Monday, September 27, 2010

An Old English Poem

Seems like all I have time for these days is posting interesting school assignments... This one is an original poem translated, to the best of my abilities, into Old English. Of course, Old English is so different from Modern English that I have no idea what the translation of my poem really says. I have no clue if the grammar is correct, if I conjugated the verbs in the right way, or anything like that. The only online places I could find for translating Modern English into Old English would only translate one word at a time, so I couldn't input a block of text, e.g. my poem, and have it translate that. I could only put in one word and translate that, and then figure out if I needed strong or weak, masculine or feminine, singular or plural, etc. etc. etc. So it was a bit more difficult than I imagined. But here it is! Enjoy! :-]

(Addendum: I inserted a 'bridge' of sorts for the benefit of a friend, who wants to try and turn it into a song. It has not been translated.)
(Another Addendum: Here is the finished song, as sung and played by Devin Dennis. ^^, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oN77edbcRY )


“Treachery/Love”
Sarah Kittell – 09/22/10

Sunny day and shades of gray,
Searching for the words to say,
Inside my head, the things I said
Are chasing all my thoughts away.

I waited for the slamming door
To shake me to my very core,
For shouted knives and broken lives
To leave me crying on the floor.

But you walked in, ignored my sin,
Brushed my tears off with a grin,
Closed your eyes and kissed the lies
Still warm from kissing foreign skin.

Bridge:
The heart has its reasons that reason can’t see,
You had every right to get up and leave,
And yet here you are and here you will stay,
The angel I love and the man I betrayed.



“Belæwung/Bróðorlufu”
Sarah Kittell – 09/22/10

Sigelbeorht dæg ond heolstorsceadwas sylfum deorcegræg,
Árásaende for þá cwideas æt ácwiðean,
Innoþ min héafod, þá þing ic geácweden
Béon ádrífende á min bréosthord áflíegung.

Ic geábiden for þæt bedende dor
Æt ábifan mec æt min midde,
For gecealled cnífas ond geábrocen æ
Æt anforlæteeþ mec blægettende on séo flór.

Ac ðu gegangen beinnan, geforgiefen min bealudæd,
Aswápan þá hléordropan on min andwlita,
Gebehliden úre angnereas ond gecossed þá léasspell
Þágíet wirman fram cossende wéales scinnen.

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