For a long time now people have spoken, illogically, about ‘translating’ texts from Old English, ie Anglo Saxon, into Modern English. Such an act of linguistic modernisation is not translation, even if there are very clear lexical and grammatical differences in the two phases of the language. How so? This is best illustrated by putting the process into reverse. We can very swiftly recognise that good English prose remains good even if you take it back a thousand years:
Hwæt wæs þæt þing? Hwæt woldst þu þæt wesan?
Þær wæs ic, þæt is Alex, and mine þry freondas, þæt is Pete, Georgie, and Dim, Dim soþlice swiðe dim, and we sæton in þære meduhealle smeagende on urum mode hwæt we don sceoldon be þære æfentide, ane deorce winterniht, þeah þe hio dryge wære.
Seo meduheall wæs stow milces, and ge magon, Eala mine gebroðra, habban forgiten hu swylce stowa wæron, þa ðing swa micclum on þissum dagum awendende and ælcman swiðe hrædlice forgietende. Wel, þæt þe hi þær sealdon wæs meolc mid sumum oðrum.
Hi næfdon nan riht ealu to sellanne, ac þær wæs gyt nan lagu ongean þæt man gemengde sume þara niwra drenca þe hi gewunodon to donne on þæt ealde meolc, swa þæt ge hit drincan mihton mid hrædnesse oððe anum twam oðrum þingum þe eow sealde ane fægere stille fiftene minutan God and Ealle His Halgan Englas and Halgan on eowrum winstran scoe behealdende mid leohtum burstande eall ofer eower ansyn. Oððe ge mihton drincan meolc mid seaxum on, swa swa we gewunodon secgan, and þis wolde eow hwettan and gearwe macian to sumere dæl fulre unclænnesse, and þæt wæs þæt we druncon on þissere æfentide þe ic þas gereccednysse mid onginne.
Organic intelligence, artificially presented