Page:Runic and heroic poems of the old Teutonic peoples.djvu/34

 ᛏ Tir biþ tacna sum, healdeð trywa wel wiþ æþelingas; a biþ on færylde ofer nihta genipu, næfre swiceþ.

ᛒ Beorc byþ bleda leas, bereþ efne swa ðeah tanas butan tudder, biþ on telgum wlitig, heah on helme hrysted fægere, geloden leafum, lyfte getenge.

ᛖ Eh byþ for eorlum æþelinga wyn, hors hofum wlanc, ðær him hæleþ ymb[e] welege on wicgum wrixlaþ spræce and biþ unstyllum æfre frofur.

ᛗ Man byþ on myrgþe his magan leof: sceal þeah anra gehwylc oðrum swican, forðum drihten wyle dome sine þæt earme flæsc eorþan betæcan.

ᛚ Lagu byþ leodum langsum geþuht, gif hi sculun neþan on nacan tealtum and hi sæyþa swyþe bregaþ and se brimhengest bridles ne gym[eð].

53. H. peak. 56. H. ymb. 59. H. deg inserted above man. 60. H. odrum. 64. H. nejnm. 66. H. gym. 48. Tir (Salzb. AS. TL Goth. Tyz). There can be no doubt that the original name of this letter was Ti (Tiw) from *Tiwaz, cf. ON. Tyr, pi. tivar. This word appears in glosses, e.g. Epinal-Erfort, 663, Corpus, 1293, Mars, Martis: Tiig, and most of the Teutonic peoples use it as a translation of Martis, in the third day of the week. It is natural therefore to suppose that Tir is a misreading for Tiw. If tacna SWOT = star, one would expect it to be the planet Mars <?; but the description of the poem is appropriate rather to " a circumpolar constellation" (Botkine). Possibly the poet had in his mind a word different from the original name of the letter. Cf. ON. tyri (?): lumen (Egilsson, Lexicon Poet. s.v.). E.g. LeiSarvisan, v. 14, harri heims tfyriss; "King of the light of the world."

61. Beorc (Salz. AS. berc, Goth, bercna; cf. ON. bjarkan). The customary meaning "birch" is here unsuitable; but according to the glossaries it can mean "poplar" too, e.g. Epinal-Erfurt, 792, populus: birciae. Corpus, 1609, populus: birce. Wright, Voc. i. 33. 2, 80.13, byre: populus. Anecdota Oxon., 56, 364, 365, byric: populus, betula. byp bleda leas. Doubless popular science. Cf. Evelyn, Silva (London, 1908), i. 128: " I begin the second class with the poplar, of which there are several kinds; white, black, etc., which in Candy 'tis reported bears seeds."

It is a fact, however, that poplars are almost always grown from slips or suckers. For instance, Mr H. J. Elwes declares that he has never found in England a poplar grown from seed either naturally or by nurserymen, that