West-Saxon ylda recension

A critical reconstruction of the idealised recension archetype (after emendation)

Based on H with collations from Bd (parallel view only), Ln, Mg, SanM, Tr1, W.

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Poem

    Nu ƿe sculon herian      heofonrices ƿeard,

    metudes myhte,      ond his modgeþanc,

    ƿurc ƿuldorfæder      sƿa[1] he ƿundra gehƿilc[2],

    ece drihten,      ord astealde!

5     He ærest gescop      ylda bearnum

    heofon to hrofe,      halig scyppend[;]

    [þa] middangeard[3],      mancynnes ƿeard,

    ece drihten[,]      æfter t[eo]d[e][4]

    firum on fold[an][5],      frea ælmihtig[.]


Apparatus (All witness readings (parallel))

1a Nu] Nu H Nu W [N]u Bd Nu Mg Nu Ln Nu| Tr1 Nu SanM.

1a ƿe] ƿe H ƿe W ƿe Bd ƿe Mg ƿe Ln pe Tr1 pe SanM.

1a sculon] sculon H sculon W scu[lon] Bd sculon Mg sculun Ln sceolon Tr1 sculon SanM.

1a herian] herıan H herıan|herı W [he]an·| Bd herıan Mg herıan Ln herıon Tr1 herıan SanM.

1b heofonrices] heofon rıces H heofon rıces W [he]ofo[nr]ı[c]ae[s] Bd heofon|rıces Mg heofon rıces Ln heofenrıces· Tr1 heofon|rıces SanM.

1b ƿeard] ƿeard· H ƿe[ard]| W [ƿear]d·| Bd ƿeard· Mg ƿeard· Ln peard· Tr1 peard· SanM.

2a metudes] metudes H metoddes W [metodes] Bd metudes Mg metudes Ln metudes Tr1 mecudes SanM.

2a myhte] myhte· H mıhte W [mı]h[t]e Bd mıhte·| Mg mıchte· Ln mıhte| Tr1 míhte| SanM.

2b ond] H W Bd Mg Ln Tr1 æ SanM.

2b his] hıs H h[ıs]| W hıs| Bd hıs Mg hıs Ln hıs Tr1 hıs SanM.

2b modgeþanc] mod ge þanc| H mod ge þanc W [modgeþanc] Bd mod ge þanc· Mg modt{g}e þanc· Ln modgeþanc· Tr1 mod ge þanc SanM.

3a ƿurc] ƿurc H ƿeorc W [ƿ]e[or]c| Bd ƿurc| Mg ƿeorc| Ln peorc Tr1 pure| SanM.

3a ƿuldorfæder] ƿuldu{a}r fæder· H ƿu[l]|dor fæder W [ƿuldorfæder] Bd ƿuldor fæder· Mg ƿuldor fæder· Ln puldor feder· Tr1 puldor· fæder SanM.

3b sƿa] sƿa H sƿa W [s]ƿa| Bd sƿa Mg sƿa Ln spa Tr1 spa SanM.

3b he] he H he W [he] Bd he Mg he Ln he Tr1 he SanM.

3b ƿundra] ƿundra H ƿu[n]|dra W [ƿundra] Bd ƿun|dra Mg ƿundra Ln pundra| Tr1 pnn|dra· SanM.

3b gehƿilc] ge hƿılc H ge hƿılc W [ge]hƿı{y}lı{c}·| Bd ge hƿılc Mg ge hƿylc· Ln gehpylc· Tr1 ge hpılc· SanM.

4a ece] ece H ece W [ece] Bd ece Mg eche Ln ece Tr1 ecce SanM.

4a drihten] drıhten H drıh[ten]| W [drıhten] Bd drıhten| Mg drıhten Ln drıhten Tr1 drıdhten| SanM.

4b ord] ord H ƿord W ord| Bd ord Mg ord Ln ord Tr1 ord SanM.

4b astealde] astealde· H astealde W [astealde] Bd astalde· Mg a stealde· Ln astealde· Tr1 astald SanM.

5a He] He| H he W [He] Bd He Mg He Ln Hu Tr1 he SanM.

5a ærest] ærest H [æ]|ræst W [æ]r[e]st| Bd ærest Mg ærust Ln erust Tr1 ærest SanM.

5a gescop] ge sceop H ge scop· W [ges]eop Bd ge|scop Mg ge scop| Ln gescop·| Tr1 ge stop| SanM.

5b ylda] ylda H ylda W [yl]da Bd ylda Mg ylda Ln ylda Tr1 ylda SanM.

5b bearnum] bearnū H [bear]|nū W bearnū·| Bd bearnum Mg bearnum· Ln bearnum· Tr1 bearnum· SanM.

6a heofon] heofon H heofe\o/n W [heo]fon Bd heofon| Mg heofon Ln heofon Tr1 heofon SanM.

6a to] to H to W [to] Bd to Mg to Ln to Tr1 to SanM.

6a hrofe] hrofe· H rofe W hrofe·| Bd rofe· Mg hrofe· Ln hrope· Tr1 rofe| SanM.

6b halig] halıg H [halıg]| W [halıg] Bd halıg Mg halıg Ln halıg Tr1 halıg SanM.

6b scyppend] scyppend H scıppend W [scıp]pend| Bd scyppend·| Mg scyppend· Ln scyppend Tr1 styppend SanM.

7a [þa] middangeard] mıddan gearde| H mıddan ear[de]| W [mid]dan ea[r]de Bd mıddan gearde Mg mıddan gearde| Ln mıddan|gearde Tr1 myddan ge|arde SanM.

7b mancynnes] man cynnes H mann cynnes W [mon]|cynnes] Bd mancynnes| Mg mankynnes Ln mankynnes Tr1 mancımes SanM.

7b ƿeard] ƿeard H ƿeard| W [ƿeard] Bd ƿeard Mg ƿearde{:} Ln peard· Tr1 pærd SanM.

8a ece] éce H ece W [e]ce| Bd ece Mg eche Ln ece Tr1 ecce| SanM.

8a drihten] drıhten· H drıhten W [drıhten] Bd drıhten· Mg drıhten Ln drıhten· Tr1 drıhten· SanM.

8b æfter] Æfter H æfter W [æfte]r Bd æfter| Mg Æfter Ln epter Tr1 After SanM.

8b t[eo]d[e]] tıda H tıd[a]| W tida| Bd tıda Mg tıda Ln tıda Tr1 tıda SanM.

9a firum] fırum H fyrum W [fır]um Bd fırum Mg fırum Ln pırum| Tr1 fírum| SanM.

9a on] on H on W on Bd on Mg on Ln on Tr1 on SanM.

9a fold[an]] foldum H foldum| W foldum·| Bd foldum| Mg foldum| Ln poldum Tr1 foldum SanM.

9b frea] frea H frea o{:} W [fre]a Bd frea Mg frea Ln euca Tr1 frea SanM.

9b ælmihtig] ælmyhtıg| H ealmıhtı·| W ælmıhtig·| Bd ælmıhtıg·| Mg ælmıhtıg·| Ln elııııhtıg· Tr1 ælmíhtes| SanM.


Notes

[1]sƿa] Howlett suggests that sƿa 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 sƿa is a conjunction.

[2]gehƿilc] gehƿilc is being used here as an independent accusative singular neuter noun, “each”: ƿundra gehƿilc, “each of wonders.” See Bosworth and Toller [1898] 1972, supplement gehwilc I.1(a); Mitchell 1985a, § 467. With one exception (B1 fela), all other witnesses to all other recensions of the Hymn have a variant of gehƿæs.

[3][þa] middangeard] middangearde is the reading of all surviving manuscripts of the West-Saxon ylda recension. It is presumably dative singular used to indicate place where, “on (middle-)earth.” Mitchell describes this as a “rare” usage (Mitchell 1985a, § 1416). He gives examples from Bede, the Seafarer, and Boethius. With one exception (B1 þe middangeard), all other versions of Cædmon’s Hymn read þa middangeard. See above, § 7.48.

[4]t[eo]d[e]] All witnesses to the West-Saxon ylda recension read tida, “of times” (?), here. The form is nonsensical in a context in which a third person singular verb is required. With the exception of a probable error in N (eode, “went”) and a certain graphic error in the late and continental Br (cia de), all witnesses to all other recensions of Cædmon’s Hymn have the expected third person singular of tēon, “furnish.” See also § 6.53, above.

[5]fold[an]] All witnesses to the West-Saxon ylda recension have the dative plural here (foldum). While it may be possible to make sense of the form (on foldum, “among the nations”—see Bosworth and Toller [1898] 1972, folde and on I.7), no other examples of on with the dative plural of folde are found in Old English (Healey et al. 1994). All other recensions of Cædmon’s Hymn have an accusative singular, either by itself or with on: on foldu (Northumbrian eordu recension), foldu (Northumbrian aelda recension), foldan (early members of the West-Saxon eorðan recension), and on folden (West-Saxon eorðe recension). See also above, § 6.52.