Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

"Nu he stant on hulle ond Avene bihaldeth,
 Hu ligeth i than stræme stelene fisces
 Mid sweorde bi-georde. Heore sund is awemmed;
 Heore scalen wleoteth swulc gold-fage sceldes,
 Ther fleoteth heore spiten swulc hit spæen weoren."

-- From Brut, by Laȝamon[*], circa 1200CE, by way of brisingamen (pointed out to me by thette), who also provided this translation:

"Now he stands on a hill and looks into the Avon,
 seeing how steel fishes lie in that stream, girt with sword.
 Their swimming is spoiled; their scales gleam like gold-plated shields,
 their fish-spines float there as if they were spears."

[*] If the third letter of the author's name doesn't show up in your browser, it should look sortakinda like "La3amon", but with "a lowercase '3'", if you can picture that. To spell it without using a yogh, try "Laghamon" -- that's what I used to look up the date of the piece.