Cildbóc 1
Ic ongann betwux fuglflēogeas gegaderian þā ic wæs eahta oþþe nigon geara.
Æt forman ne wæs ic swiðe āblīfed; ic dyde hit forþan þe hit wæs þæt swīnc.
Ac on þǣm oþrum sumore, þā ic wæs ymbe tīen geara, ic wæs eallunga gefēted on þǣm plegan, and ic wæs swā swīðe hine genīwed þæt ic forlēte ōwiht oðer, and manegum sīðe mīn frēondas wēndon hī mōston mē āwītan.
Ða ic utēode to begietan scīnflygende, næfre ic gehyrde þæs tūres clucgan clypian, ne on scoltīde ne on mete-tīde.
On hæþenum dagum ic oft begæte hlafes mete on minne bæc and ræne ymbdæges fram ær morgen til fæste nihtes, næs ic eac ham cuman to ætmete.
Đā nū, þā ic gesēo fægerne flēoge-fugol, sīe hwīlum þæt lufu on mīnum æðmum wacnað.
On þǣm tīdum ic for swīþe forþrymmedbeon on stund þurh þone ungerīmlican, gostlicran, dyrstigran wundorþēaw þe āna cild mæge ānaġe fēlan.
Hit wæs þæt ilce þearf þæt ic hæfde þonne ic ærest upsticode on ealdne worulde swanemæth þonne ic wæs cild.
And on ǣlces swālicra tīda ic onsundran geman māðmas mīnra cildhæfde.
Bærende æfnas on þǣm þēowonlicum, stincendum wildernesse, cylde mergenan on þǣm wyrtgearde, æfena on ege ðæs digolre holtes, ic wæs bidende mid mīnum tīege swā swā se hordseċere.
And þā ic gemette fægerne fliogereflēoge, nǣs mǣre þæt hē wǣre swīþe sǣlðe.
Þā ic ānsēah ārestende on sunnanblōme, hyra fāgeru flēogeplēga hwīlum ūp and nīðer rīhte mid ānum ǣtmōde, ic nēah forstefnode wæs of blisse þæt ic hīe āfæng, and þā ic hīe nēar and nēar geneahte, ǣlces bēames scīnendlicra spella, ǣlces hyra wægfæstra fǣrra glēawnysse, ǣlces þāra swītra rēdfa loca on hyra hyra ōrhār, sētung and blīþscipe ic gefēol wæs ǣr eallum unrivaled.
þā ic āns ætēode wunigende on sunnanblōste, his lēoflicu scīnan fēogel, þāra hwīta wenge hytten up and dūn mid ælcum brēowe, ic geþōhte nēah forþy swā blīþe bēon þrēatode tō ādrifan hit; and þā ic nēah nēah geglencedon, ælc þæs fyrenlican bēamas blēo, ælc þā ǣdlīcan ēaðmōdan ætsīen on his wenge, ælc þā swīðe fīne rēdbrūne hȳr on his ōrmælum, þǣre þrēat and blisse ic gefēonde wæs ungemetelig.
Ic næfre se þæt gemengedlice blis and swiðe gewilnung swa oft æfter þon ne gemette.
