Anglo-Saxon Riddles of the Exeter Book/Annotated/18

The solution is apparently Wine and a reproof of its excesses. Cf. 59 ( 27), Mead, and 60 ( 28), John Barleycorn. Ll. 5 ff. &ldquo;I know not that&hellip;&rdquo; seem to mean &ldquo;it is no affair of mine that&hellip;.&rdquo; L. 9 has given trouble; probably &ldquo;Woe to them when brought to the Last Judgment.&rdquo; Or &ldquo;dearest of gifts&rdquo; may mean the gift of salvation.