by Ellen Kuhfeld » Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:50 am
It's still near Christmas, and some unnamed fool has been taunting us with Anglo-Saxon. What could I do but bring out this?
Incipit gestis Rudolphi rangifer tarandus
Hwæt, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor --
Næfde þæt nieten unsciende næsþyrlas!
Glitenode and gladode godlice nosgrisele.
þa hofberendas mid huscwordum hine gehefigodon;
Nolden þa geneatas Hrodulf næftig
To gomene hraniscum geador ætsomne.
þa in Cristesmæsseæfne stormigum clommum,
Halga Claus þæt gemunde to him maþelode:
"Neahfreond nihteage nosubeorhtende!
Min hroden hrædwæn gelæd þu, Hrodulf!"
þa gelufodon hira laddeor þa lyftflogan --
Wæs glædnes and gliwdream; hornede sum gegieddode
"Hwæt, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor,
Brad springþ þin blæd: breme eart þu!"
Hrodulf the Red-Nosed Reindeer
(Modern English translation)
Here begins the deeds of Rudolph, Tundra-Wanderer
Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer --
That beast didn't have unshiny nostrils!
The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed.
The hoof-bearers taunted him with proud words;
The comrades wouldn't allow wretched Hrodulf
To join the reindeer games.
Then, on Christmas Eve bound in storms
Santa Claus remembered that, spoke formally to him:
"Dear night-sighted friend, nose-bright one!
You, Hrodulf, shall lead my adorned rapid-wagon!"
Then the sky-flyers praised their lead-deer --
There was gladness and music; one of the horned ones sang
"Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer,
Your fame spreads broadly, you are renowned!"
Does that count as weirdness?