Everyone sing along now

[pcolbeck]

Incipit gestis Rudolphi rangifer tarandus

Hwæt, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor --
Næfde þæt nieten unsciende næsðyrlas!
Glitenode and gladode godlice nosgrisele.
Ða hofberendas mid huscwordum hine gehefigodon;
Nolden þa geneatas Hrodulf næftig
To gomene hraniscum geador ætsomne.
Þa in Cristesmæsseæfne stormigum clommum,
Halga Claus þæt gemunde to him maðelode:
"Neahfreond nihteage nosubeorhtende!
Min hroden hrædwæn gelæd ðu, Hrodulf!"
Ða gelufodon hira laddeor þa lyftflogan --
Wæs glædnes and gliwdream; hornede sum gegieddode
"Hwæt, Hrodulf readnosa hrandeor,
Brad springð þin blæd: breme eart þu!"


Rendered literally into modern English from Anglo-Saxon:

Here begins the deeds of Rudolph, Tundra-Wanderer

Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer --
That beast didn't have unshiny nostrils!
The goodly nose-cartilage glittered and glowed.
The hoof-bearers taunted him with proud words;
The comrades wouldn't allow wretched Hrodulf
To join the reindeer games.
Then, on Christmas Eve bound in storms
Santa Claus remembered that, spoke formally to him:
"Dear night-sighted friend, nose-bright one!
You, Hrodulf, shall lead my adorned rapid-wagon!"
Then the sky-flyers praised their lead-deer --
There was gladness and music; one of the horned ones sang
"Lo, Hrodulf the red-nosed reindeer,
Your fame spreads broadly, you are renowned!"

[Ruthie]

 

[mattc]

"Rudolph, Tundra-Wanderer" is lovely!

[T42]

I had a look into Teach Yourself Old English about 40 years ago, and didn't.  Me hat's off.

Not too sure about that godly nose-gristle, though.

[rogerzilla]

There's a Latin version, quite popular with choral societies as a seasonal joke.

[liam_whippet]

Talking of which,

if I may, gently..

'Res gestae' are "the deeds"; they are the subject, and they are plural - so your verb will be, too: 'incipiunt'.

'Rudolphi' is genitive, cos they are his deeds*; but if Rudolphi is genitive, so are rangifer and tarandus, cos they are adjectives which agree with their noun: 'rangiferi tarandi'.

So we have: 'Incipiunt res gestae Rudolphi rangiferi tarandi.'   

We'd then bugger about with the word order for emphasis [cos the word-endings now tell us what goes with what]. So we get

'Rudolphi incipiunt res gestae rangiferi tarandi.'   

</Life of Brian, 'Romans go home'>

[Aaargh - just noticed that it's the first 5 feet of a hexameter... Not done this for a while, so I may be some time...]

[Jakob W]

Very good; I may have to steal this (with attribution)...

[pcolbeck]

Very good; I may have to steal this (with attribution)...

wasnt me who wrote it. I nicked it from a post on Facebook  thatbdidnt provide atribution either.
Wish I coild read/write Anglo Saxon though.