Cædmon’s Hymn

“Cædmon’s Hymn” appears in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History of the English People. According to Bede, Cædmon was a cowherd for a monastic community. During the evening ritual of fellowship & storytelling (“gebeorscipe”), he would slip out before it was his turn. Cædmon was (to put it mildly) a reluctant singer/storyteller. One night, however, after he had slipped away, an angel came to him and said, “Cædmon, sing about creation.” Cædmon refused, saying, “But I don’t know what to say.” The angel replied, “Nevertheless, you will sing for me.” So Cædmon sang:

Nu we sculon herigean heofonrices Weard,
Meotodes meahte ond his modgeþanc,
weorc Wuldorfæder, swa he wundra gewhæs,
ece Drihten, or onstealde.
He ærest sceop eorðan bearnum
heofon to hrofe, halig Scyppend.
Þa middangeard moncynnes Weard,
ece Drihten, æfter teode
firum foldan, Frea ælmihtig.

Now we ought to praise the Guardian of the heavenly kingdom, the might of the Maker and his purpose, the work of the Father of Glory, as of every wonder, eternal Lord, (what) he established in the beginning. He first shaped for (his) children heaven as a roof for the earth, holy Creator. Then middle-earth the Guardian of mankind, eternal Lord, afterward adorned the ground with people, almighty Lord.

Bede’s version is actually in Latin; as far as scholars can agree, it appears that any extant versions in Old English are either back-translations or versions passed down orally. Either way, tradition holds that “Cædmon’s Hymn” is the first poem in English.

This Old English version of the poem comes from the Old English translation of Bede’s Ecclesiastical History found in Bodleian Library MS Tanner 10, as edited by Bruce Mitchell and Fred C. Robinson (222). The (somewhat rough) translation is my own.

Bibliography