About the Poem
The Dream of the Rood is an Anglo-Saxon poem rendition of the story of Christ's Crucifixion. It is recorded in its most complete form in codex CXVII, The Vercelli Book, at the cathedral library in Vercelli, Northern Italy. Various scholars have dated the book from about 950 - 1050 ad, and the poem itself was probably first told even earlier. The version of the poem recorded in The Vercelli Book is written in classical late West Saxon.
Parts of the poem were also inscribed on the Ruthwell Cross (Dumfreisshire) in runes. The cross dates to the late seventh or early eighth century. But some scholars believe the poem was inscribed in the cross after its creation, and so it may not be that old. The Ruthwell Cross was dissembled in the mid-1600s, and was not reassembled and discovered for the gem that it is until the nineteenth century. It suffered serious corrosion during the time it was in pieces. It now stands in the apse of the church at Dumfreisshire. There exist a number of transcriptions of the poem from various points in the cross's history, which are the best sources for the runic text.
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Sources:
Swanton, Michael. The Dream of the Rood. New York: Barnes & Noble, Inc., 1970.
External Links:
Wikipedia: the Dream of the Rood