The Departing Souls Address to the Body | Page 2

much light will be thrown upon the history of the transitions of our language._
_For what has been already done by Conybeare, Price, Kemble, Thorpe, Madden, Stevenson, Wright, Way and others, the present writer is most grateful; but he would wish to see the same spirit and enthusiasm, the same unwearied zeal displayed in the elucidation of the noble remains of our Anglo-Saxon ancestors, and of the interesting stores of our early literature and language, which has been so long a distinguishing feature of Germany, whose example has of late years lighted up a similar patriotic flame in France and Belgium._
_Mickleham, August 20, 1844._
THE
DEPARTING SOUL'S ADDRESS TO THE BODY.
? * * * en earde. * * * * and alle theo isce?festan. * * * * the him to * * * * * * * and mid muchele _wisdome_. and with much _wisdom_ _thon_ne mon he idihte. 5 then man he framed, and him on ileide. bestowed on him lif and soule. life and soul, softliche he heo isom_ne_. tenderly he united them; ac th?r bith sor idol. but there is a sad portion that bodeth that bearn. 10 which awaits that child. thonne hit iboren bith. When it is born; hit _woan_eth and m?net theo weowe. it waileth, and bemoans the woe, and thene seoruhfule sith. and the sorrowful time, and that sori idol. and that sad lot, that soule schal _hire li_came. 15 that shall the soul from her body sorliche id?len. sadly separate. Forthon hit cumeth weopinde. Therefore it cometh weeping, and woniende iwiteth. and wailing departeth, _thonne D_eath mid his pricke. when Death, with his dart, pineth thene licame. 20 pineth the body. He walketh and wendeth. He walketh and goeth, and woneth _his si_thes. and bewails his destiny; he s?ith on his bedde. he saith, on his bed, wo me that ic libbe. Wo me! that I live; that ?ffre min lif dawes. 25 that ever my life thus _lon_ge me ilesteth. so long endureth. for heui is his greoning. For heavy is his groaning, and seohrful is his woaning. and sorrowful his wailing. and all _reowliche_ his sith. and all rueful his lot, mid seorwe biwunden. 30 with sorrow encompassed. him deaueth tha ?ren. His ears deafen, him dimmeth _tha_ ei[gh]en. his eyes become dim, him scerpeth the neose. his nose sharpens, him scrincketh tha lippen. his lips shrink, him scorteth _the_ tunge. 35 his tongue shorteneth him truketh his iwit. his sense faileth, him teoreth his miht. his strength wasteth, him coldeth his _heorte_. his _heart_ chilleth, _him_ leggeth the ban stille. his bones lie still; thonne bith that soule hus. 40 then is that soul-house seoruhliche bereaved. wofully bereaved _of_ also muchele wunne. of as much delight the ther inne wunede as therein dwelled. thus bith th?s bearnes. Thus are these children mid pin_unge_ ifulled. 45 filled with torment; theo moder greoneth. The mother groaneth, and that bearn woaneth. and the child waileth; so bith theo _hear_dtid. so is that hard hap mid balewen imenged. with torment mingled. So bith eft the feorthsith. 50 So is oft the departure, sorhliche to d?_led_ miserably apportioned, mid seoruwen al bewunden. with sorrow all surrounded, thonne the licame and the sowle. when the body and the soul soriliche to _d?l_eth. sorrowfully separate. thonne bith that wr?cche lif. 55 Then is that wretched life iended al mid sori sith. ended all with sad departure; thonne bith the _bodi_ge. then is the body iflut to then flore. banished to the floor; he bith eastward istreiht. he is stretcht eastward; he bith sone stif. 60 he is soon stiff; he _hear_deth also clei. he hardens like clay; hit is him ikunde. it is of kin to him. mon hine met mit on [gh]erde. They measure him with a yard, and tha mol_de_ seoththen. and that dust, thenceforth, ne mot he of th?re molde. 65 may not of the earth habben namore. have any more thonne that rihte imet. than that right measured r_ih_tliche t?cheth. rightly teacheth. Thonne lith the clei clot. Then lies the clay clod cold on then flore. 70 cold on the floor, and him sone from _fleoth_. and soon from him _flee_ theo he ?r freome dude. those he before help did; nulleth heo mid honden. nor will they, with _their_ hands, his heafod riht wen_den_. lay his head straight; heom thuncheth that hore honden. they think that their hands swuthe beoth ifuled. 76 are much defiled gif heo hondleth the _d_?de. if they handle the dead. Seoththen his dea[gh]es beoth igon. After his days are gone, sone cumeth that wrecche wif. soon cometh the wretched wife, _forh_oweth thene earfeth sith. 80 lamenteth the woeful time, forbindeth th?s d?dan muth. binds up the mouth of the dead, and his dimme ei[gh]en. and closes his dim eyes.
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