BeowulfRoy Liuzza The classic story of Beowulf, hero and dragon-slayer, appears here in a new translation accompanied by genealogical charts, historical summaries, and a glossary of proper names. These and other documents sketching some of the cultural forces behind the poem's final creation will help readers see Beowulf as an exploration of the politics of kingship and the psychology of heroism, and as an early English meditation on the bridges and chasms between the pagan past and the Christian present. A generous sample of other modern versions of Beowulf sheds light on the process of translating the poem. |
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Common terms and phrases
ancient Anglo-Saxon Appendix armor battle Beowulf Beowulf spoke blade brave Breca bright shields byrnie Christ Christian Danes Danish death deeds dragon Eadgils Eanmund earls earth Ecgtheow enemies Eofor evil fame father feast feud Finn Frisians gave Geatish Geats Germanic Glam glory God's gold Grendel Grettir hall hand Healfdene heard Heardred heart heathen Heathobards helmet Hengest Heorot Herebeald Heremod hero heroic Hnæf hoard honor horse Hrethel Hrothgar Hygd Hygelac Ingeld killed king kinsmen land lord manuscript mighty Modern English narrative nation never night noble Offa Ohthere Old English poetry Onela Ongentheow Oxford pagan poem poem's poet poetic praise prince protector rings ruler saints Scyldings Scylfings sea-cliffs seek ship shore slain song spear story Swedes sword tell thane told traditional Translation RML treasures tribe troop Unferth verse war-gear warrior waves Wealhtheow weapons Weders Weohstan Widsith Wiglaf wise words
Popular passages
Page 20 - Words move, music moves Only in time; but that which is only living Can only die. Words, after speech, reach Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern, Can words or music reach The stillness, as a Chinese jar still Moves perpetually in its stillness.
Page 41 - Words strain, Crack and sometimes break, under the burden, Under the tension, slip, slide, perish, Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place, Will not stay still.
Page 15 - A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.
Page 31 - The inner freedom from the practical desire, The release from action and suffering, release from the inner And the outer compulsion, yet surrounded By a grace of sense, a white light still and moving, Erhebung without motion, concentration Without elimination, both a new world And the old made explicit, understood In the completion of its partial ecstasy, The resolution of its partial horror.
Page 34 - I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.