| Baanzish | Old English |
| Weland bai dragonen, en harijing kend Einmindij upman syfa drierij, Had az sithen soorou and longing, Winterkold harijing; woun oft fainded Fromwhen en hoo Nithhad in mast leid, In bendij sinjuebainden on gudor man. Dhat gand ouver, hat likweis mait. |
Welund him be wurman wræces cunnade anhydig eorl earfoþa dreag , hæfde him to gesiþþe sorge and longaþ, wintercealde wræce; wean oft onfond siþþan hine Niðhad on nede legde, swoncre seonbende on syllan monn. Þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg. |
| Beodohilde nij aad bai hoos broos deth In mind lik soo lik bai hoos selfs mat Whic hais befoo had kumd tu wit Dhe hais aad mamaadhing; eitaim nij mait Fastxhandlij shald think whau um dhat. Dhat gand ouver, hat likweis mait. |
Beadohilde ne wæs hyre broþra deaþ on sefan swa sar swa hyre sylfre þing, þæt heo gearolice ongieten hæfde þæt heo eacen wæs; æfre ne meahte þriste geþencan hu ymb þæt sceolde. Þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg. |
| Wie, dhe Mathhilds tu men tuwited Aadh ungraunded, Geats laidij, Dhe from hais dhat soorou lief en sliep al holded awei. Dhat gand ouver, hat likweis mait. |
We þæt Mæðhilde mone gefrugnon wurdon grundlease Geates frige, þæt hi seo sorglufu slæp ealle binom. Þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg. |
| Theoderik holded thrietij jiern Maringburg, dhat aad bai mucen kend. Dhat gand ouver, hat likweis mait. |
Ðeodric ahte þritig wintra Mæringa burg; þæt wæs monegum cuþ. Þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg. |
| Wie gehierd um Ermanriks Wulfish mind; Holded en brood fouk Dha Gothish riks. Dhat aad ei grim king. Muc sited in soorou bainded Woun in houp, wishd oft Dhe dhat kingrik aari ouverkumd. Dhat gand ouver, hat likweis mait. |
We geascodan Eormanrices
wylfenne geþoht; ahte wide folc Gotena rices. Þæt wæs grim cyning. Sæt secg monig sorgum gebunden, wean on wenan, wyscte geneahhe þæt þæs cynerices ofercumen wære. Þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg. |
| Sit dha soorou-keeful, from welaaring paated, In mind daaken, tu hoosself think Dha aari endnan syfa diel. Think-hoo hat, dhe jond hat weyld Wiz Lood raut oft, Ei upman tu mucen welth aa shoud Aring welth, tu einen wous diel. |
Siteð sorgcearig, sælum bidæled, on sefan sweorceð, sylfum þinceð þæt sy endeleas earfoða dæl. Mæg þonne geþencan, þæt geond þas woruld witig Dryhten wendeþ geneahhe, eorle monegum are gescawað, wislicne blæd, sumum weana dæl. |
| Mie um miesself wil spiek, Dhe mie fey ei taim aad Heodens sons baad, Tu mies lood dier. Mie neimsd Deor. Mie holded muc jiern gud sted En ei lood holded, tuwhen Heorrenda hen, Gildkraftij man, landriet haadhd Whic tu mie hedmens bjeyg befoo gied ouver Dhat feed ouver, hat likweis mait. |
Þæt ic bi me sylfum secgan wille, þæt ic hwile wæs Heodeninga scop, dryhtne dyre. Me wæs Deor noma. Ahte ic fela wintra folgað tilne, holdne hlaford, oððæt Heorrenda nu, leoðcræftig monn, londryht geþah þæt me eorla hleo ær gesealde. Þæs ofereode, þisses swa mæg. |
"Deor" is a poem found in the Exeter Book. It is usually dated to the tenth or eleventh centuries. However the poem may be much older. Its themes are certainly much older. Deor is good, demotic Anglo-Saxon poetry, and unlike the pious, monkish poems elsewhere in the Exeter Book (excellent as they are). Deor's subject matter and the folk memories it recalls reach back to the earliest Dark Ages and the Germanic kingdoms established in Europe after those tribes had destroyed the old Roman Empire.
I have used for this translation the usual version of the original Old English text. There are different ways to read the original, and different interpretations of the poetic phrasing. In the first verse does "wurmas" ("serpents" or "dragons") mean "swords"? Norse poetry uses that kenning. Who are the Mærings, or which city is "Mæringaburg"? Is Ðeodric the famed Osthrogoth King of Italy or another of the many Dark Age kings and heretogan called Theoderic? (There is a Mæringaburg in Italy, but nothing historically exciting happened there before 14th June 1800, as far as I am aware.) I have chosen just to translate rather than to interpret too much. There is still much for readers to disagree with in my translation and in the gloss which this translation inevitably puts upon the original.