THE
DREAM OF THE ROOD
Hwæt, ic swefna cyst secgan wylle,
h[w]æt mē gemǣtte to midre nihte,
syðþan reordberend reste wunedon.
Þūhte mē þæt ic gesāwe syllicre trēow
on lyft lǣdan lēohte bewunden, 5
bēama beorhtost. Eall þæt bēacen wæs
begoten mid golde ; gimmas stōdon
fægere æt foldan scēatum, swylce þǣr fife wǣron
uppe on þām eaxlgespanne. Behēoldon þǣr eng[las] Dryhtnes ealle
fægere þurh forðgesceaft: ne wæs ðæ[t] hūrū fraco[ð]es gealga, 10
ac hine þǣr behēoldon halige gāstas,
1 B. wille. 2 MS., Th., St., H. hæt; B., K., H. þæt; Gr.1, Sw., Kl., W. hwæt. 3 B. siððan. 4 D. ic ne; MS., other Edd. ic; B. syllicor; Sw. sellic. 5 Gr.1 lyfte; B. liðan for lædan. 6 B. þis. 7 Th., K. end line with fægere ; B. emends to feowere, and so ends line; St. feowere, with the remark: This change was first supported by Bouterwek, and appears reasonable from the contrast with fife in the next line. The eye of the copyist probably took the fægere from line 19 [10]; Gr. (Dicht.) translates feowere, though his text has fægere; H. feowere. Ebert approves of Bouterwek's emendation on the grounds adduced by St., and W. follows. 9 MS., Th., B., H., St. eaxle gespanne; K., Gr.1, Kl., W. eaxlegespanne; Sw. eaxlgespanne; Gr.1, Sw. þæt; MS., Edd. engel. 10 B., Gr. 1 , H., Sw. þæt ; MS., other Edd. þær; MS., St., H., Kl., W. fracodes. 11 MS. Ac.
