In Winter

I tried to match the alliterative styles that were represented by the Anglo-Saxons, but found it difficult to translate from Modern English to Old English, hence I have left it in modern English.  Poems of this style were meant more to be recited aloud than read, please keep this in mind as you try to form the meter.

I started my research by looking at Alisoun MacCoul of Elephane’s pages.  She pretty much tells the reader to “just go for it.”  I have not included the poem pages between that I went through.  Some examples would be “Selected Poems, with the “Letter to the Poetess Casia”;  “Croatian Poetry in the Middle Ages”;  “Love is a Sad Sickness”; Brian O’Roarke, “My Chosen Darling”; and of course, Beouwolf.  From here I went to “Readings of Old English Poetry”.  A lovely website with audio clips and 3 examples.  This is where I got the idea for ‘This too shall pass’ – as would have been done in “these times”, I liked the idea so I used it.

In Winter I stand and watch

You who have stolen that from me

Which I would have given freely

This too shall pass

Cold nor heat can touch that Which

Has stopped beating at the thought of

A desire that burns to the quick

This too shall pass

Life left the World to Darkness

My soul imprisoned, Helle condemned

Payne for lack of you beside me

This too shall pass

Not a day passes that I

Think not of him

Fight well My Lord, for you fight for My Honor

Written by Lady Tammarrion de Sidana on 02-19-02

2 Interesting Sources (that are still on the web as of 10/5/04):ld English Literature and Culture on the World Wide Web  

• http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/hum/english/E_Old.html
• Readings of Old English Poetry http://www.kami.demon.co.uk/gesithas/readings/readings.html