday wonder through God’s grace,
Its life-quickening capacity and clout,
Its marvelous moving among men?
Each waking wonder is a telling token
To the man who understands the wide world, 10
Holds a map in his mind, comprehending
The shape of creation and contemplating the past,
Knowing that long ago warriors and poets
Could weave truth in proverbs and prophecies,
Their measure of melodies, the warp and weft of song— 15
So that through their repeating, rehearsing, revising,
Men might remember this web of mysteries,
God’s gift of world-wonders, of life’s rich riddles,
Of the deep-down shaping, sustaining spirit.
So let the deeply thinking man, seeker and seer, 20
Who reflects on the seminal secrets of creation,
Unlock his word-hoard, inscribe for the world’s
Understanding, the art and craft of narration,
The treasure of a good story, the gift of signifying song.
A wise man never grows weary of watching 25
The Complete Old English Poems Page 60