KT

Well, you got me fully beaten ... the Mudcat never ceases to amaze me. The "Stewards of The Earth" hymn is a loose translation of "Caedmon's Hymn" (written around 670-680 AD) - the first hymn ever written in the English language. I know, because I've been trying to write a good translation into modern English for a month or two!

Here's the original

Nu scylun hergan         hefaenricaes uard,
metudæs maecti         end his modgidanc,
uerc uuldurfadur,         sue he uundra gihuaes,
eci dryctin,         or astelidæ.
He aerist scop         aelda barnum
heben til hrofe,         haleg scepen;
tha middungeard         moncynnæs uard,
eci dryctin,         æfter tiadæ
firum foldu,         frea allmectig.

Do you know where it came from (what hymnal, who translated it?) Here's some other attempts at translating it.

:-)