udio Recordings for Reading Old English

Page 28: Exercise 1.9.5

1. Sum swiþe ge-læred munuc com suþan ofer sæ fram sancte Benedictes stowe, on Æþelredes cyninges dæge, to Dunstane ærce-biscope.

[A certain very learned monk came from the south from St. Benedict's place, in the day(s) of King Ethelred, to Archbishop Dunstan.]

2. Nu to-dæg Godes ge-laðung geond ealne ymb-hwyrft mærsað þæra eadigra cildra freols-tide, þe se wæl-hreowe Herodes for Cristes a-cennednysse mid arleasre ehtnysse a-cwealde, swa swa us seo godspellice racu swutellice cyð.

[Now today God's church throughout the entire globe celebrates the feast of the blessed children [the Holy Innocents], whom the slaughter-cruel Herod killed with merciless persecution because of Christ's birth, just as the Gospel account makes clearly known to us.

3. Mid þy ic wæs to him ge-lædd, þa frægn he me and ascode hwæt Alexander se cyning dyde, and hulic mann he wære, and in hwelcre ieldu.

[When I was led to him, then he questioned me and asked what Alexander the King had done, and what sort of man he was and of what age.]

4. Ohthere sæde his hlaforde, Ælfrede cyninge, þæt he ealra Norðmonna norþmest bude.

[Ohtere said to his lord, King Alfred, that he had lived the most northerly of all Northmen.]

5. He cwæð þæt he bude on þæm lande norþ-weardum wiþ þa West-sæ.

[He said that he had lived in that land north from the West Sea.]

6. He sæde þæt Norð-manna land wære swyðe lang and swyðe smæl.

[He said that the land of the Northmen was very long and very narrow.]

Page 55: Exercise 2.13. Practice Sentences.

1. Se þegn findeþ þæt sweord.
2. Þæt gold swicaþ þone wer.
3. Þone wer findeþ þæt gold.
4. Seo fæmne giefeþ þam were þæt gold.
5. Se wifman feohteþ mid þæm sweorde.
6. Þa cwene findeþ se wer.
7. Seo fæmne findeþ þone wer.
8. Þære cwene gold findeþ se wer.
9. Þæs weres gold is micel.
10. Se wer findeþ þæt gold mid þære cwene.
11. Seo fæmne gangeþ in þone sele.
12. Þa wif biernaþ þone beor-sele.
13. Þa æþelingas sittaþ in þam beor-sele.
14. Beowulfe seo cwen giefeð þone beag.
15. Se leax swimmeð in þæm streame.
16. Wæs seo hwil lang.