The Dream
of the Rood
Overview
Read English Translation
The Dream of the Rood is an Old English poem that tells the story of the crucifixion of Christ from the perspective of the cross (the “rood” in Old English). The poem is considered one of the most important works of Old English literature and is notable for its complex mix of Christian and pagan imagery. It was likely composed in the 8th century, although the manuscript in which it appears dates to the 10th century. The poem is a fascinating example of how Anglo-Saxon writers used their own cultural traditions to express Christian themes.
Authorship
The authorship of the poem is unknown, as is typical of many Old English works. The oral tradition of Old English literature suggests that the poem was likely composed by a poet who was part of a larger cultural and religious community. The author of the poem used a combination of poetic and prose elements to create a sophisticated and complex work of literature that is considered a masterpiece of the Old English period. The manuscript of the poem is found in the Vercelli Book, which is a collection of religious and secular texts that provide valuable insights into the language and culture of early medieval England.
Image: Detail of the Vercelli Book, showing the beginning of The Dream of the Rood.
Structure
The structure of The Dream of the Rood is complex and combines elements of both poetry and prose. The poem is composed of three distinct sections, each with its own tone and style.
The first section of the poem describes the dream of the poet, who sees the cross and hears it speak. This section is written in a poetic style and contains vivid descriptions of the cross, which is portrayed as a powerful and majestic figure.
The second section of the poem is written in a more prosaic style and recounts the story of Christ’s crucifixion from the perspective of the cross. In this section, the cross speaks at length about the events leading up to the crucifixion.
The third section of the poem returns to a poetic style and describes the aftermath of the crucifixion, including the resurrection of Christ and the spreading of the gospel. The poem ends with a call to the reader to follow Christ and to live a virtuous life.
Image: Top of the Ruthwell Cross, South Face.
Ruthwell Cross
The Dream of the Rood is connected to the Ruthwell Cross, which is an early medieval Anglo-Saxon monument located in the village of Ruthwell in Scotland. The cross features scenes from the life of Christ and other Christian figures, as well as inscriptions in both Latin and Old English. One of the inscriptions on the cross is a runic poem that is believed to be an excerpt from The Dream of the Rood.
The connection between the poem and the cross was not immediately recognized, as the runic inscription was damaged and partially erased. However, in the 19th century, scholars discovered the connection and were able to reconstruct the missing parts of the poem from other surviving manuscripts. The discovery of the Ruthwell Cross helped to highlight the importance of The Dream of the Rood as a work of literature and as an example of the ways in which early English writers incorporated Christian themes into their cultural traditions.
The Dream of the Rood
Lo! choicest of dreams I will relate,
What dream I dreamt in middle of night
When mortal men reposed in rest.
Methought I saw a wondrous wood
Tower aloft with light bewound, 5
Brightest of trees; that beacon was all
Begirt with gold; jewels were standing
Four at surface of earth, likewise were there five
Above on the shoulder-brace.
All angels of God beheld it,
Fair through future ages; ’twas no criminal’s cross indeed, 10
But holy spirits beheld it there,
Men upon earth, all this glorious creation.
Strange was that victor-tree, and stained with sins was I,
With foulness defiled. I saw the glorious tree
With vesture adorned winsomely shine, 15
Begirt with gold; bright gems had there
Worthily decked the tree of the Lord.
Yet through that gold I might perceive
Old strife of the wretched, that first it gave
Blood on the stronger [right] side. With sorrows was I oppressed, 20
Afraid for that fair sight; I saw the ready beacon
Change in vesture and hue; at times with moisture covered,
Soiled with course of blood; at times with treasure adorned.
Yet lying there a longer while,
Beheld I sad the Saviour’s tree 25
Until I heard that words it uttered;
The best of woods gan speak these words:
“‘Twas long ago (I remember it still)
That I was hewn at end of a grove,
Stripped from off my stem; strong foes laid hold of me there, 30
Wrought for themselves a show, bade felons raise me up;
Men bore me on their shoulders, till on a mount they set me;
Fiends many fixed me there. Then saw I mankind’s Lord
Hasten with mickle might, for He would sty upon me.
There durst I not ‘gainst word of the Lord 35
Bow down or break, when saw I tremble
The surface of earth; I might then all
My foes have felled, yet fast I stood.
The Hero young begirt Himself, Almighty God was He,
Strong and stern of mind; He stied on the gallows high, 40
Bold in sight of many, for man He would redeem.
I shook when the Hero clasped me, yet durst not bow to earth,
Fall to surface of earth, but firm I must there stand.
A rood was I upreared; I raised the mighty King,
The Lord of Heaven; I durst not bend me. 45
They drove their dark nails through me; the wounds are seen upon me,
The open gashes of guile; I durst harm none of them.
They mocked us both together; all moistened with blood was I,
Shed from side of the man, when forth He sent His spirit.
Many have I on that mount endured 50
Of cruel fates; I saw the Lord of Hosts
Strongly outstretched; darkness had then
Covered with clouds the corse of the Lord,
The brilliant brightness; the shadow continued,
Wan ‘neath the welkin. There wept all creation, 55
Bewailed the King’s death; Christ was on the cross.
Yet hastening thither they came from afar
To the Son of the King: that all I beheld.
Sorely with sorrows was I oppressed; yet I bowed ‘neath the hands of men,
Lowly with mickle might. Took they there Almighty God, 60
Him raised from the heavy torture; the battle-warriors left me
To stand bedrenched with blood; all wounded with darts was I.
There laid they the weary of limb, at head of His corpse they stood,
Beheld the Lord of Heaven, and He rested Him there awhile,
Worn from the mickle war. Began they an earth-house to work, 65
Men in the murderers’ sight, carved it of brightest stone,
Placed therein victories’ Lord. Began sad songs to sing
The wretched at eventide; then would they back return
Mourning from the mighty prince; all lonely rested He there.
Yet weeping we then a longer while 70
Stood at our station: the [voice] arose
Of battle-warriors; the corse grew cold,
Fair house of life. Then one gan fell
Us all to earth; ’twas a fearful fate!
One buried us in deep pit, yet of me the thanes of the Lord, 75
His friends, heard tell; [from earth they raised me],
And me begirt with gold and silver.
Now thou mayst hear, my dearest man,
That bale of woes have I endured,
Of sorrows sore. Now the time is come, 80
That me shall honor both far and wide
Men upon earth, and all this mighty creation
Will pray to this beacon. On me God’s Son
Suffered awhile; so glorious now
I tower to Heaven, and I may heal 85
Each one of those who reverence me;
Of old I became the hardest of pains,
Most loathsome to ledes [nations], the way of life,
Right way, I prepared for mortal men.
Lo! the Lord of Glory honored me then 90
Above the grove, the guardian of Heaven,
As He His mother, even Mary herself,
Almighty God before all men
Worthily honored above all women.
Now thee I bid, my dearest man, 95
That thou this sight shalt say to men,
Reveal in words, ’tis the tree of glory,
On which once suffered Almighty God
For the many sins of all mankind,
And also for Adam’s misdeeds of old. 100
Death tasted He there; yet the Lord arose
With His mickle might for help to men.
Then stied He to Heaven; again shall come
Upon this mid-earth to seek mankind
At the day of doom the Lord Himself, 105
Almighty God, and His angels with Him;
Then He will judge, who hath right of doom,
Each one of men as here before
In this vain life he hath deserved.
No one may there be free from fear 110
In view of the word that the Judge will speak.
He will ask ‘fore the crowd, where is the man
Who for name of the Lord would bitter death
Be willing to taste, as He did on the tree.
But then they will fear, and few will bethink them 115
What they to Christ may venture to say.
Then need there no one be filled with fear
Who bears in his breast the best of beacons;
But through the rood a kingdom shall seek
From earthly way each single soul 120
That with the Lord thinketh to dwell.”
Then I prayed to the tree with joyous heart,
With mickle might, when I was alone
With small attendance; the thought of my mind
For the journey was ready; I’ve lived through many 125
Hours of longing. Now ’tis hope of my life
That the victory-tree I am able to seek,
Oftener than all men I alone may
Honor it well; my will to that
Is mickle in mind, and my plea for protection 130
To the rood is directed. I’ve not many mighty
Of friends on earth; but hence went they forth
From joys of the world, sought glory’s King;
Now live they in Heaven with the Father on high,
In glory dwell, and I hope for myself 135
On every day when the rood of the Lord,
Which here on earth before I viewed,
In this vain life may fetch me away
And bring me then, where bliss is mickle,
Joy in the Heavens, where the folk of the Lord 140
Is set at the feast, where bliss is eternal;
And may He then set me where I may hereafter
In glory dwell, and well with the saints
Of joy partake. May the Lord be my friend,
Who here on earth suffered before 145
On the gallows-tree for the sins of man!
He us redeemed, and gave to us life,
A heavenly home. Hope was renewed,
With blessing and bliss, for the sufferers of burning.
The Son was victorious on that fateful journey, 150
Mighty and happy, when He came with a many,
With a band of spirits to the kingdom of God,
The Ruler Almighty, for joy to the angels
And to all the saints, who in Heaven before
In glory dwelt, when their Ruler came, 155
Almighty God, where was His home.
Related Topics
Further Research & Sources
Vercelli Book:
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/vercelli-book
Ruthwell Cross:
https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/ruthwell-cross
Baker, Peter S. Introduction to Old English. Wiley-Blackwell, 2012.
Battaglia, Frank. “The Dream of the Rood: An Interpretation.” Modern Philology, vol. 55, no. 1, 1957, pp. 1-8.
Blanton, Virginia L. “The Dream of the Rood and the Image of Christ in the Early Middle Ages.” Studies in Iconography, vol. 1, 1975, pp. 33-60.
Brown, Cynthia J. “Christian Heroes in Anglo-Saxon England: Saintly Politics and the Politics of Sanctity.” Viator, vol. 14, 1983, pp. 1-25.
Cross, James E., and Thomas D. Hill. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 1997.
Garnett, James M., trans. Elene; Judith; Athelstan, or the Fight at Brunanburh; Byrhtnoth, or the Fight at Maldon; and The Dream of the Rood: Anglo-Saxon Poems. 3rd ed. Boston: Ginn & Company, 1911. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/15879/pg15879-images.html
Liuzza, R. M., trans. The Dream of the Rood: An Old English Poem. Broadview Press, 2009.
Stanley, Eric Gerald. The Search for Anglo-Saxon Paganism. Boydell Press, 2018.
Swanton, Michael. “The Structure of ‘The Dream of the Rood’ Reconsidered.” Anglo-Saxon England, vol. 4, 1975, pp. 23-39.
Photos:
The Head of the Ruthwell Cross, North Side:
The head of Ruthwell Cross (north side) by Humphrey Bolton, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. [cropped].