The Old English text is taken from the electronic version of the poems of the Exeter Book available at the Labyrinth, now (February 2015) apparently offline.

The Ruin is a fragmentary poem found in Exeter, Cathedral Chapter Library, MS 3501, the Exeter Book. The poem’s state makes it difficult to translate; the working translation below is suggestive (even speculative) rather than definitive, intended simply to allow you to work through the text with some sense of its meaning and flavour. If you have stumbled on this page from outside the world of my class, be warned — there are doubtless errors and infelicities below!

Wrætlic is þes wealstan, wyrde gebræcon;

burgstede burston, brosnað enta geweorc.

Hrofas sind gehrorene, hreorge torras,

hrungeat berofen, hrim on lime, scearde scurbeorge scorene, gedrorene,

ældo undereotone. Eorðgrap hafað

waldend wyrhtan forweorone, geleorene,

heardgripe hrusan, oþ hund cnea

werþeoda gewitan. Oft þæs wag gebad ræghar ond readfah rice æfter oþrum,

ofstonden under stormum; steap geap gedreas.

Wonað giet se ...num geheapen,

fel on

grimme gegrunden scan heo...

...g orþonc ærsceaft

...g lamrindum beag

mod mo... ...yne swiftne gebrægd

hwætred in hringas, hygerof gebond weallwalan wirum wundrum togædre.

Beorht wæron burgræced, burnsele monige,

heah horngestreon, heresweg micel,

meodoheall monig dreama full,

oþþæt þæt onwende wyrd seo swiþe. Crungon walo wide, cwoman woldagas,

swylt eall fornom secgrofra wera;

wurdon hyra wigsteal westen staþolas,

brosnade burgsteall. Betend crungon

hergas to hrusan. Forþon þas hofu dreorgiað, ond þæs teaforgeapa tigelum sceadeð

hrostbeages hrof. Hryre wong gecrong

gebrocen to beorgum, þær iu beorn monig

glædmod ond goldbeorht gleoma gefrætwed,

wlonc ond wingal wighyrstum scan; seah on sinc, on sylfor, on searogimmas,

on ead, on æht, on eorcanstan,

on þas beorhtan burg bradan rices.

Stanhofu stodan, stream hate wearp

widan wylme; weal eall befeng beorhtan bosme, þær þa baþu wæron,

hat on hreþre. þæt wæs hyðelic.

Leton þonne geotan

ofer harne stan hate streamas

un... ...þþæt hringmere hate

þær þa baþu wæron.

þonne is

...re; þæt is cynelic þing,

huse ...... burg....