Cædmon's Hymn | Now must we glorify the guardian of heaven's kingdom

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by Caedmon (flourished 657-684)

Translation © by Grant Hicks

Caedmon's Hymn

Language: Old English

Our translations: ENG

Nu scylun hergan hefaenricaes uard, 
metudaes maeci end his modgidanc, 
uerc uuldurfadur, sue he uundra gihuaes,
eci dryctin or astelidae. 

He aerist scop aelde barnum 
heben til hrofe, haleg scepen; 
tha middungeard moncynnæs uard, 
eci dryctin æfter tiadæ 
firum foldu, frea allmectig

Text Authorship:

by Caedmon (flourished 657-684) [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 Peter Charles Crossley-Holland (1916 - 2001), "Caedmon's Hymn" [ voice and piano ], confirmed with a score [sung text checked 1 time]

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

ENG English (Grant Hicks) , "Cædmon's Hymn", copyright © 2025, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Research team for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor] , Mike Pearson

This text was added to the website: 2019-02-19
Line count: 9
Word count: 42

Cædmon's Hymn

Language: English after the Old English

Now must we glorify the guardian of heaven's kingdom,
the might of God and the thought of his mind,
the work of the father of glory, as he of each wonder,
the eternal ruler, established the beginning.

He first made for the children of men
heaven as a roof, the holy creator;
then middle-earth, the guardian of mankind,
the eternal ruler afterwards appointed
the land for mankind, the Lord almighty.

Text Authorship:

Translation from Old English to English copyright © 2025 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 Caedmon (flourished 657-684)
- Go to the text page.

This text was added to the website: 2025-05-04
Line count: 9
Word count: 70