Anglo-Saxon Poetry

THE poetry of the Old English period is generally grouped in two main divisions, national and Christian. To the former are assigned those poems of which the subjects are drawn from English, or rather Teutonic, tradition and history or from the customs and conditions of English life; to the latter those which deal with Biblical matter, ecclesiastical traditions and religious subjects of definitely Christian origin. The line of demarcation is not, of course, absolutely fixed. Most of the national poems in their present form contain Christian elements, while English influence often makes itself felt in the presentation of Biblical or ecclesiastical subjects. But, on the whole, the division is a satisfactory one, in spite of the fact that there are a certain number of poems as to the classification of which some doubt may be entertained.

It is customary, in its turn, to classify the early national poems in two groups, epic and elegiac. The former ran to very considerable length, while all the extant specimens of the latter are quite short. There are, however, one or two poems which can hardly be brought under either of these heads, and it is probably due to accident that most of the shorter poems which have come down to us are of an elegiac character.

The best example of Old English epic poetry is Beowulf.

The Seafarer is one of the surviving manuscripts of Old English elegiac poetry. It is a 124-line poem that mourns a loss, or more generally, a sorrowful piece of writing. It is told from the point of view of an old seafarer, who is reminiscing and evaluating his life as he has lived it. Though this poem begins as a narrative of a man’s life at sea, it becomes a praise of God. The first 64 lines present a monologue by a seafarer about the hardships and dangers of his life and about his love for the sea. The second half of the poem is a homiletic discourse intended to draw a general moral from the seafarer’s description. It considers the transience of worldly bliss and praises humble, honest living: Heaven is a goal for man to reach by living a good, honorable life. This is a reward to man for believing and having faith. God is shown here as not only one who is to be honoured, but also one who bestows honour onto others.

Texts of Anglo-Saxon Poetry are available here.

Beowulf

Beowulf is the oldest poem in the English language and one of the earliest monuments of the Germanic literature. Like most epic poets, the author of Beowulf is unknown. Although the poem was probably recited as early as the 6-th century, the text of Beowulf manuscript we have today was composed in the 8-th century and not written down until the 10-th. The poem was given the title “Beowulf” only in 1805 and was not printed until 1815.
Although the action takes place in Scandinavia, the poem is unmistakably English. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes took the story to Britain during their invasions, then it was passed on from generation to generation until it was eventually written down by a monk who ornamented the epic with Christian morality. Thus Christian ideas in the poem are blended with the values of warrior society, such as dignity, bravery, and prowess in battle.
The story obviously contains supernatural elements alongside historical facts, as well as certain Christian teaching, but it is most remarkable for the glimpse of Anglo-Saxon society and its values.
At the time Beowulf was composed the ideals of the Anglo-Saxons included loyalty, valour, unselfishness, and sense of justice. The Anglo-Saxons were loyal to their kings, because they depended on him for protection, fame, success, even survival, especially during war, and success was measured by gifts from the king. This loyalty pattern was part of their life.
The poem describes the warriors in battle and at peace, during their feasts and amusements. Though they were sea-faring warriors, the Anglo Saxons were capable of strong emotions, best captured in poetry which was recited or sung. Some men even devoted their lives to this purpose. These skilled minstrels were known as scops.

Content

Hrothgar, King of the Danes, in his old age had built near the sea a hall called Heorot. He and his men gathered there for feasts. One night as they were all sleeping a frightful monster called Grendel broke into the hall, killed thirty of the sleeping warriors, and carried off their bodies to devour them in his lair under the sea. For twelve winters the horrible half-human creature came night after night.
In the nearby kingdom of Geatland there lived Beowulf who was a man of immense strength and courage. When he heard from mariners of Grendel’s murderous attacks, he decided to fight the monster and free the Danes. With fourteen companions he crossed the sea.
The Danes received Beowulf with great hospitality. A big feast was held in his honour at which the queen passed the mead cup to the warriors with her own hand. That night the Danes withdrew with their king. Beowulf stayed saying proudly that he would wrestle with Grendel bare-handed since weapons could not harm the monster. The warriors fell asleep but Beowulf did not. Breaking into the hall, Grendel seized one of Beowulf’s sleeping men and drank his blood. Beowulf fought the monster and managed to tear off his arm at the shoulder. Mortally wounded, Grendel retreated across the moor and plunged into the sea to die. The huge arm of the monster was hanged over the king’s seat. The Danes rejoiced in Beowulf’s victory. Beowulf received rich presents from the king.
The following night the Danes once more went to sleep in the hall after the feast. At midnight Grendel’s mother came to avenge her son’s fatal injury. She carried off the king’s best friend and councilor as well as Grendel’s torn off arm. Beowulf and his men followed the blood trail left by the arm and came to the place where Grendel’s mother had taken refuge. Beowulf plunged into the water and swam into a cave. He fought Grendel’s mother killing her with the magic sword he found in the cave. Beowulf cut off Grendel’s head whose body was also lying there and brought it back to King Hrothgar.
After the great celebration Beowulf returned to his home country, where he was made king. After fifty years of Beowulf’s successful reign he had to face another evil creature. The fire dragon kept watch over an enormous treasure hidden in the mountains. A golden cup was stolen from the treasure. The dragon became furious and began to destroy the country. Beowulf knew it was going to be his final battle. He slayed the dragon and died himself.
The body of the hero was burned on fire, according to the pagan custom. With a great ceremony the Geats cried over the passing of Beowulf, who had a heroic life and a heroic death.

Style

Beowulf has distinctive features of Anglo-Saxon epic poetry, which generally has 4 accented syllables and an indefinite number of unaccented syllables in each line. Each line is separated by a pause known as a caesura, and there are generally two strong beats per part. The halves of the two-part line are linked by alliteration of two or three of the accented syllables. Alliteration gave the language a musical quality. It also played the same role as rhyme in later poetry; it helped the scop and the audience to memorise the poem. Another feature of anglo-saxon poetry is the kenning, a colourful, indirect way of naming something – a battle is “spear play”, the sun is “the candle in the skies”.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-28