Konung Alexander

Uilin ij mærkia ok høra

Will you mark and listen

hwath fordhom ku̅no the hedhno gøra

to what the heathens could do in former days?

ij forſtandin th; ey wæl

You will not understand it well

vta̅ ij gømin th; m; ſnille ok ſkæl

unless you keep it with wit and reason.

aff konu̅g alexander wil iak ſighia

Of King Alexander I will tell;

th; ſcͥptin ſighr͛ wil iak ey thighia

what the writing says I will not keep silent.

ij tolff aar wan ha̅ wærlena ſik

In twelve years he won the world for himself;

huru watn ok wædhr͛ ſkal andro lydha

how water and weather shall obey another,

the wita alt hwath th̅m ſkal ſke

they know all that shall befall them,

antigia wæl ællr͛ we

either good or ill.

Som iak inna̅ ſcͥptene las

As I read in the writing

aff en konu̅g heet nectanabus

of a king who was called Nectanebus:

aff diæwlſkap war ha̅ all inna̅ ful

within he was all full of devilry,

æn tho ha̅ ſkeen vta̅ ſo̅ et gul

though outwardly he shone like gold.

honu̅ war ſaght thaghar ij fra

He was told of it at once

at kon̅ artarexes til redho la

that King Artaxerxes was making ready

wille koma aff p̲ſia fulſtark

to come from Persia in full strength

ok geſta nectanabu̅ a egipto mark

and visit Nectanebus in the land of Egypt,

ok thænkte nectanabu̅ fanga ok winna

and meant to capture and conquer Nectanebus

tha genaſt ij th; ſama ſinne

then straight away, at that same time.

tha nectanab᷒ theſſe thidande fra

When Nectanebus learned these tidings,

hemelika ij ſit palaz mo̅de ha̅ ga

he went secretly into his palace,

togh et kar alt giort aff eer

took a basin made all of bronze,

fylte th; m; watn th; drogh ey meer

filled it with water till it held no more;

ha̅ wiiſte thr͛ ſina diæwls fund

there he showed his devil's craft.

thy han hafdhe ſik thr͛ før omthænkt

because he had thought it over beforehand.

Philipp᷒ wil thik hawa ok ælſka

Philip wants to keep you and love you,

ok tͦ ænge tungo falſke

and to believe no false tongue.

thik ſkal æn tima mere mon

Yet greater things shall befall you:

thu ſkal ſkøt ga m; eno̅ vngo̅ ſon

you shall soon be with a young son.

amon gudh ſkal thik til koma

The god Ammon shall come to you;

han haw͛ hemelika ſina doma

he has his secret judgments.

han ær ſom en midhaldrugh man

He is like a middle-aged man;

ij midhio mato ſwa ær han

of middling size, so is he,

ſom en gudh ok ekke ſom man

like a god and not like a man.

enkte ſkal thu rædhas for͛ han

You shall not fear him at all.

han haw͛ horn ræt ſom et faar

He has horns just like a sheep,

ſkæggith graat ok ſwa ha̅s haar

his beard grey, and his hair as well.

han komb̅ thaghr͛ til thik braat

He will come to you soon,

ſom thu ſow͛ førſt ij nat

as soon as you first sleep tonight.

tha ij hawin glædhi ok gama̅ giort

When you two have had joy and pleasure,

thu ær m; en ſon ſwa haw͛ iak ſport

you are with a son; so I have learned.

Som iak forſtaar qͥnno hughr͛

As I understand a woman's mind,

optelika for͛ hænne liughr͛

it often lies to her;

oſtadhugheet ok hughin wil

fickleness and the wayward mind

the gøra flæſta qͥnnor mill

make most women soft;

hwa blidhelika bidhr͛ the ku̅no ey ſynia

whoever asks kindly, they cannot refuse;

ma̅ ma hænne lokka m; et ynia

a man can lure one with a little favour.

qͥnnor ſkulu g͛na wara thyſta

Women ought gladly to keep quiet

ok ey alt ſpøria th; th̅m lyſte

and not ask all they please;

hwa mykith ſpør han faar ſwar

whoever asks much gets an answer.

thæs war drøtni̅g olimpiadis war

Queen Olympias took heed of this,

til the ordh mæſtarin hafdhe hænne ſaght

of the words the master had told her;

hon ſwarar wæl ok gat ey thaght

she answers well and could not keep silent:

Om th; wardhr͛ ſant thu haw͛ mik iæt

If what you have promised me comes true,

for͛ gudh wil iak thik lofwa ræt

before God I will praise you as is right.

Nectanab᷒ hiærtelika widh ſik loo

Nectanebus laughed heartily to himself

han hørdhe drøtni̅gena tala ſwa

[when] he heard the queen speak so.

han bødh hænne ſwa godha nat

So he bade her good night,

gik thiit ha̅ giordhe ſina konſt ful rat

went off where he worked his art right skilfully

m; diæwlſkap ok hans mæſt͛s loff

with devilry and his master's leave.

thykte drøtni̅gine førſta hon ſoff

It seemed to the queen, as soon as she slept,

at amon gudh m; hænne laa

that the god Ammon lay with her,

ſom nectanab᷒ hafdhe ſaght ij fra

as Nectanebus had told of,

ok ſagdhe henne ij ſina drøma

and told her in her dreams:

thu æſt m; en ſon han ſkal døma

You are with a son; he shall judge

ræt ok wrangt mællan alt folk

right and wrong among all people.

ſwa waknar hon badh hænte ſin tolk

Then she wakes, bade [them] fetch her interpreter,

nectanabu̅ ok ſagdhe ſwa

Nectanebus, and told [him] thus

hwath hon alt ij drømin ſa

all that she saw in the dream,

badh ſik ſighia nar th; ſkal ſke

asked him to tell her when it shall happen

at amon gudh wil mik ſik te

that the god Ammon will show himself to me.

Nectanab᷒ ful kyndoghr͛ war

Nectanebus was very cunning;

ſagdhe hænne thæſſin ſwar

he gave her this answer:

ij nat komb̅ han ſom en drake

Tonight he comes as a dragon;

frw tha wardhr͛ han thin make

lady, then he will be your mate.

før omwændis han til en man

First he turns into a man;

ij min ſkipilſe tha wændis han

into my shape he then changes,

ok ſidhan ſkal thu alt th; røna

and afterwards you shall find all that [true]

ſom iak haw͛ thyyt thina drøma

which I have read in your dreams.

Nectanab᷒ wan hona ſiælfwu̅ ſik

Nectanebus won her for himself;

amon gudh wiſte ey aff tholik ſwik

the god Ammon knew nothing of such deceit.

ij the nat ij førſta ſympn

That night, in the first sleep,

kom en drake ſkeen ful grøøn

there came a dragon, shining all green;

wardh at ma̅ne ok la thr͛ qwar

it became a man and lay there quiet;

nectanab᷒ th; ſiælfw͛ war

it was Nectanebus himself.

the lagho ena ſtu̅d hwar ij a̅nars fampn

They lay a while, each in the other's arms;

ſwa foor han at͛ ij ſin ham

then he went back into his own shape.