Northumbrian aelda recension

A critical edition of the probable recension archetype

Based on M with collations from P.

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Poem

    Nu scylun[1] hergan      hefaenricaes uard,

    metudæs maecti,      end his modgidanc,

    uerc uuldurfadur—      sue[2] he uundra gihuaes,

    eci dryctin,      or astelidæ!

5     He aerist scop      aelda barnum

    heben til hrofe,      haleg sceppend;

    tha[3] middungeard,      moncynnæs uard,

    eci dryctin,      æfter tiadæ

    firum foldu,      frea allmectig.

Apparatus (All witness readings (parallel))

1a Nu] Nu M Nu P.

1a scylun] scylun M scılun P.

1a hergan] herge\a/n M herga P.

1b hefaenricaes] hefaen rıcaes M hefen rıcæs P.

1b uard] uard M uard P.

2a metudæs] metudæs M metudæs P.

2a maecti] maectı M mehtı P.

2b end] end M and P.

2b his] hıs M hıs P.

2b modgidanc] modgıdanc M mod gıthanc P.

3a uerc] uerc M uerc P.

3a uuldurfadur] ⟨uul⟩dur fadur| M uuldur fadur P.

3b sue] sue M sue P.

3b he] he M he P.

3b uundra] uundra M uundra| P.

3b gihuaes] gıhuaes M gı huæs P.

4a eci] ecı M ecı P.

4a dryctin] drın{yc}tın M dryctın P.

4b or] or M or P.

4b astelidæ] astelıdæ M astelıdæ P.

5a He] he M he P.

5a aerist] aerıst M ærıst P.

5a scop] scop M scop P.

5b aelda] aelda M aeldu P.

5b barnum] barnū M barnum P.

6a heben] heben M hefen P.

6a til] tıl M to P.

6a hrofe] hrofe| M hrofæ P.

6b haleg] h[a]leg M halıg P.

6b sceppend] scepen· M sceppend| P.

7a tha] tha M tha P.

7a middungeard] mın{d}dun geard M mıddıngard P.

7b moncynnæs] moncynnæs M moncynnæs P.

7b uard] uard M uard P.

8a eci] ecı M ecı P.

8a dryctin] dryctın M dryctın P.

8b æfter] æf⟨ter⟩ M æfter P.

8b tiadæ] tıadæ M tıadæ P.

9a firum] fırum M fırum P.

9a foldu] fold\u/ M foldu P.

9b frea] frea M frea P.

9b allmectig] allmectıg| M all mehtıg·| P.

Notes

[1]scylun] scylun is either first person plural with an unexpressed subject (i.e. [ƿue/ƿe] scylun), or third person plural with uerc uuldurfadur, 3a, as subject. The former interpretation is supported by the form in Bede’s paraphrase, debemus; but the latter interpretation is suggested by a lack of convincing syntactic parallels in Old English (see especially Mitchell 1985b), and, perhaps, similar syntax in the Benedicite (Stanley 2002, 3). See above, §§ 5.18-5.20 and 2.43. scylun (and variant spellings) appears without a pronominal subject in all witnesses to the Northumbrian aelda recension (i.e. P and M) and the earliest witnesses to the West-Saxon eorðan recension (N, O [Pre-Correction], and T1). All other recensions and later manuscripts of the West-Saxon eorðan recension have a variant of ƿue/ƿe as subject.

[2]sue] Howlett suggests that sue may be intended as an adverb (“thus”) rather than a causal conjunction (“as, because”). For a discussion of the evidence, see above, § C.9. The punctuation here assumes sue is a conjunction.

[3]tha] tha can be construed as either a causal conjunction (“when”) or an adverb (“then”). While the reading has considerable effect on our understanding of the poem’s structure and theology (see above, § C.9, and esp. Blockley 1998, 20-26), neither reading can be ruled out conclusively. The punctuation in this edition follows that of most modern editions in treating tha as an adverb.