BeowulfThis acclaimed modern verse translation of the timeless epic of bravery and battle captures the drama and tone of the Old English narrative poem. Here is the stirring legend of Beowulf, the great hero who saves the Danish king from the monster Grendel—only to face the avenging wrath of Grendel’s Mother. The first masterpiece of English literature, it has survived for centuries, passed down across generations through numerous versions. In this modern verse translation, Frederick Rebsamen conjures both the excitement of Beowulf’s adventures and the richness of the Old English poetic form. “No self-respecting college professor will want his students to be without it . . . With the subtle rules of alliteration, stress, and pause in place—and with a translator bold enough to invent his own vigorous and imaginative compound nouns—the poem suddenly takes flight and carries us to the highest mountains of achievement.” —Booklist “There are lots of translations of Beowulf floating around, some prose, some poetry, but none manages to capture the feel and tone of the original as well as this one.” —Dick Ringler, Professor of English and Scandinavian Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison |
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Beowulf: An Updated Verse Translation (Perennial Classics) Frederick Rebsamen No preview available - 2013 |
Common terms and phrases
ale-cups Anglo-Saxon armor barrow battle beloved benches Beowulf poet Beowulf spoke bore bountiful Breca bright brother cold corselets Danes Danish dark death deathwards Denmark dragon Eadgils Eanmund earth Ecgtheow edition Eofor father feud fight Freawaru Frisians gave Geatish Geats Germanic gift-hall gift-throne gifts God’s gold Gotland Grendel Grendel’s mother grim Haethcyn hailed half-lines hall hall-king hall-thanes handgrip hands hard Healfdene Healfdene’s heard Heardred heart Heathobards held helmets Hengest Heorot Heoroweard Herebeald Heremod Hildeburh Hnaef hoard homeland honor Hrethel Hrothgar Hrunting Hygd Hygelac Hygelac’s thane killed king king’s kingdom land lord mailcoat manuscript mask-helmets meadhall mind monster mourning murder neck-ring nephew night Offa Ohthere Onela Ongentheow poem proud ready sail Scyld serpent shield Shield-Danes slayer sleep sorrow Spear-Danes spears strong Swedes sword swordswings translation treasure treasure-sword Unferth victory Waegmunding waiting wandering war-weapons warblades warrior-king warriors Wealhtheow weapons Weather-Geats Weohstan’s Wielder Wiglaf wine-hall winters words Wyrd yearned young