The Husband's Message

The Husband's Message. It's a poem from the Anglo-Saxon period. It was written in Old English, which is a very soothing language to listen to. In fact, I recommend listening to this reading of "The Husband's Message" as you read on.

According to Wikipedia, no one knows who wrote the poem or what it's about. We do know that the beginning of the original manuscript was once burned, so we'll never know what it said in lines 2-8. We also know that the poem's speaker may or may not be a tree. When I was in kindergarten, I played a baby tree in Hansel and Gretel, and I had one line: "Oh snow, I love snow!" So I know what it's like to be a talking tree.

The Husband's Message is also notable for its runes (special characters) near the end, and for its possible connection to another poem called "The Wife's Lament". I don't know what that poem is about.


The Husband's Message 2009.
Photo: Hayley_Bouchard via Flickr (CC)