Song in Old English - Alfred the Great

Here’s a song I wrote in Old English, my first attempt at an Old English song. As a first, who else could I conceivably dedicate it to other than perhaps the greatest Englishman in history, King Alfred the Great? The song is largely based on the Anglo Saxon Chronicle’s telling of the Battle of Edington, with embellishments and additions by myself.

In a local church, there’s a stained glass window which portrays Alfred with the tagline “Subduer of the Danes”, which I thought was an awesome title, so I just had to implement it!

I hope you enjoy!

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Lyrics:

Ælfredes wyrd wæs þæt hē wolde ġelēafan and lond bewerian.
On ċildhāde wæs hē on Rome ġesended and ġemētte Pāpan

Leo Pāpa wæs on Rome,
Hē Ælfred swā cyning blētsode.
Sē lȳtling sċeal be his weorcum
mǣsta ealra Engla weorþan.

Wes hāl, Ælfred cyning,
ġewieldend Dena!
Þū þe sċealt þā Norþmenn of Westseaxum drifan!

Com miċel hǣþen here on Angelcynnes lond fæġere.
Rægenherġes Lēodbrōca suna lǣdaþ Denisċe wīċingas.

Hīe hergiaþ and bærnaþ
Englisċe ċirican and hāmas.
Ac wē ne cnēowliaþ for nǣniġmenn,
būtan for þām ānum Gode!

Wes hāl, Ælfred cyning!
ġewieldend Dena!
Þū þe sċealt cristendōm wiþ hǣþenum nerian!

Hǣþen here bestæl tō byrġ Cippanhamme and āscode fēohsċeatt.
Miċel þæs cristnes folces ofer sæ ādrifon þā Norþmenn.

Ælfred cyning ābēonn ūt
fyrde miċelne tō beadwe.
Scīrþeġnas ġewǣpniaþ hīe
and mid Ælfrede fyrdiaþ

Wes hāl, Ælfred cyning!
ġewieldend Dena!
Þū þe sċēalt hēohcyning Angelcynnes weorþan!

Nēalǣhton Eþandune, tugon hīe Dene on clǣnne feld.
Wyrċaþ hīe þone sċieldweall, hungreþ Ælfredes sweorde on handa.

“Mymeraþ ġif ġe ġefeallaþ!
ēower mēd ne biþ weorolde!
Sē Hǣlend ġesiehþ, hē biþ mid ūs!
Drīfaþ þā hundas of Westseaxum!”

Wes hāl, Ælfred cyning!
ġewieldend Dena!
Þū þe brengst miċele ār ūrum Dryhtne!

Hīe oferfeallaþ þone weall grimlīce æxum, mid hete gefylde,
Andwlitan rēod and rēþu, lindcroda þurh þā wealdas onhwileþ.

Þær wæs miċel and blōdiġ wæl
Ac oferholt Engla stemnette.
Ælfred cyning mid fyrde feaht,
ġesċufon Dene of beaduwange!

Wes hāl, Ælfred cyning!
ġewieldend Dena!
Þū þe siġe nōme ofer þā wīċingas!

Dene wurdon hungerbitne, ac Ælfred þām hǣþenum miltsode.
Gudrom cyning Norþmanna þāra swōr āþ þæt hē fulwihte onfōn wolde.

His sē cyning þær onfeng
æt fulwihte wiþ Æþelingaīeġe
Wæs friðowǣr underwriten,
Þā fōr sē here of Westseaxum.

Wes hāl, Ælfred cyning!
Ġewieldend Dena!
Þū þe lēte mihtiġe Dene fulwian!

Þū lǣfdest þīn ġemynd on gōdum weorcum.
And on ūrum dagum
hǣtst þū Miċela.