In ðeosse abbudissan mynstre ƿæs sum brōðor syndriglīce mid godcundre gife gemaīred ond geƿordðad, for þon hī of godcundan stafum þurh bōceras geleornode, þæt hī æfter medmiclum fæce in scopgereorde mid þā maīstan sƿītnisse ond inbryrdnisse geglengde, ond in Engliscgereorde ƿel geƿorht forþ brōhte. Ond for his līoþsongum monigra monna mōd oft tō ƿorulde forhogdnisse ond tō geþīodnisse þæs heofonlīcan līfes onbærnde ƿaīron. Ond īac sƿelce monige ōðre æfter him in Ongelþīode ongunnan aīfteste līoð ƿyrcan, ac naīnig hƿæðre him þæt gelīce dōn ne meahte; for þon hī nālæs from monnum nī þurh mon gelaīred ƿæs þæt hī þone līoðcræft leornade, ac hī ƿæs godcundlīce gefultumod, ond þurh Godes gife þone songcræft onfīng; ond hī for ðon naīfre nōht līasunge, nī īdles līoþes ƿyrcan ne meahte, ac efne þa ān ðā ðe tō aīfestnisse belumþon, ond hīs þā aīf�stan tungangedeofanade singan.
ƿæs hī sī mon in ƿeoruldhāde geseted oð þā tīde þe hī ƿæs gelȳfdre ylde, ond naīfre naīnig līoð geleornade. Ond hī for þon oft in gebīorscipe, þonne þaīr ƿæs blisse intinga gedīmed, þæt hīo ealle sceolden þurh endebyrdnesse be hearpan singan, þonne hī geseah þā hearpan him nīalīcan, þonne ārās hī for scome from þaīm symble, ond hām īode tō his hūse. ðā hī þæt þā sumre tīde dyde, þæt hī forlīt þæt hūs þæs gebīorscipes, ond ūt ƿæs gongende tō nīata scipene, þāra heord him ƿæs þaīre neahte beboden; þā hī ðā þaīr in gelimplīce tīde his leomu on reste gesette ond onslīpte, þā stōd him sum mon æt þurh sƿefn, on hine hālette on grītte, on hine be his noman nemnde: 'Cedmon, sing mī hƿæthƿugu.' þā ondsƿarede hī, on cƿæð: 'Ne con ic nōht singan; ond ic for þon of þeossum gebīorscipe ūt īode ond hider geƿāt, for þon ic nāht singan ne cūðe.' Eft hī cƿæð sī ðe ƿið hine sprecende ƿæs: 'Hƿæðre þū meaht mī singan.' þā cƿæð hī: 'Hƿæt sceal ic singan?' Cƿæð hī: 'Sing mī frumsceaft.' þā hī ðā þās andsƿare onfīng, þā ongon hī sōna singan, in herenesse Godes Scyppendes, þā fres ond þā ƿord þe hī naīfre ne gehȳrde, þāra endebyrdnes þis is:
Nū ƿī sculon herigean
heofonrīces ƿeard,
Meotodes meahte
ond his mōdgeþanc,
ƿeorc ƿuldorfæder,
sƿā hī ƿundra gehƿæs,
īce Drihten
ōr onstealde.
Hī aīrest scīop
eorðan bearnum
heofan tō hrōfe,
hālig Scyppend;
þā middangeard
monncynnes ƿeard
īce Drihten,
æfter tīode
fīrum foldan,
Frīa ælmihtig.
þā ārās hī from þaīm slaīpe, ond eal þā þe hī slaīpende song fæste in gemynde hæfde. ond þaīm ƿordum sōna monig ƿord in þæt ilce gemet Gode ƿyrðes songes tōgeþīodde. þā cōm hī on morgenne tō þaīm tūngerīfan, sī þe his ealdormon ƿæs: sægde him hƿylc gife hī onfeng; on hī hine sōna tō þaīre abbudissan gelaīdde, ond hire þæt cȳðde ond sægde. þā heht hīo gesomnian ealle þā gelaīredestan men ond þā leorneras, ond him ondƿeardum hīt secgan þæt sƿefn, on þæt līoð singan þæt ealra heora dōme gecoren ƿaīre, hƿæt oððe hƿonan þæt cumen ƿaīre. þā ƿæs him eallum gesegen, sƿā sƿā hit ƿæs, þæt him ƿaīre from Drihtne sylfum heofonlīc gifu forgifen. þā rehton hīo him ond sægdon sum hālig spell ond godcundre lāre ƿord: bebudon him þā, gif hī meahte, þæt hī in sƿīnsunge līoðsonges þæt gehƿyrfde. þā hī ðā hæfde þā ƿīsan onfongne, þā īode hī hām tō his hūse, ond cƿōm eft on morgenne, ond þȳ betstan līoðe geglenged him āsong ond āgeaf þæt him beboden ƿæs.
ðā ongan sīo abbudisse clyppan ond lufigean þā Godes gife in þaīm men, ond hīo hine þā monade ond laīrde þæt hī ƿoruldhād ānforlīte ond munuchād onfīnge: ond hī þæt ƿel þafode. Ond hīo hine in þæt mynster onfīng mid his gōdum, ond hine geþīodde tō gesomnunge þāra Godes þīoƿa, on heht hine laīran þæt getæl þæs hālgan staīres on spelles. Ond hī eal þā [þe] hī in gehȳrnesse geleornian meahte, mid hine gemyndgade, ond sƿā sƿā claīne nīten eodorcende in þæt sƿīteste līoð gehƿyrfde. Ond his song ond his līoð ƿaīron sƿā ƿynsumu tō gehȳranne, þætte seolfan þā his lārīoƿas æt his mūðe ƿreoton ond leornodon. Song hī aīrest be middangeardes gesceape, ond bī fruman moncynnes, ond eal þæt staīr Genesis, þæt is sīo aīreste Moyses booc; ond eft bī ūtgonge Israhīla folces of Aīgypta londe, on bī ingonge þæs gehātlandes; ond bī ōðrum monegum spellum þæs hālgan geƿrites canones bōca; ond bī Crīstes menniscnesse, ond bī his þrōƿunge, on bī his ūpāstīgnesse in heofonas; on bī þæs Hālgan Gāstes cyme, ond þāra apostola lāre; ond eft bī þaīm dæge þæs tōƿeardan dōmes, ond bī fyrhtu þæs tintreglīcan ƿiites, ond bī sƿītnesse þæs heofonlecan rīces, hī monig līoð geƿorhte; ond sƿelce īac ōðer monig be þaī godcundan fremsumnessum ond dōmum bī geƿorhte. In eallum þaīm hī geornelīce gīmde þæt hī men ātuge from synna lufan ond māndaīda, ond tō lufan ond tō geornfulnesse āƿehte gōdra daīda; for þon hī ƿæs sī mon sƿīþe aīfest ond regollecum þīodscipum īaðmōdlīce underþīoded; ond ƿið þaīm þā ðe in ōðre ƿīsan dōn ƿoldon, hī ƿæs mid ƿelme micelre ellenƿōdnisse onbærned. Ond hī for ðon fægre ende his līf betȳnde on geendade.
For þon þā ðaīre tīde nīalaīcte his geƿitenesse ond forðfōre, þā ƿæs hī fīoƿertȳnum dagum aīr; þæt hī ƿæs līchomlīcre untrymnesse þrycced ond hefgad, hƿæðre tō þon gemetlīce þæt hī ealle þā tīd meahte ge sprecan ge gongan. ƿæs þaīr in nīaƿeste untrumra monna hūs, in þaīm heora þīaƿ ƿæs þæt hīo þā untruman on þā ðe æt forðfōre ƿaīron in laīdan sceoldon, ond him þaīr ætsomne þegnian. þā bæd hī his þegn on aīfenne þaīre neahte þe hī of ƿorulde gongende ƿæs þæt hī in þaīm hūse him stōƿe gegearƿode, þæt hī gerestan meahte. þā ƿundrode sī þegn for hƿon hī ðæs baīde, for þon him þūhte þæt his forðfōr sƿā nīah ne ƿaīre: dyde hƿæðre sƿā sƿā hī cƿæð ond bibīad. Ond mid þȳ hī ðā þaīr on reste īode, ond hī gefīonde mōde sumu þing mid him sprecende ætgædere ond glīoƿiende ƿæs þe þaīr aīr inne ƿaīron þā ƿæs ofer middeneaht þæt hī frægn, hƿæðer hīo aīnig hūsl inne hæfdon. þā ondsƿarodon hīo ond cƿaīdon: 'Hƿylc þearf is ðī hūsles? Ne þīnre forþfōre sƿā nīah is, nu þū þus rōtlīce ond þus glædlīce tō ūs sprecende eart.' Cƿæð hī eft: 'Berað mī hūsl tō.' þā hī hit þā on honda hæfdem þā frægn hī, hƿæþer hīo ealle smolt mōd ond būton eallum incan blīðe tō him hæfdon. þā ondsƿaredon hȳ ealle, ond cƿaīdon þæt hīo naīnigne incan tō him ƿiston, ac hīo ealle sƿīðe hlīðemōde ƿaīron; ond hīo ƿrīxendlīce hine baīdon þæt hī him eallum nlīðe ƿaīre. þā ondsƿarade hī ond cƿæð: 'Mīne brōðor, mīne þā līofan, ic eom sƿīðe blīðemōd tō īoƿ ond tō eallum Godes monnum.' Ond hī sƿā ƿæs hine getrymmende mid þȳ heofonlecan ƿegneste, ond him ōðres līfes ingong gegearƿode. þā gȳt hī frægn, hū nīah þaīre tīde ƿaīre þætte þā brōðor ārīsan sceoldon, ond Godes lof raīran ond heora ūhtsong singan. þā ondsƿaredon hīo: 'Nis hit feor tō þon.' Cƿæð hī: 'Teala, ƿuton ƿī ƿel þaīre tīde bīdan;' ond þā him gebæd, ond hine gesegnode mid Crīstes rōdetācne, ond his hīafod onhylde tō þām bolstre, ond medmicel fæc onslīpte, ond sƿā mid stilnesse his līf geendade. Ond sƿā ƿæs geƿorden þætte sƿā sƿā hī hlūttre mōde ond bilƿiltre ond smyltre ƿilsumnesse Drihtne þīode, þæt hī īac sƿylce sƿā smylte dīaðe middangeard ƿæs forlaītende, ond tō his gesihðe becƿōm. Ond sīo tunge þe sƿā monig hālƿende ƿord in þæs Scyppendes lof gesette, hī ðā sƿelce īac þā ȳtmæstan ƿord in his herenisse, hine seolfne segniende ond his gāst in his honda bebīodende, betȳnde. īac sƿelce þæt is gesegen þæt hī ƿaīre geƿis his seolfes forðfōre of þaīm þe ƿī nū secgan hȳrdon.