Northumbrian eordu recension

A critical edition of the probable recension archetype

Based on Di with collations from Br[1], P1.

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Poem

    Nu [ƿ]ue sc[iu]lun[2] herga      hefunricaes [ƿ]ueard,

    metudaes mechti,      and his modgedanc[3],

    [ƿ]uerc [ƿ]uldurfadur      suae[4] he [ƿ]undra gihuaes,

    eci drichtin,      or astalde!

5     He aerist scoop      eordu[5] bearnum

    hefen[6] to hrofe,      halig sceppend;

    [ð]a[7] middu[n]geard[8],      moncinnes [ƿ]eard,

    eci drichtin,      aefter tiade

    firum on foldu,      frea allmechtig.


Apparatus (All witness readings (analytic))

1a Nu] {([Nu Di Nu P1 Nu Br])}.

1a [ƿ]ue] {([pue Di])([puc P1 puc Br])}.

1a sc[iu]lun] {([scwlun Di][scinlun Br])([scııılııı P1])}.

1a herga] {([herga Di herga| P1])([horga Br])}.

1b hefunricaes] {([he fu\n/rıca es| Di])([hesım|ruica es Br][hesıııȷ rıııca es P1])}.

1b [ƿ]ueard] {([pueard· Di pueard P1 pueard Br])}.

2a metudaes] {([metuda es Di])([metundaes Br][ıııetııııdaes P1])}.

2a mechti] {([mechtı· Di mechti| Br][ıııechtı P1])}.

2b and] {([and Di and P1 and Br])}.

2b his] {([hıs Di hıs P1 his Br])}.

2b modgedanc] {([ıııodged|aııc P1][modged auc Br])([modgedeanc| Di])}.

3a [ƿ]uerc] {([puerc Di])([puere P1 puere Br])}.

3a [ƿ]uldurfadur] {([ puldur fudur Di])([fadur P1 fadur Br])}.

3b suae] {([suae Di suae P1 suae| Br])}.

3b he] {([he P1 he Br])([hae Di])}.

3b [ƿ]undra] {([pundra Di pundra Br][puııdra P1])}.

3b gihuaes] {([gı huaes| Di gı huaes P1][gi hnaes Br])}.

4a eci] {([ecı Di ecı P1 eci Br])}.

4a drichtin] {([drıchtın Di drıch tin Br][dro\ı/ch tııı P1])}.

4b or] {([or Di or P1 or Br])}.

4b astalde] {([astalde Di astalde| P1])([astnl|de Br])}.

5a He] {([he Di he Br])([her P1])}.

5a aerist] {([aerıst Br])([aeırst P1])([u\a/erst Di])}.

5a scoop] {([scoo p Di scoop P1 sco op Br])}.

5b eordu] {([eor du| Di eor du P1 eor du Br])}.

5b bearnum] {([bearnum Di])([pearıııım P1])([peannum Br])}.

6a hefen] {([he |fen Br])([efen Di efen P1])}.

6a to] {([to Di to P1 to Br])}.

6a hrofe] {([hrofe Di hrofe P1 hrofe Br])}.

6b halig] {([halıg Di halıg P1 halig Br])}.

6b sceppend] {([sceppend Di sceppend P1 sceppend Br])}.

7a [ð]a] {([| P1][da̽ Br])([da· Di])}.

7a middu[n]geard] {([mıd|dumgeard Di mıddum geard P1])([middum|gaerd Br])}.

7b moncinnes] {([moncınnes Di])([moneınnes Br][moııeıııııes P1])}.

7b [ƿ]eard] {([peard Di peard P1 peard Br])}.

8a eci] {([é Di])([eeı P1 eei Br])}.

8a drichtin] {([drichtin| Br])([drıchtıııı P1])([drıntın Di])}.

8b aefter] {([aef ter P1 aef ter Br])([c ef|ter Di])}.

8b tiade] {([tıade Di tıade P1])([cia de Br])}.

9a firum] {([fırum· Di firum Br][fırııııȷ| P1])}.

9a on] {([on Di])([ol P1 ol Br])}.

9a foldu] {([foldu Di foldu P1 foldu Br])}.

9b frea] {([frea Di frea P1])([fre Br])}.

9b allmechtig] {([allmechtıg·| Di all|mechtig· Br][all ıııechtıg P1])}.


Notes

[1]None of the scribes responsible for copying this recension appear to have understood their text. See §§ 7.8 and 7.42 for a discussion of the editorial conventions used in establishing the text of this recension.

[2]sc[iu]lun] Wuest 1906 reads scuilun. Smith 1978, Dobbie 1937, O’Donnell 1996b read sciulun. See §§ 7.36, above; O’Donnell 1996b, 159; Cavill 2000, 513.

[3]modgedanc] Wuest 1906 and Dobbie 1937 have a medial <ð> in this word. Smith 1978 and O’Donnell 1996b both read <d>. See §§ 7.36-7.40, above; O’Donnell 1996b, 159-160; Cavill 2000, 513.

[4]suae] Howlett suggests that suae 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 suae is a conjunction.

[5]eordu] Dobbie 1937 reads eorðu. Wuest 1906, Smith 1978, and O’Donnell 1996b read eordu. See §§ 7.36-7.40, above; O’Donnell 1996b, 159-160; Cavill 2000, 513.

[6]hefen] Wuest 1906, Dobbie 1937, and Smith 1978, none of whom had access to Br, omit the initial <h> on the authority of Di and P1. The letter is added here and in O’Donnell 1996b on the basis of the reading in Br. See §§ 7.41 above.

[7][ð]a] Wuest 1906, Dobbie 1937, and O’Donnell 1996b read ða; Smith 1978 reads da. See above, §§ 7.36-7.40, above; O’Donnell 1996b, 159-160; Cavill 2000, 513.

ða 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 ða as an adverb.

[8]middu[n]geard] <um> for expected <un> may go back to the original exemplar of this tradition. Although as Cavill notes, “the addition of an extra minim in a sequence such as -un- is one of the commoner scribal mistakes” in this tradition (Cavill 2000, 519), this is the only example in the recension in which all surviving manuscripts agree in the error.