Ōhthere sǣde his hlāforde,
Ӕlfrede cyninge,
þӕt he ealra Norðmonna norþmest būde.
[« trans]
(
Ohthere said to his lord, King Alfred, that of all the Northmen he dwelt farthest north.
)
Hē cwӕð þӕt hē būde on þǣm lande norþweardum wiþ þā Westsǣ.
[« trans]
(
He said that he lived in the land northwards beside the West Sea.
)
Hē sǣde þēah þӕt þӕt land sīe swiþe lang norþ þonan;
ac it is eal wēste,
būton on fēawum stōwum styccemǣlum wīciað Finnas,
on huntoðe on wintra,
ond on sumera,
on fiscaðe be þǣre sǣ.
[« trans]
(
He said though that the land is very long north from there; but it is all waste land, except in a few places here and there Fins live, on hunting in winter, and in summer on fishing along the sea.
)
Hē sǣde þӕt hē æt summe cirre wolde fandian hū lo̧nge þӕt land norþryhte lǣge,
oþþe hwӕðer ӕnig mon be norðan þǣm wēstenne būde.
[« trans]
(
He said that he wished to discover on some occassion how long the land lay due north, and whether any man lived due north of the wilderness.
)
Þā fōr hē norþryhte be þǣm lande:
lēt him ealne weg þӕt wēste land on ðӕt stēorbord,
ond þā wīdsǣ on ðӕt bӕcbord,
þrīe dagas.
[« trans]
(
Then he went due north along the land: all the way he allowed the waste land to remain on the starboard, and the open sea on the larboard for three days.
)
Þā wӕs hē swā feor norþ swā þā hwӕlhuntan firrest faraþ.
[« trans]
(
Then he was as far north as the whale hunters farthest travelled.
)
Þā fōr hē þā gīet norþryhte swā feor swā hē meahte on þǣm ōþrum þrīm dagum gesiglan.
[« trans]
(
Then he went further north as far as he might yet sail in the next three days.
)
Þā bēag þӕt land þǣr ēastryhte,
oþþe sēo sǣ in on þӕt land,
hē nysse hwӕðer,
būtan hē wisse þӕt hē þǣr bād westanwindes and hwōn norþan,
ond gesiglde þā east be lande swā swā hē meahte on fēower dagum gesiglan.
[« trans]
(
Then the land turned eastwards there, or the sea into the land, he did not know which, but he he knew that he waited for west winds there and somewhat from the north, and then [he] sailed
eastwards along land as [far] as he might sail in four days .
)
Þā sceolde hē ðǣr bīdan ryhtnorþanwindes,
forðǣm þӕt land bēag þǣr sūþryhte,
oþþe sēo sǣ in on ðӕt land,
hē nysse hwӕþer.
[« trans]
(
Then he had to wait there for direct north winds, because the land turned southwards there, or the sea into the land, he did not know which.
)
Þā siglde hē þonan sūðryhte be lande swā swā hē meahte on fīf dagum gesiglan.
[« trans]
(
Then he sailed from there southwards along the land as [far] as he might in five days sailing.
)
Ðā lӕg þǣr ān micel ēa up in on þӕt land.
[« trans]
(
Then there flowed a great river up into the land.
)
Þā cirdon hīe up in on ðā ēa,
forðǣm hīe ne dorston forþ bī þǣre ēa siglan for unfriþe;
forðǣm ðӕt land wӕs eall gebūn on oþre healfe þǣre ēas.
[« trans]
(
Then they turned up into the river, because they did not dare to sail forth along [past] the river due to hostility; because the land was completely cultivated on the other side of the river.
)
Ne mētte hē ǣr nān gebūn land,
siþþan hē fram his āgnum hām fōr;
ac him wӕs ealne weg wēste land on þӕt stēorbord,
būtan fiscerum ond fugelerum ond huntum,
ond þӕt wǣron eall Finnas;
ond him wӕs ā wīdsǣ on þӕt bӕcbord.
[« trans]
(
He had not previously encountered any cultivated land, since he departed from his own home; moreover for him [it] was all wasteland on the starboard, except for fishermen and fowlers and hunters, and they were all Finns; and for him [it] was always wide open sea on the larboard.
)
Þā Beormas hӕfdon swīþe wel gebūd hira land:
ac hīe ne dorston þǣr on cuman.
[« trans]
(
The Permians had cultivated their land very well: but they did not dare to enter into there.
)
Ac þāra Terfinna land wӕs eal wēste,
būton ðǣr huntan gewīcodon,
oþþe fisceras,
oþþe fugeleras.
[« trans]
(
But the Terfins land was all desert, except where hunters dwelt, or fishermen, or fowlers.
)