Passages from the "Ormlum" with translations

Written around 1180 by a monk named Orm or Ormin, The Ormlum was a collection of biblical studies writen in Early Middle English and show English evolving from Saxon and taking in influences from Norse and Norman French as well as Latin.

1.a) From the introduction by Ormin;
"Þiss boc iss nemmnedd Orrmulum
forrþi þatt Orrm itt wrohhte"

b) Modern translation;
"This book is named Ormulum
because Orm wrote it"

2.a) Also from the introduction;
"Icc was þær þær i crisstnedd was
Orrmin bi name nemmnedd"

b) Modern translation;
"Where I was christened, I was
named Ormin by name"


3.a) A passage about the nativity Ormin's original;
"Forrþrihht anan se time comm
þatt ure Drihhtin wollde
ben borenn i þiss middellærd
forr all mannkinne nede
he chæs himm sone kinnessmenn
all swillke summ he wollde
& whær he wollde borenn ben
he chæs all att hiss wille."

b) modern translation;
"As soon as the time came
that our Lord wanted
to be born in this middle-earth
for the sake of all mankind,
at once he chose kinsmen for himself,
all just as he wanted,
and he decided that he would be born
exactly where he wished."