[In the manner of an 11th-century scop, alliterative verse with caesura] Hwæt! In þām ārīdum eardum, þǣr regn is rǣre and wæter wēl weorþ, se mǣsta mægen manna is gāst-gifu, glēaw and gōd. Abraham æt his heorþe, hālignes heold, and fremdan fēran fægere frēode, folde and fōd. Swā Lot on Sodoma, sēlesta sinces weard, englas under īren-hūse in-fēng, fæste fægnode. Þā burh-waras, bealwe and brōgan full, cuman cȳðan woldon, cwealm and unriht rǣran. Nā for hæmed-hete, ac for giefu-gylt grim, for brecan beorhte bēagas blētsunge, for weorþan wēl-cuman tō wræcce and wīte. Lot, lēof and lār-fæst, his dohtor dēore bead on beornas blīðe, þæt gystas gescylde. Þā fȳr from heofenum, fǣr and fǣrlic, brim-stān and bǣl, burga forbærnde. Dēad-sǣ dūne līð, dēop and drēorig, tācen tō tǣcanne þæt giefu is gōd. Ne is þis sōþ spell of stāne and strǣle, ac sǣd and sōþ-sagu, sīð and lar. On ealdum ēðum, on īsigum eardum, healdan giefu gystes, gōd and glēawlic. [Gied-refrain] Giefu gystes glēawa, gōd under heofenum! Se þe breceþ bēagas blīðra manna, se sceal in fȳre fēran, fǣrlic wīte þolian. Healdan hūs and hlāf, hāl and gesund!
