The Lord's Prayer in Old English with Middle & Modern Translations – hat-tip Randal Brown

We have discussed language and particularly Shakespearean English. Perhaps a new perspective on analytic philosophy. 

Old English 

Fæder ure şu şe eart on heofonum, 
si şin nama gehalgod. 
to becume şin rice, 
gewurşe ğin willa, 
on eorğan swa swa on heofonum. 
urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg, 
and forgyf us ure gyltas, 
swa swa we forgyfağ urum gyltendum. 
and ne gelæd şu us on costnunge, 
ac alys us of yfele soşlice. 

Middle English 

Oure fadir şat art in heuenes 
halwid be şi name; 
şi reume or kyngdom come to be. 
Be şi wille don 
in herşe as it is dounin heuene. 
yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred. 
And foryeue to us oure dettis şat is oure synnys 
as we foryeuen to oure dettouris şat is to men şat han synned in us. 
And lede us not into temptacion 
but delyuere us from euyl. 

Modern English 

Our father which art in heaven, 
hallowed be thy name. 
Thy kingdom come. 
Thy will be done 
in earth as it is in heaven. 
Give us this day our daily bread. 
And forgive us our trespasses 
as we forgive those who trespass against us. 
And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil. 

  

 

Comments

David Barrows Tue, 02/28/2023 - 18:42

 

This is very interesting - thanks Randal.

I think that what they call ‘Modern’ is the language of the King James Bible (1611), exactly contemporaneous with Shakespeare. 'Middle English is from the time of Chaucer (14th Century) -  ‘Whan that aprille with his shoures sootes … '    (and so forth). Old English is essentially Anglo-Saxon, and I imagine would have originally been written in Runes (not the Lord’s Prayer of course, that would have been before the conversion to Christianity)

This would have been before any outside influence from Norman French, Celtic languages, etc. Controversially, some people claim that Anglo-Saxon does have some outside influences from the Aramaic/Hebrew group of languages, and that this is unique among Germanic languages (also remember, this is before Christianity). This opens up the proverbial (no pun intended) ‘can of worms’.