(From the "Riming Poem" of the Codex Exoniensis.)
This puzzlingly early appearance of rime in Anglo-Saxon verse, in conjunction with fairly regular alliteration, is of especial interest.[12] "It is supposed," says Schipper, "that this new form has for its foundation the Scandinavian Runhenda, and that this was known to the Anglo-Saxons through the Old Norse poet, Egil Skalagrimsson, who was living in England in the tenth century, and who stayed twice in England at Athelstan's court, writing a poem in Northumbria in the same form." He also observes that the attempt to attain something like equality of feet and half-lines suggests the Norse models.
Sainte Marie, Cristes bur,
Maidenes clenhad, moderes flur,
Dilie mine sinne, rixe in min mod,
Bring me to winne with self god.
(Verses attributed to St. Godric. ab. 1100.)
Godric, the hermit of Norfolk, lived about 1065-1170. These verses seem to give the earliest extant appearance of end-rime in Middle English. The Romance words in the hymn indicate the presence of French influence. (On this hymn see article in Englische Studien, vol. xi. p. 401.)
Woden hehde þa hæhste laȝe an ure ælderne dæȝen.
he heom wes leof: æfne al swa heore lif.
he wes heore walden: and heom wurðscipe duden.
þene feorðe dæi i þere wike: heo ȝiven him to wurðscipe.
þa Þunre heo ȝiven þures dæi: for þi þat heo heom helpen mæi.
Freon heore læfdi: heo ȝiven hire fridæi.
Saturnus heo ȝiven sætterdæi: þene Sunne heo ȝiven sonedæi.
Monenen heo ȝivenen monedæi: Tidea heo ȝeven tisdæi.
þus seide Hængest: cnihten alre hendest.
(Layamon: Brut, ll. 13921-13938. Madden ed., vol. ii. p. 158. ab. 1200.)
On the verse of the Brut see above, p. [119].
Ich æm elder þen ich wes · a wintre and alore.
Ic wælde more þaune ic dude · mi wit ah to ben more.
Wel lange ic habbe child ibeon · a weorde end ech adede.
Þeh ic beo awintre eald · tu ȝyng i eom a rede....
Mest al þat ic habbe ydon · ys idelnesse and chilce.
Wel late ic habbe me bi þoht · bute me god do milce.
(Poema Morale, ll. 1-4, 7, 8. In Zupitza's Alt-und Mittelenglisches Übungsbuch, p. 58. ab. 1200.)