The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Elene of Cynewulf, by Cynewulf

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Title: The Elene of Cynewulf

Author: Cynewulf

Release Date: January 24, 2005 [EBook #14781]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ELENE OF CYNEWULF ***

Produced by David Starner, Linda Cantoni, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team.

YALE STUDIES IN ENGLISH

ALBERT S. COOK, EDITOR

XXI

THE

ELENE OF CYNEWULF

TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH PROSE

BY

LUCIUS HUDSON HOLT

PORTER FELLOW IN ENGLISH IN YALE UNIVERSITY

NEW YORK

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY

1904

[FACSIMILE]

PREFACE

This translation was made from the edition of the Elene issued by
Charles W. Kent in 1889 (Ginn & Co., Boston). His text is 'that of
Zupitza's second edition, carefully compared with Wülker's edition and
Zupitza's third edition, in which the results of Napier's collation are
contained.'

The aim of this translation is to give an accurate and readable modern English prose rendering of the Old English poetry. The translation of Richard Francis Weymouth, entitled A Literal Translation of Cynewulf's Elene, has been at hand, but I owe it practically nothing in this work. While I trust that my rendering has not departed so far from the text that it will be valueless to the student, yet at places it will be found that I have to some extent expanded or contracted the literal translation in the hope of benefiting the modern English version.

My thanks are due to Dr. Robert K. Root and Dr. Chauncey B. Tinker of
Yale University, and to Dr. Charles H. Whitman of Lehigh University, for
examining part of the work in manuscript, and to Dr. Albert S. Cook of
Yale University for a careful reading of the proof.

LUCIUS HUDSON HOLT.

NEW HAVEN,
January 1, 1904.

ELENE

1. THE EMPEROR CONSTANTINE.

There had passed in the turn of years, as men mark the tale of time, two hundred and thirty and three winters over the world since the Lord God, the Glory of kings and Light of the faithful, was born on earth in human guise; and it was the sixth 5 year of the reign of Constantine since he was raised in the realm of the Romans to lead their army, a prince of battles. He was a bulwark to his people, 10 valiant with the shield, and gracious to his heroes; and the prince's realm waxed great beneath the heavens. He was a just king, a war-lord of men. God strengthened him with majesty and might till 15 he became a joy to many men throughout the world, an avenger for his people when he raised aloft his spear against their foes.

2. THE WAR WITH THE BARBARIANS.

And battle was brought on him, the tumult of strife. The people of the Huns and famous Goths 20 gathered a host together; and the Franks and Hugas marched forth, men fierce in fight and ripe for war. The spears and woven mail-coats glittered, as with shouts and clash of shields they lifted up on high the standard of battle. Openly 25 the fighters gathered all together, and the throng marched forth. The wolf in the wood howled his war-song, and hid not his secret hopes of carnage; and at the rear of the foe the dewy-feathered eagle 30 shrieked his note on high.

A mighty host hastened to war through the cities, gleaned from all the men the Hunnish king could summon from the near-lying towns. A vast army sallied forth—bands of picked horsemen strengthened 35 the force of the foot-soldiers—until within a foreign land upon the bank of the Danube these stout-souled brandishers of the spear pitched their camp near the water's flow, amid the tumult of the army. They longed to overrun the realm of the 40 Romans, and lay it waste with their hordes.

Then were the dwellers in the cities aware of the Huns' coming. And the emperor straightway bade summon with the greatest speed by dispatch of the arrow his heroes to war against the foes; bade lead out to battle the warriors beneath the heavens. 45 Their hearts inspired by victory, the Roman heroes were soon girt with weapons for the fight, though they had a lesser host for battle than circled about the proud king of the Huns. Then the shields 50 rang, the wood of war clashed; the king with the host, his army, marched forth to strife, and over their heads the raven wailed, dark, and thirsting for the slaughter. The army was moving—trumpeters leaped, heralds shouted commands, and horses stamped the earth. Hastily the multitude enranked 55 itself for strife.

But the king was fear-smitten, awed with terror, as he looked upon the hostile host, the army of the Huns and Goths, that upon the river's bank at the boundary of the Roman realm was massing its 60 strength, an uncounted multitude. The king of the Romans suffered bitter grief of soul, and hoped not for his kingdom because of his small host; he had too few warriors, trusty thanes, to encounter the overmight of brave men in battle. 65

3. THE DREAM.

The army encamped near at hand beside the river, nobles about their prince, for the space of a single night after they first beheld the course of their foes. Then unto the emperor himself in his sleep, as he 70 slumbered among his retinue, was disclosed the marvel of a dream, shown unto him with soul uplifted in the hope of victory. Him thought there appeared before him in the form of a man a certain warrior, radiant, resplendent, brilliant, more glorious than he ever beheld 'neath the heavens, before or since. Then, dight with his 75 boar-crested helmet, he started up from slumber, and straightway the messenger, a bright herald of glory, spake unto him and called him by his name, while the veil of night parted asunder: 'O Constantine, the King of angels, Wielder of fates and Lord of hosts, hath commanded to offer thee a 80 covenant. Fear thou not, though foreign peoples threaten thee with terror and bitter strife. Look to heaven, unto the Lord of glory. There shalt thou find aid and the token of victory.' 85

He was soon ready at the holy one's behest; he opened wide the secret places of his heart; he gazed on high, as the messenger, faithful weaver of peace, had bidden him. Over the roof of clouds he saw the beauteous tree of glory, gleaming with treasure and decked with gold—and the gems shone 90 brightly. The shining tree was inscribed with letters of brilliance and light: 'By this sign thou shalt overcome the foe in the dread peril; by this thou shalt stay the hated host.'

Then the light