Earliest text The oldest known version of the poem is the Northumbrian aelda recension.[32] The surviving witnesses to this text, Cambridge, University Library, Kk. 5. 16 (M) and St. Petersburg, National Library of Russia, lat. Q. v. I. 18 (P), date to at least the mid-8th century. M in particular is traditionally ascribed to Bede's own monastery and life time, though there is little evidence to suggest it was copied much before the mid-8th century.[33]
The following text has been transcribed from M (mid-8th century; Northumbria). Text has been normalised to show modern punctuation and line- and word-division:
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Nu scylun hergan hefaenricaes uard
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Now must we honour the guardian of heaven, |