How we cite our quotes: (Line)
Quote #1
Ic þæt secgan mæg,
hwæt ic yrmþa gebad, siþþan ic up weox,
niwes oþþe ealdes, no ma þonne nu.
A ic wite wonn minra wræcsiþa.I am able to tell
all the hardships I've suffered since I grew up,
but new or old, never worse than now –
ever I suffer the torment of my exile. (2-5)
We learn by line 5 that the speaker's profound grief and suffering is due to "wræcsiþa," or exile. Of all the bad stuff that has happened to her in her life, this exile has been by far the worst. That's an intense thought. We will have to read on to learn more about what this means...
Quote #2
ærest min hlaford gewat heonan of leodum
ofer yþa gelac;First my lord left his people
for the tumbling waves; (6-7)
It is the husband's departure that sets the story in motion. We don't know why he leaves, or where exactly he goes. All we have is this image of "yþa gelac" ("tumbling waves"), so it's likely he traveled across the sea to some distant country. There is a distinct possibility that he himself was exiled.
Quote #3
ða ic me feran gewat folgað secan,
wineleas wræcca, for minre weaþearfe.
Ongunnon þæt þæs monnes magas hycgan
þurh dyrne geþoht, þæt hy todælden unc,
þæt wit gewidost in woruldriceWhen I set off to join and serve my lord,
A friendless exile in my sorry plight,
My husband's kinsmen plotted secretly
How they might separate us from each other
That we might live in wretchedness apart (9-13)
When the speaker decides to leave in search of her husband, her plans are thwarted by those conniving kinsmen. They conspire to keep the lovers apart, isolated not only in physical exile, but also in emotional exile.