Three ancient poems were created as mnemonic aids for remembering the rune symbols, their names, meanings and properties. Because the runes changed slightly in each culture the three poems differ in some aspects.

From Runic and Heroic Poems by Bruce Dickins

Fe
Wealth is a source of discord among kinsmen;
the wolf lives in the forest.

Ur
Dross comes from bad iron;
the reindeer often races over the frozen snow.

Thurs
Giant causes anguish to women;
misfortune makes few men cheerful.

As
Estuary is the way of most journeys;
but a scabbard is of swords.

Reidh
Riding is said to be the worst thing for horses;
Reginn forged the finest sword.

Kaun
Ulcer is fatal to children;
death makes a corpse pale.

Hagall
Hail is the coldest of grain;
Christ created the world of old.

Naudhr
Constraint gives scant choice;
a naked man is chilled by the frost.

Isa
Ice we call the broad bridge;
the blind man must be led.

Ar
Plenty is a boon to men;
I say that Frodi was generous.

Sol
Sun is the light of the world;
I bow to the divine decree.

Tyr
Tyr is a one-handed god;
often has the smith to blow.

Bjarkan
Birch has the greenest leaves of any shrub;
Loki was fortunate in his deceit.

Madhr
Man is an augmentation of the dust;
great is the claw of the hawk.

Logr
A waterfall is a River which falls from a mountain-side;
but ornaments are of gold.

Yr
Yew is the greenest of trees in winter;
it is wont to crackle when it burns.

Norwegian Rune Poem in Old Norse (dead link)

(in Modern English)
From Runic and Heroic Poems by Bruce Dickins

Fé - Wealth
Source of discord among kinsmen
and fire of the sea
and path of the serpent.

Úr - Shower
Lamentation of the clouds
and ruin of the hay-harvest
and abomination of the shepherd.

Thurs - Giant
Torture of women
and cliff-dweller
and husband of a giantess.

Óss - God
Aged Gautr
and prince of Ásgardr
and lord of Vallhalla.

Reid - Riding
Joy of the horsemen
and speedy journey
and toil of the steed.

Kaun - Ulcer
Disease fatal to children
and painful spot
and abode of mortification.

Hagall - Hail
Cold grain
and shower of sleet
and sickness of serpents.

Naud - Constraint
Grief of the bond-maid
and state of oppression
and toilsome work.

Iss - Ice
Bark of rivers
and roof of the wave
and destruction of the doomed.

Ár - Plenty
Boon to men
and good summer
and thriving crops.

Sól - Sun
Shield of the clouds
and shining ray
and destroyer of ice.

Tyr
God with one hand
and leavings of the wolf
and prince of temples.

Bjarken - Birch
Leafy twig
and little tree
and fresh young shrub.

Madr - Man
Delight of man
and augmentation of the earth
and adorner of ships.

Lögr - Water
Eddying stream
and broad geysir
and land of the fish.

Yr - Yew
Bent bow
and brittle iron
and giant of the arrow.

Icelandic Rune Poem (in Old Icelandic)

(in Modern English)
From : Runic and Heroic Poems, by Bruce Dickins.

Feoh
Wealth is a comfort to all men;
yet must every man bestow it freely,
if he wish to gain honour in the sight of the Lord.

Ur
The aurochs is proud and has great horns;
it is a very savage beast and fights with its horns;
a great ranger of the moors, it is a creature of mettle.

Thorn
The thorn is exceedingly sharp,
an evil thing for any knight to touch,
uncommonly severe on all who sit among them.

Os
The mouth is the source of all language,
a pillar of wisdom and a comfort to wise men,
a blessing and a joy to every knight.

Rad
Riding seems easy to every warrior while he is indoors
and very courageous to him who traverses the high-roads
on the back of a stout horse.

Cen
The torch is known to every living man by its pale, bright flame;
it always burns where princes sit within.

Gyfu
Generosity brings credit and honour, which support one's dignity;
it furnishes help and subsistence
to all broken men who are devoid of aught else.

Wynn
Bliss he enjoys who knows not suffering, sorrow nor anxiety,
and has prosperity and happiness and a good enough house.

Haegl
Hail is the whitest of grain;
it is whirled from the vault of heaven
and is tossed about by gusts of wind
and then it melts into water.

Nyd
Trouble is oppressive to the heart;
yet often it proves a source of help and salvation
to the children of men, to everyone who heeds it betimes.

Is
Ice is very cold and immeasurably slippery;
it glistens as clear as glass and most like to gems;
it is a floor wrought by the frost, fair to look upon.

Ger
Summer is a joy to men, when God, the holy King of Heaven,
suffers the earth to bring forth shining fruits
for rich and poor alike.

Eoh
The yew is a tree with rough bark,
hard and fast in the earth, supported by its roots,
a guardian of flame and a joy upon an estate.

Peordh
Peorth is a source of recreation and amusement to the great,
where warriors sit blithely together in the banqueting-hall.

Eolh
The Eolh-sedge is mostly to be found in a marsh;
it grows in the water and makes a ghastly wound,
covering with blood every warrior who touches it.

Sigel
The sun is ever a joy in the hopes of seafarers
when they journey away over the fishes' bath,
until the courser of the deep bears them to land.

Tir
Tiw is a guiding star; well does it keep faith with princes;
it is ever on its course over the mists of night and never fails.

Beorc
The poplar bears no fruit; yet without seed it brings forth suckers,
for it is generated from its leaves.
Splendid are its branches and gloriously adorned
its lofty crown which reaches to the skies.

Eh
The horse is a joy to princes in the presence of warriors.
A steed in the pride of its hoofs,
when rich men on horseback bandy words about it;
and it is ever a source of comfort to the restless.

Mann
The joyous man is dear to his kinsmen;
yet every man is doomed to fail his fellow,
since the Lord by his decree will commit the vile carrion to the earth.

Lagu
The ocean seems interminable to men,
if they venture on the rolling bark
and the waves of the sea terrify them
and the courser of the deep heed not its bridle.

Ing
Ing was first seen by men among the East-Danes,
till, followed by his chariot,
he departed eastwards over the waves.
So the Heardingas named the hero.

Ethel
An estate is very dear to every man,
if he can enjoy there in his house
whatever is right and proper in constant prosperity.

Dæg
Day, the glorious light of the Creator, is sent by the Lord;
it is beloved of men, a source of hope and happiness to rich and poor,
and of service to all.

Ac
The oak fattens the flesh of pigs for the children of men.
Often it traverses the gannet's bath,
and the ocean proves whether the oak keeps faith
in honourable fashion.

Æsc
The ash is exceedingly high and precious to men.
With its sturdy trunk it offers a stubborn resistance,
though attacked by many a man.

Yr
Yr is a source of joy and honour to every prince and knight;
it looks well on a horse and is a reliable equipment for a journey.

Ior
Iar is a river fish and yet it always feeds on land;
it has a fair abode encompassed by water, where it lives in happiness.

Ear
The grave is horrible to every knight,
when the corpse quickly begins to cool
and is laid in the bosom of the dark earth.
Prosperity declines, happiness passes away
and covenants are broken.

Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem (in Anglo-Saxon)

There is yet another rune poem, the Abcedarium Nordmanicum, discovered in a manuscript written in the 9th century, written in high and low German. This is sometimes referred to as the "Old Swiss Rune Poem". It relates to the Younger Futhark.

Fee first,
Aurochs after,
Thurs the third stave,
The Åse is above him,
Wheel is written last,
Then cleaves cancre;
Hail has need;
Ice, year, and sun.
Tiu, birch and man in the middle;
Water the bright,
Yew holds all.

Three versions of the Abcedarium Nordmanicum are available on the Woden's Harrow website, along with a Real Audio sound file.

Feoh: wealth
Wealth should flow,
constantly circulating
to promote the common good.
Sellers, buyers, investors, and the taxing authorities
portion out between them
the incomes of the folk.
Money sitting idle
causes only harm.

Ur: the wild ox
One must grab life's challenges by the horn's
to ride the waves of one's wyrd.
Before such a powerful one
the world becomes one's domain.

Thorn: the thorn
Computers crash
and planes fall out the skies.
That is the nature of things
and not always evil in intent.
Even good people sometimes cause
good people harm.

Os: language
The worlds came into being thru
the crashing sounds of fire and ice.
Sound and the maker sounds
the divine word is spoken.
Wisdom and tradition
give comfort to the folk
in times of great changes.

Rad: riding
When one sits in one's home
everything looks so easy;
talk is easier than action.
To walk in another's shoes
and do better,
that is a most difficult task.

Cen: the torch
The inner light which is never extinguished
brightens the dark weary world.
This body is a great hall;
the mind sits in the body's high seat.
The call to faith
a torch carrying procession.

Gyfu: the gift
The giver and the giftee
form a circle of obligation.
As these are the bonds
which form true community.
Tho one can give too much
and receive that which one doesn't want.

Wyn: joy
It is bliss to reach the state of happiness:
no suffering, no sorrows, great joy.
To have the necessities of life
and to be able to help others.
Even in a reversal of fortune
one who is truly free
can still find joy
in this world and in other realms.

Haegl: hail
Even a good life has its days.
As a hard rain good for the crops
turns to a hail storm that flattens them.
Even then the bad times don't last;
even the thickest hail
melts away.

Nyd: need
Need is the manifestation of desire;
the bondage of will to the external object.
It can be oppressive
but it can also be the key to liberation.
In organizing with others
bonds of oppression can be broken.

Is: ice
Ice driven back by fire;
mists of crashing cosmic forces.
A space for the nine worlds was created
along with the body (ice)
and the energies (fire).

Ger: the year
The sky wolves have retreated;
Sunna warms the land below.
Freyr and Freya have
bestowed upon us a great bounty
for all the folk.

Eoh: the yew
Symbol of Yggdrasil
the yew is strong
and holds many worlds within its branches.
It offers much support
to those who grow it.

Peorth: the hall
In the shelter of the world tree
many great halls have been built.
So that all peoples can go
to be with their patron deity
according to the rules of their faith.
No one can be excluded from the protection of the Tree
save those who exclude themselves
by evil deeds.

Eolhx: a water plant that bites
Even a plant can cause harm
if used without caution;
danger lurks even in the safest place.

Sigel: the sun
Sunna is the goddess of hope.
She points out the way
and gives us the energy for life's work.

Tir: a star
Tyr is the way.
He is the sky father
who guides us
thru life winding paths,
never abandons us
to darkness.

Beorc: the birch
Your green leaves bloom early
giving us knowledge
that Spring has come again.

Eh: the horse
Embodiment of godly power
thought the body of the horse
people share its might.

Man: the human being
Be happy in life.
Bring happiness to your friends
and relations.
Yet be aware that death is always waiting.

Lagu: the sea
The sea is the cauldron of chaos;
creative matrix,
playground of Ran,
from which human beings came.

Ing: the god of fertility
He moves across the lands;
visiting his farmer friends
giving gifts of great bounty.

Ethel: native land
One loves the land they live upon
sharing in its rights and duties.
Thus the land protects its friends
if its friends respect it.

Daeg: the day
We shine in the light of the deities.
Tho day is followed by night;
life by death,
we know that after night comes a new day.
So death is followed by new life
in whatever way that arises.

Ac: the oak
The daughter of the great tree
she provides us and animals
with food and shelter.

Aesc: the ash
Like the mighty ash
may we have the power
to withstand the attacks
of our enemies

Yr: the bow
Getting on a jet
I fly straight as an arrow
to my destination.

Iar: a sea creature
The world serpent has us all
in its grip;
lord of eternity
the cycle of birth and death.

Ear: the clay
Death is the end of all.
Even the most powerful
and wealthy people
are seized in the end.
Yet don't despair,
for life goes on
and so do all which die
come back to some form of life.

 

© 1996 by Jim Davis. Used with permission of the author. The poem is included in Davis's Waking Up After a Night on the Town with the Mead of Inspiration & Eros Insurgent . ISBN: 0595182135.
These meditations are based upon personal reflections on the Anglo-Saxon Rune Poem. The author's main source was The Rune Poem: Wisdom's Fulfillment, Prophecy's Reach, by Jim Paul, Chronicle Books, San Francisco 1996