ENGL 4301:501
Fall 1998

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HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #6

The passage below is from De Temporibus Anni [The Seasons of the Year] (c. 993) by Ælfric (c. 955-1010), a West Saxon monk and writer on religious subjects.

Your assignment (due in class Mon. 26 October) has several components:

  1. Make a word-by-word literal translation of the passage.
  2. Make a more idiomatic translation into Modern English.
  3. Write a brief essay that addresses these questions: what are the most salient differences between this Old English and your idiomatic Modern English version of the passage, in terms of word order and vocabulary? What are the strangest things about the Old English passage? What are the most familiar things?

You get a substantial glossary with this assignment. You should be able to understand unglossed words, sometimes with a bit of educated guessing.

 

 

PASSAGE:

On ðam ðriddan dæge gesceop se ælmihtiga God sæ and eorðan and ealle eorðlice spryttinga. Ðas ðry dagas wæron buton sunnan and monan and steorran and eallum tidum gelicere wægan mid leohte and þeostrum aðenede. On ðam feorðan dæge gesceop God twa miccle leoht þæt is sunne and mona and betæhte þæt mare leoht þæt is seo sunne to ðam dæge and þæt læsse leoht þæt is se mona to ðære nihte. On ðam ylcan dæge he geworhte ealle steorran and tida gesette. On ðam fiftan dæge he gesceop eal wyrmcynn and ða micclan hwalas and eal fisccynn on mislicum and menigfealdum hiwum. On ðam sixtan dæge he gesceop eal deorcynn and ealle nytenu þe on feower fotum gað and þa twegen men Adam and Euan. On ðam seofoðan dæge he geendode his weorc and seo wucu wæs ða agan.