Aldhelm Riddle 45: Fusum
ALEXANDRAREIDER
Date: Tue 15 Mar 2022In saltu nascor ramosa fronde virescens,
Sed fortuna meum mutaverat ordine fatum,
Dum veho per collum teretem vertigine molam:
Tam longa nullus zona praecingitur heros.
Per me fata virum dicunt decernere Parcas;
Ex quo conficitur regalis stragula pepli.
Frigora dura viros sternant, ni forte resistam.
In a forest was I born, verdant on a branching bough,
But fortune changed my fate as is the way,
Because I transport thread, spinning with my rounded neck:
For no hero is girded with as long a belt.
Through me, they say, the Parcae determine the fates of men;
From this is prepared the royal covering of a cloak.
Harsh cold would cast men down if I did not remain strong.
Notes:
This edition is based on Rudolf Ehwald, ed. Aldhelmi Opera Omnia. Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi, 15. Berlin: Weidmann, 1919, pages 59-150. Available online here.
Tags: riddles latin Aldhelm