Lines 15-26 Summary

Lines 15-17

Het mec hlaford min herheard niman,
ahte ic leofra lyt on þissum londstede,
holdra freonda.

My lord commanded me to live with him here;
I had few loved ones or loyal friends
in this country, which causes me grief.

• This section is hotly debated amongst scholars of Old English literature. The phrase "min herheard niman" literally means "to take up abode in a grove," with "grove" probably referring to a pagan sanctuary. But certain translations assume a more hostile connotation in the word "niman," (to take, or to seize), arguing that the husband is perhaps forcing the wife to live in this place against her will. 
• Okay… so what did we decide just happened? Did the wife end up finding her husband? Did he command this before he left? It's hard to say, really. This translation just assumes that the wife is commanded to live with the husband in a foreign country. We will have to infer the rest. Most importantly, however, we learn that it is because of her loneliness in a strange place—where she has no friends or community—that her grief develops.

Lines 18-26

Forþon is min hyge geomor,
ða ic me ful gemæcne monnan funde,
heardsæligne, hygegeomorne,
mod miþendne, morþor hycgendne.
Bliþe gebæro ful oft wit beotedan
þæt unc ne gedælde nemne deað ana
owiht elles; eft is þæt onhworfen,
is nu swa hit no wære
freondscipe uncer. Sceal ic feor ge neah
mines felaleofan fæhðu dreogan.

Then I found that my most fitting man
was unfortunate, filled with grief,
concealing his mind, plotting murder
with a smiling face. So often we swore
that only death could ever divide us,
nothing else—all that is changed now;
it is now as if it had never been,
our friendship. Far and near, I must
endure the hatred of my dearest one.

• Shmoopers, if you find yourself even more confused than you were before after reading this section, don't be alarmed—you're not alone. It does that to everyone—seriously. Don't lose hope, though. You'll just have to strap on your chainmail, and press on. We're here to help. 
• So, like the previous several lines, the true meaning of this section is unclear. Some scholars claim that the wife here is actually describing a new relationship with another man, whom she met in this foreign land. The translation we're using, on the other hand, assumes that this man of whom she speaks is, in fact, still her husband. Either way, things turn sour fast, as she comes to understand the true nature of her lover's character. 
• Yeah, this guy is operating on Norman Bates levels of not chill. While many translators take certain liberties with this text, the implications of the term "morþor" are unequivocally villainous, or evil. 
• In the end, he betrays his vow ("beotedan") to stay with her until death (perhaps for the better if he did have murderous intent), leaving her to wallow in her solitude. 
• Some critics argue that it is not his betrayal, but rather his death that causes the wife such strife. The final sentence in this translation, using the present tense to describe his "hatred," seems to support the more conventional opinion that he is still alive. 
• It's possible, however, that the Old English word used here, "fæhðu," refers not to the husband's hatred of his wife, but rather the feud, or crime, with his enemies, which caused him to leave in the first place.