The Cambridge Old English ReaderThis book is a major reader of Old English, the language spoken by the Anglo-Saxons before the Norman Conquest. Designed both for beginning and for more advanced students, it broke new ground in two ways, first in its range of texts, and second in the degree of annotation it offers. The fifty-six prose and verse texts include the established favourites such as The Battle of Maldon and King Alfred's Preface to his Pastoral Care, but also others which have not before been readily available, such as a complete Easter homily, Aelfric's life of Saint Aethelthryth and all forty-six Durham proverbs. Headnotes establish the literary and historical contexts for the works that are represented, and reflect the rich cultural variety of Anglo-Saxon England. Modern English word glosses and explanatory notes are provided on the same page as the text. Other features include a reference grammar and a comprehensive glossary. |
Contents
Preface | |
List of abbreviations | |
The writing and pronunciation of Old English | |
THE TEXTS | |
Teaching andlearning | |
Tide | |
c For Dysentery 4 Learning Latin fromÆlfrics Excerptiones | |
A New Beginning Alfreds preface | |
Example and Exhortation | |
b WestSaxon version 21 Two Holy Women a Saint Æthelthryth from Ælfrics Lives of Saints | |
A Homily for Easter Sunday from Ælfrics Sermones | |
The Dream of the Rood 24 On False Gods Wulfstans | |
The Sermon oftheWolfWulfstans Sermo | |
The Seafarer V Telling Tales | |
Reflection and lament 33 Truth is Trickiest Maxims | |
The Wifes Lament | |
Gregorys Cura pastoralis 6 The Wagonwheelof Fatefrom Alfreds translation | |
Keeping a record 7 Laws of the AngloSaxonKings | |
c Æthelredof | |
annals for 981939958 and10023 9 Bedes EcclesiasticalHistory of the English People | |
The Fonthill Letter III Spreading the Word 13 After the Flood from the | |
Satans Challenge Genesis B lines 338441 | |
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Common terms and phrases
æfter Ælfric Æthelthryth Alfred’s AngloSaxon Battle of Maldon beornas Beowulf bið Byrhtnoth conj cwæð Cyneheard Cynewulf ðā ðǣre ðæt ðām ēac ealdorman ealle eallum eorðan fæder folc Godes hæfde Hengest hēo heora hēr hēt hīe hine Hnæf hwæt instr inthe Latin mæg mannum manuscript masc mihte mīn mīne noun oððe ofer ofthe Old English poem pr1s pr3p pron pronoun pt1s pt3p pt3s sbj pr3s sceal sēo subj swā swā swā swīðe Text trans verb vowel wǣre wǣron wæs warrior wearð wið word þā þǣm þǣr þǣre þæs þæt þæt hē þām þēah þon þone þonne þū þurh þȳ