Poet of the Evening | With my mouth I speak in many voices

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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author

Translation © by Grant Hicks

æfensceop

Language: Old English

Our translations: ENG

Ic þurh muþ sprece   mongum reordum
wrencum singe,           wrixle geneahhe
heafodwoþe,                 hlude cirme
healde mine wisan,  hleoþre ne miþe,
eald æfensceop,          eorlum bringe
blisse in burgum,       þonne ic bugendre
stefne styrme;              stille on wicum
sittað nigende.             Saga hwæt ic hatte,
þe swa scirenige         sceawendwisan
hlude onhyrge,            hæleþum bodige
wilcumena fela           woþe minre.

The Exeter Book, Riddle 8

Text Authorship:

by Anonymous / Unidentified Author [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

by Lillie Harris (b. 1994), "æfensceop", copyright © 2024, first performed 2024 [ satb chorus and saxophone ] [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Poet of the Evening", copyright © 2026, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2026-02-23
Line count: 11
Word count: 52

Poet of the Evening

Language: English after the Old English

With my mouth I speak     in many voices
I sing melodiously,               I frequently vary 
the sound of my voice,       I cry aloud,
I hold to my way,                   I do not conceal my voice;
old poet of the evening,     I bring to gentlefolk
joy in the cities,                      when to the inhabitants 
I cry with my voice;             quietly in their homes
they sit listening.                   Say what I am called,
I who so clearly                      the song of the jester 
loudly mimic,                          I proclaim to men
many greetings                      with my song.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Old English to English copyright © 2026 by Grant Hicks, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you may ask the copyright-holder(s) directly or ask us; we are authorized to grant permission on their behalf. Please provide the translator's name when contacting us.
Contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

a text in Old English by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2026-06-01
Line count: 11
Word count: 87