SanM San Marino CA, Huntington Library, HM 35300 [formerly Bury St. Edmunds, Cathedral Library, 1][1]

A semi-diplomatic transcription of the final scribal state

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Poem

    Nu pe[2] sculon herıan      heofon|rıces[3] peard·

    mecudes míhte[4]|      æ[5] hıs modgeþanc

    pure| puldor·fæder      spa he pnn|dra·[6] gehpılc·

    ecce drıdhten[7]|      ord astald

5     he ærest gestop[8]|      ylda bearnum·

    heofon to rofe[9]|      halıg styppend[10]

    myddange|arde      mancımes[11] pærd

    ecce| drıhten·      After tıda

    fírum[12]| on foldum      frea ælmíhtes[13]|


Notes

[1]A number of small variations in the transcription of manuscript word division and spacing among Cavill 2000, Humphreys and Ross 1975, and the current transcription have not been noted.

[2]pe] Cavill 2000 and Humphreys and Ross 1975 consistently transcribe manuscript <p> as <w> (i.e. implying an original <ƿ>). In the case of Cavill 2000, this is contrary to his practice in transcribing other manuscripts showing confusion of the two characters (e.g. Br). The character in question in SanM is clearly <p>: the scribe uses an identical form for the last letter in ge stop|, 5a, and the first in Latin potenciâ, f. 82r2, manuscript line 3. There are no unambiguous examples of <ƿ> in this copy of the Hymn.

[3]heofon|rıces] <n> damaged by rubbing.

[4]míhte|] Neither Cavill 2000 nor Humphreys and Ross 1975 report the accent over <i>.

[5]æ] Cavill 2000 and Humphreys and Ross 1975 both read <&> (i.e. the <e + t> ligature). The form is identical to other examples of <æ> in the poem, however: e.g. ærest. The scribe’s usual abbreviation for et looks like a plus sign. See, for example, f.82r2, manuscript line 3.

[6]pnn|dra·] Cavill 2000 and Humphreys and Ross 1975 both read wundra for this word. The first and second and third and fourth minims are clearly joined at the top, suggesting <nn>. For the representation of <p> by <w> in these transcriptions, see pe and note, 1a, above.

[7]drıdhten|] Final <n> slightly damaged by rubbing.

[8]gestop|] Cavill 2000 and Humphreys and Ross 1975 both read <sc> for the medial cluster in this form; the second character looks much like the scribe’s standard form of <t>, however. See also styppend, below.

[9]rofe|] Final <e> slightly damaged by rubbing.

[10]styppend] Cavill 2000 and Humphreys and Ross 1975 both read scyppend; the second character looks much like the scribe’s standard form of <t>, however. See also ge stop|, above.

[11]mancımes] Cavill 2000 and Humphreys and Ross 1975 both read mancunes.

[12]fírum|] Humphreys and Ross 1975 do not report the accent over <i> in this word.

[13]ælmíhtes|] Neither Cavill 2000 nor Humphreys and Ross 1975 report the accent over <i>.