Uhtceare

You know that time just before dawn when you lie awake worrying? We've all been there. This Old English word captures the tone of the poem quite beautifully. Of course, because there is no single modern English word that communicates this thought, much of the rich meaning and cultural context of "uhtceare" is lost. Let's take a look at the two places in the "Wife's Lament" when this word appears. With the Old English in mind, the poem only becomes more powerful.

• Lines 7-8: Though the translator attempts to convey this notion of worrying at dawn, these lines simply do not pack the same punch as the original Old English. Uhtceare means that she cannot sleep, she is stricken with worry and grief, and that. Think about the expression, "the darkest hour is just before the dawn." Of course it must be even darker when dawn never arrives. 
• Lines 32-35: The word, appearing here in a different tense as "uhtan" (35), implies more clearly what the previous usage only alludes to: sexual frustration. Here the speaker pictures lovers together in bed, while feeling the pangs of her own lover's absence. The term "uhtceare," especially in this context, carries with it an air of sexual longing, referring to that time of night when the moon is high and the hormones, they are-a-ragin'. Ultimately, the word "uhtceare" adds an extra layer of depth and meaning that can easily be lost in translation, offering a window into the psyche of our speaker.