The Rhyming Poem

SS undefined The Rhyming Poem, also written as The Riming Poem, is a poem of 87 lines found in the Exeter Book, a tenth-century collection of Old English poetry. It is remarkable for being no later than the 10th century, in Old English, and written in rhyming couplets. Rhyme is otherwise virtually unknown among Anglo-Saxon literature, which used alliterative verse instead.

The poem
Me lÄ«fes onlÄhâ€ƒâ€ƒsÄ“ Ã¾is leoht onwrÄh, ond Ã¾Ã¦t torhte geteoh,â€ƒâ€ƒtillice onwrÄh. GlÃ¦d wÃ¦s ic glÄ«wum,â€ƒâ€ƒglenged hÄ«wum, blissa blÄ“oum,â€ƒâ€ƒblÅstma hÄ«wum. Secgas mec sÄ“gon,â€ƒâ€ƒsymbel ne alÄ“gon, feohgiefe gefÄ“gon;â€ƒâ€ƒfrÃ¦twed wÇ£gon wicg ofer wongumâ€ƒâ€ƒwennan gongum, lisse mid longumâ€ƒâ€ƒlÄ“oma gehongum. ÃžÄ wÃ¦s wÃ¦stmum aweaht,â€ƒâ€ƒworld onspreht, under roderum areaht,â€ƒâ€ƒrÇ£dmÃ¦gne oferÃ¾eaht. Giestas gengdon,â€ƒâ€ƒgÄ“rscype mengdon, lisse lengdon,â€ƒâ€ƒlustum glengdon. Scrifen scrÄd glÄdâ€ƒâ€ƒÃ¾urh gescÄd in brÄd, wÃ¦s on lagustrÄ“ame lad,â€ƒâ€ƒÃ¾Ç£r me leoÃ¾u ne biglÄd. HÃ¦fde ic hÄ“anne hÄd,â€ƒâ€ƒne wÃ¦s me in healle gÄd, Ã¾Ã¦t Ã¾Ç£r rÅf weord rÄd.â€ƒâ€ƒOft Ã¾Ç£r rinc gebÄd, Ã¾Ã¦t hÄ“ in sele sÇ£geâ€ƒâ€ƒsincgewÇ£ge, Ã¾egnum geÃ¾yhte.â€ƒâ€ƒÃženden wÃ¦s me mÃ¦gen, horsce mec heredon,â€ƒâ€ƒhilde generedon, fÃ¦gre feredon,â€ƒâ€ƒfeondon biweredon. SwÄ mec hyhtgiefu heold,â€ƒâ€ƒhygedryht befeold, staÃ¾olÇ£htum steold,â€ƒâ€ƒstÄ“pegongum weold swylce eorÃ¾e Ål,â€ƒâ€ƒÄhte ic ealdorstÅl, galdorwordum gÅl.â€ƒâ€ƒGomen sibbe ne ofÅll, Äc wÃ¦s gefest gÄ“ar,â€ƒâ€ƒgellende snÄ“r, wuniendo wÇ£râ€ƒâ€ƒwilbec bescÇ£r. Scealcas wÇ£ron scearpe,â€ƒâ€ƒscyl wÃ¦s hearpe, hlÅ«de hlynede,â€ƒâ€ƒhlÄ“oÃ¾or dynede, sweglrÄd swinsade,â€ƒâ€ƒswÄ«Ã¾e ne minsade. Burgsele beofode,â€ƒâ€ƒbeorht hlifade, ellen Ä“acnade,â€ƒâ€ƒÄ“ad bÄ“acnade, frÄ“aum frÅdade,â€ƒâ€ƒfromum gÅdade, mÅd mÃ¦gnade,â€ƒâ€ƒmine fÃ¦gnade, trÄ“ow telgade,â€ƒâ€ƒtÄ«r welgade, blÃ¦d blissade,â€ƒâ€ƒ gold gearwade,â€ƒâ€ƒgim hwearfade, sinc searwade,â€ƒâ€ƒsib nearwade. From ic wÃ¦s in frÃ¦twum,â€ƒâ€ƒfrÄ“olic in geatwum; wÃ¦s mÄ«n drÄ“am dryhtlic,â€ƒâ€ƒdrohtaÃ° hyhtlic. Foldan ic frÄ“oÃ¾ode,â€ƒâ€ƒfolcum ic lÄ“oÃ¾ode, lÄ«f wÃ¦s mÄ«n longe,â€ƒâ€ƒlÄ“odum in gemonge, tÄ«rum getonge,â€ƒâ€ƒteala gehonge. NÅ« mÄ«n hreÃ¾er is hrÄ“oh,â€ƒâ€ƒhÄ“ofsÄ«Ã¾um scÄ“oh, nÈ³dbysgum nÄ“ah;â€ƒâ€ƒgewÄ«teÃ° nihtes in flÄ“ah se Ç£r in dÃ¦ge wÃ¦s dÈ³re.â€ƒâ€ƒScrÄ«Ã¾eÃ° nÅ« dÄ“op in fÄ“ore brondhord geblÅwen,â€ƒâ€ƒbrÄ“ostum in forgrÅwen, flyhtum tÅflÅwen.â€ƒâ€ƒFlÄh is geblÅwen miclum in gemynde;â€ƒâ€ƒmÅdes gecynde grÄ“teÃ° ungryndeâ€ƒâ€ƒgrorn efenpynde, bealofÅ«s byrneÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒbittre tÅyrneÃ°. Werig winneÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒwidsiÃ° onginneÃ°, sar ne sinniÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒsorgum cinniÃ°, blÃ¦d his blinniÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒblisse linniÃ°, listum linneÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒlustum ne tinneÃ°. Dreamas swa her gedreosaÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒdryhtscype gehreosaÃ°, lif her men forleosaÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒleahtras oft geceosaÃ°; treowÃ¾rag is to trag,â€ƒâ€ƒseo untrume genag, steapum eatole misÃ¾ah,â€ƒâ€ƒond eal stund genag. Swa nu world wendeÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒwyrde sendeÃ¾, ond hetes henteÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒhÃ¦leÃ¾e scyndeÃ°. Wercyn gewiteÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒwÃ¦lgar sliteÃ°, flahmah fliteÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒflan mon hwiteÃ°, borgsorg biteÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒbald ald Ã¾witeÃ¾, wrÃ¦cfÃ¦c wriÃ¾aÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒwraÃ¾ aÃ° smiteÃ¾, singryn sidaÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒsearofearo glideÃ¾, gromtorn grÃ¦feÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒgrÃ¦ft hafaÃ°, searohwit solaÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒsumurhat colaÃ°, foldwela fealleÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒfeondscipe wealleÃ°, eorÃ°mÃ¦gen ealdaÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒellen colaÃ°. Me Ã¾Ã¦t wyrd gewÃ¦f,â€ƒâ€ƒond gewyrht forgeaf, Ã¾Ã¦t ic grofe grÃ¦f,â€ƒâ€ƒond Ã¾Ã¦t grimme grÃ¦f flean flÃ¦sce ne mÃ¦g,â€ƒâ€ƒÃ¾onne flanhred dÃ¦g nydgrapum nimeÃ¾,â€ƒâ€ƒÃ¾onne seo neaht becymeÃ° seo me eÃ°les ofonnâ€ƒâ€ƒond mec her eardes onconn. Ãžonne lichoma ligeÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒlima wyrm friteÃ¾, ac him wenne gewigeÃ°â€ƒâ€ƒond Ã¾a wist geÃ¾ygeÃ°, oÃ¾Ã¾Ã¦t beoÃ¾ Ã¾a banâ€ƒâ€ƒan, ond Ã¦t nyhstan nanâ€ƒâ€ƒnefne se neda tan balawun her gehloten.â€ƒâ€ƒNe biÃ¾ se hlisa adroren. Ã†r Ã¾Ã¦t eadig geÃ¾enceÃ°,â€ƒâ€ƒhe hine Ã¾e oftor swenceÃ°, byrgeÃ° him Ã¾a bitran synne,â€ƒâ€ƒhogaÃ¾ to Ã¾Ã¦re betran wynne, gemon morÃ¾a lisse,â€ƒâ€ƒÃ¾Ã¦r sindon miltsa blisse hyhtlice in heofona rice.â€ƒâ€ƒUton nu halgum gelice scyldum biscyredeâ€ƒâ€ƒscyndan generede, wommum biwerede,â€ƒâ€ƒwuldre generede, Ã¾Ã¦r moncyn motâ€ƒâ€ƒfor meotude rot soÃ°ne god geseon,â€ƒâ€ƒond aa in sibbe gefean.

About
The poem is found on folios 94r-95v, in the third booklet of the Exeter Book, which may, or may not, be an indication of composition. Many scholarly attempts have been made to decipher the collation of the Exeter Book and to determine if works were placed in the manuscript by date or theme. Unlike the Monstrarum Librum of the Beowulf manuscript, the Exeter Book appears to be a self-consciously archival collection.

The poem concerns the troubles and transience of life. It contrasts the life of a ruler, from the time of his birth to his prosperous rule and life at court (lines 1-42), with his life after his fall, the subsequent rise of hostilities (lines 43-69) and his death (lines 70-79), ending with a reflection on the eternal glories of Heaven and the necessity of penance (lines 80-87). The poet may have taken Book of Job, chapters 29 and 30, as its inspiration.