Linguistic facts and the interpretation of Old English poetry

In their admirable edition ofThe WandererDunning and Bliss give the meaning ‘as when’ forswain line 43bpinceð him on mode pæt he his mondryhtenclyppe ond cysse, ond on cneo lecgehonda ond heafod, swa he hwilum ærin geardagum giefstolas breac (41–4)and defend their gloss in the following words: ‘Here literary considerations must outweigh linguistic arguments.’ And in his latest book, Stanley B. Greenfield approves: ‘Thus Bliss–Dunning…can properly say that though usage ofswameaning “as when” here “would be unique”, but [sic] “literary considerations must outweigh linguistic arguments”.’ I do not approve. I would say that Dunning and Bliss have let literary considerations outweigh not linguisticarguments, but linguisticfacts. Hence my title.