swa swa

Old English

Etymology

Compare Old High German sōsō and sōse.

Conjunction

swā swā

1. just as
   • late 9th century, King Alfred's translation of Saint Augustine's Soliloquies

     Lōca nu þæt þū ofergemet ne wilnige, nū ðū hī tōgædere metest. Woldest þū cunnan God swā swā Alipius?

     Look to it now that thy desire be not beyond measure, now that thou comparest them together. Wouldst thou know God just as thou dost Alypius?

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Passion of St. Julian and his wife Basilissa"

     Iulianus sæde ure geþanc is swa swa hit wæs...

     Julianus said, ' our opinion is just as it was;...

2. as
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Saint George, Martyr"

     Nāst þū lā Geori þæt ūre godas swincað mid þē and ġit hī synd ġeþyldiġe þæt hī þe miltsion. Nū lǣre ic ðē swā swā lēofne sunu þæt ðū þæra cristenra lāre forlǣte mid ealle and tō mīnum rǣde hraðe ġebūge swā þæt ðū offriġe þām ārwurðan Appoline and þū mycelne wurðmynt miht swā beġitan.

     Knowest thou not, O George, that our gods are striving with thee, and even yet they are patient, that they may pity thee; now I exhort thee, as a beloved son, that thou altogether quit the Christians' doctrine, and quickly incline to my counsel, so that thou sacrifice to the venerable Apollo, and thou mayest so obtain great honour.

   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "Preface"

     Swa swa ælmihtig wyrhta, he wyrcð his weorc þurh his gecorenan, na swylce he behofige ures fultumes, ac þæt we geearnion þæt ece lif þurh his weorces fremminge.

     As an almighty worker he works his work through his chosen, not because he has need of our aid, but that we may earn eternal life by the performance of his work.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "The Nativity of St. Andrew the Apostle"

     Swā swā hī ǣr mid nette fixodon on sǣlicum yðum, swa dyde Crist þæt hī siððan mid his heofonlican lāre manna sawla gefixodon; forðan ðe hī ætbrudon folces menn fram flæsclicum lustum, and fram woruldlicum gedwyldum to staðolfæstnysse lybbendra eorðan, þæt is to ðam ecan eðle, be ðam cwæð se witega þurh Godes Gast, "Ic asende mine fisceras, and hī gefixiað hī; mine huntan, and hī huntiað hī of ælcere dune and of ælcere hylle."

     As they before with a net had fished on the sea waves, so Christ caused them afterwards by his heavenly lore to fish for the souls of men; for they withdrew the people from fleshly lusts, and from worldly errors to the stability of the earth of the living, that is, to the eternal country, of which the prophet, through God's Spirit, said, "I will send my fishers, and they shall fish for them; my hunters, and they shall hunt them from every down and from every hill."

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Preface"

     Þonne cymð se Antecrist, se bið mennisc mann and soð deofol, swā swā ure Hælend is soðlice mann and God on anum hade.

     Then Antichrist shall come, who is human man and true devil, as our Saviour is truly man and God in one person.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Preface"

     Eft cwæð se Ælmihtiga to þam witegan Isaiam, "Clypa and ne geswic ðu, ahefe þine stemne swā swā byme, and cyð minum folce heora leahtras, and Iacobes hirede heora synna."

     Again the Almighty spake to the prophet Isaiah, "Cry and cease thou not, raise thy voice as a trumpet, and declare to my people their crimes, and to the family of Jacob their sins."

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     Hī comon ða hrædlice, and gemetton Marīan, and Ioseph, and þæt cild geled on anre binne, swa swa him se engel cydde.

     They came then quickly, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the child laid in a bin, as the angel had announced to them.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     And þa hyrdas gecyrdon ongean wuldrigende and herigende God, on eallum ðam ðingum ðe hī gehyrdon and gesāwon, swa swa him gesæd wæs.

     And the shepherds returned glorifying and praising God for all those things which they had heard and seen, as had been told unto them.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     Swa swa on ðam timan be ðæs caseres gebanne gehwilce ænlipige on heora burgum be him sylfum cendon, swa eac nu us cyðað lāreowas Cristes gebann, þæt we ūs gegadrian to his halgan gelaðunge, and on ðære ures geleafan gafol mid estfullum mode him agifan, þæt ure naman beon awritene on lifes bec mid his gecorenum.

     As at that time, according to the emperor's proclamation, each one singly, in their cities, declared concerning himself, so also now do our teachers make known to us Christ's proclamation, that we gather us to his holy congregation, and therein, with devout mind, pay to him the tribute of our faith, that our names may be written in the book of life with his chosen.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     Marīa wæs ða cuma ðær, swā swā þæt godspel ūs segð; and for ðæs folces geðryle wæs þæt gesthus ðearle genyrwed.

     Mary was there a stranger, as the gospel tells us; and through the concourse of people the inn was greatly crowded.

   • c. 992, Ælfric, "On the Nativity of our Lord"

     Þa hyrdas gesawon, and oncneowon be ðam cilde, swā swā him gesǣd wæs.

     The shepherds saw and recognized the child, as had to them been told.

3. even as
   • late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Prayer of Moses (Mid-Lent)"

     Swa swa sume menn doð þe dyslice fæstað ofer heora mihte on gemænelicum lenctene, swa swa we sylfe gesawon oðþæt hi seoce wurdon.

     Even as some men do who foolishly fast beyond their strength in the catholic Lent, even as we ourselves have seen, until they have fallen sick.

4. like
   • Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, year 473

     Þā Wēalas flugon þā Engle swā swā fȳr.

     The Welsh fled the English like fire.

5. according to
   • c. 992, Ælfric, "Preface"

     For þisum antimbre ic gedyrstlæhte, on Gode truwiende, þæt ic ðas gesetnysse undergann, and eac forðam þe menn behofiað godre lare swiðost on þisum timan þe is geendung þyssere worulde, and beoð fela frecednyssa on mancynne ærðan þe se ende becume, swa swa ure Drihten on his godspelle cwæð to his leorning-cnihtum, "Ðonne beoð swilce gedreccednyssa swilce næron næfre ær fram frymðe middangeardes.

     For this cause I presumed, trusting in God, to undertake this task, and also because men have need of good instruction, especially at this time, which is the ending of this world, and there will be many calamities among mankind before the end cometh, according to what our Lord in his gospel said to his disciples, "Then shall be such tribulations as have never been from the beginning of the world.