"Ond he eal þa he in gehærnesse geleornian meahte mid hine gemyndgade, ond swa swa clæne neten eodorcende in þæt sweteste leoð gehwerfde." And he was able to learn all that he heard; and remembering within him, just as a clean animal chewing cud [ruminating], he turned it into the sweetest song.
— Bede (672/3 - 735)
Author
Date
731
Metaphor
"Ond he eal þa he in gehærnesse geleornian meahte mid hine gemyndgade, ond swa swa clæne neten eodorcende in þæt sweteste leoð gehwerfde." And he was able to learn all that he heard; and remembering within him, just as a clean animal chewing cud [ruminating], he turned it into the sweetest song.
Metaphor in Context
Ða ongan seo abbudisse clyppan ond lufigean þa Godes gife in þæm men; ond heo hine þa monade ond lærde þæt he woruldhad anforlete ond munuchad onfenge, ond he þæt wel þafode. Ond heo hine in þæt mynster onfeng mid his godum ond hine geþeodde to gesomnunge þara Godes þeowa; ond heht hine læran þæt getæl þæs halgan stæres ond spelles. Ond he eal þa he in gehærnesse geleornian meahte mid hine gemyndgade, ond swa swa clæne neten eodorcende in þæt sweteste leoð gehwerfde. Ond his song ond his leoð wæron swa wynsumu to gehæranne þætte þa seolfan his lareowas æt his muðe wreoton ond leornodon. Song he ærest be middangeardes gesceape ond bi fruman moncynnes ond eal þæt stær genesis (þæt is seo æreste Moyses booc), ond eft bi utgonge Israhela folces of Ægypta londe ond bi ingonge þæs gehatlandes, ond bi oðrum monegum spellum þæs halgan gewrites canones boca, ond bi Cristes menniscnesse ond bi his þrowunge ond bi his upastignesse in heofonas, ond bi þæs Halgan Gastes cyme ond þara apostola lare, ond eft bi þæm dæge þæs toweardan domes ond bi fyrhtu þæs tintreglican wiites, ond bi swetnesse þæs heofonlecan rices he monig leoð geworhte. Ond swelce eac oðer monig be þæm godcundan fremsumnessum ond domum he geworhte. In eallum þæm he geornlice gemde þæt he men atuge from synna lufan ond mandæda, ond to lufan ond to geornfulnesse awehte godra dæda, for þon he wæs se mon swiþe æfest ond regollecum þeodscipum eaðmodlice underþeoded. Ond wið þæm þa ðe in oðre wisan don woldon he wæs mid welme micelre ellenwodnisse onbærned, ond he for ðon fægre ænde his lif betænde ond geendade.
(p. 223)
(p. 223)
Categories
Provenance
Reading
Citation
Bruce Mitchell and Fred C. Robinson, eds. A Guide to Old English. 5th ed. Oxford and Cambridge, MA: Blackwell, 1992. Online edition: Benjamin Slade, "Bede's Story of Caedmon," 2002. <eText>
Date of Entry
04/01/2010
