Beowulf (Translated with Annotations by John Lesslie Hall and an Introduction by Kemp Malone)

By John Lesslie

Literary scholar, professor, and poet J. Lesslie Hall is best known for his 1897 translation of the Old English epic poem “Beowulf.” The story focuses on the titular character of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who comes to the aid of the Danes to save their land from a human-demon monster named Grendel. After defeating Grendel, Beowulf must then kill Grendel’s mother. He returns to Scandinavia with more fame and accord and eventually becomes king. Then fifty years later, a dragon attacks his kingdom, and the hero must fight once again to defend his title and his honor. What makes “Beowulf” a lasting classic is its depiction of Norse traditions and culture. The people have strong connections inherent within a kinship society; if someone was killed it was the family’s duty to exact justice or receive payment for the death. “Beowulf” also shows an interesting dichotomy between the Norse pagan religion of when the story is set versus the monotheistic Christian storytellers who likely first related the tale during the Middle Ages. Many scholars debate the epic poem’s true stance on religion, but the tale gives an accurate depiction of how paganism deteriorated as monotheism flourished. A classic of Anglo-Saxon literature, “Beowulf” remains one of the greatest epic poems ever written. This edition includes an introduction by Kemp Malone and a preface and annotations by the translator, J. Lesslie Hall.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Digireads.com Publishing
• Release date: Sep 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781420955910

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BEOWULF

AN ANGLO-SAXON EPIC POEM

Translated by J. LESSLIE HALL

Introduction by KEMP MALONE

Beowulf

Translated from the Heyne-Socin text by John Lesslie Hall

Introduction by Kemp Malone

Print ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5590-3

eBook ISBN 13: 978-1-4209-5591-0

This edition copyright © 2017. Digireads.com Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Cover Image: a detail of an illustration by J. R. Skelton from Stories of Beowulf by H. E. Marshall, New York, E. P. Dutton & co., 1908.

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PREFACE

ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY OF TRANSLATIONS

GLOSSARY OF PROPER NAMES

LIST OF WORDS AND PHRASES

BEOWULF

I. The Life and Death of Scyld.

II. Scyld’s Successors.—Hrothgar’s Great Mead-Hall.

III. Grendel the Murderer.

IV. Beowulf Goes to Hrothgar’s Assistance.

V. The Geats Reach Heorot.

VI. Beowulf Introduces Himself at the Palace.

VII. Hrothgar and Beowulf.

VIII. Hrothgar And Beowulf.—Continued.

IX. Unferth Taunts Beowulf.

X. Beowulf Silences Unferth.—Glee Is High.

XI. All Sleep Save One.

XII. Grendel and Beowulf.

XIII. Grendel Is Vanquished.

XIV. Rejoicing of the Danes.

XV. Hrothgar’s Gratitude.

XVI. Hrothgar Lavishes Gifts Upon His Deliverer.

XVII. Banquet (continued).—The Scop’s Song of Finn and Hnæf.

XVIII. The Finn Episode (continued).—The Banquet Continues.

XIX. Beowulf Receives Further Honor.

XX. The Mother of Grendel.

XXI. Hrothgar’s Account of the Monsters.

XXII. Beowulf Seeks Grendel’s Mother.

XXIII. Beowulf’s Fight With Grendel’s Mother.

XXIV. Beowulf Is Double-Conqueror.

XXV. Beowulf Brings His Trophies.—Hrothgar’s Gratitude.

XXVI. Hrothgar Moralizes.—Rest After Labor.

XXVII. Sorrow At Parting.

XXVIII. The Homeward Journey.—The Two Queens.

XXIX. Beowulf and Higelac.

XXX. Beowulf Narrates His Adventures to Higelac.

XXXI. Gift-Giving Is Mutual.

XXXII. The Hoard and the Dragon.

XXXIII. Brave Though Aged.—Reminiscences.

XXXIV. Beowulf Seeks the Dragon.—Beowulf’s Reminiscences.

XXXV. Reminiscences (continued).—Beowulf’s Last Battle.

XXXVI. Wiglaf the Trusty.—Beowulf Is Deserted By Friends and By Sword.

XXXVII. The Fatal Struggle.—Beowulf’s Last Moments.

XXXVIII. Wiglaf Plunders the Dragon’s Den.—Beowulf’s Death.

XXXIX. The Dead Foes.—Wiglaf’s Bitter Taunts.

XL. The Messenger of Death.

XLI. The Messenger’s Retrospect.

XLII. Wiglaf’s Sad Story.—The Hoard Carried Off.

XLIII. The Burning of Beowulf.

ADDENDA

Introduction

The literary history of England falls into two great divisions, commonly called medieval and modem but better named in terms of the Protestant Reformation, an upheaval which had revolutionary effects not only on English religious life but also on English literature, as indeed on every aspect of English civilization. The works of literary art which have come down to us from the England of pre-Reformation times vary markedly, of course, in many ways, but they go together at bottom: they are rooted and grounded in the Latin Christianity which dominated the culture of western Europe from the post-classical period to the sixteenth century. The Church, however, had grown up and taken form in the midst of a powerful pagan culture, the civilization of classical antiquity, and the Roman and Irish missions of the sixth and seventh centuries planted the Church of England in the midst of another pagan culture, that of the ancient Germanic peoples. The new religion did not scorn the literary tradition either of classical or of Germanic paganism. Aldhelm, the first Englishman to compose religious verse in Latin, and Cædmon, the first Englishman to compose religious verse in English, were contemporaries, and both followed essentially the same procedure. Each sang the praises of the Christian God in an artistic medium inherited from paganism. Each poured new wine into old bottles.

In one respect, nevertheless, the two pioneers differed greatly. Christian literature in the Latin tongue was no novelty when Aldhelm and Cædmon began to sing. On the contrary, by the seventh century a large body of Latin Christian prose and verse had come into being, and Aldhelm had many Christian as well as pagan literary models at his disposal; that is to say, his task was one of imitation rather than of innovation. Cædmon, on the other hand, showed great originality, an originality which deserves the name of genius, when he seized upon the inherited native English way of composing poetry and used it in making poems Christian in theme and spirit. Nothing of the kind had ever been thought of before, so far as we know, Cædmon himself, indeed, had had no thought of such a thing in his waking hours; his inspiration came to him in sleep, and took the form of a dream, in which a messenger of God made a poet of him and told him what to sing. It took a miracle to show Caedmon and his fellows that the native English poetical technique was worthy of use in serving God. One is reminded of St. Peter’s vision at Joppa, when he

saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth: wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter, kill, and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. [Acts 10:11-15].

In the seventh century and for many centuries thereafter, Latin was the language of the Church of England. The Latin tongue was the tongue of God, the natural and proper medium for high and holy thoughts. English was associated with worldly matters, and the English way of making poetry in particular could hardly have been turned to religious purposes without a specific revelation from on high.

This revelation came to Cædmon, and its authenticity was duly accepted by the Church. In consequence, English poetry, from the earliest times of which we have record down to the Protestant Reformation, was predominantly religious poetry, and throughout Old English times this predominance was overwhelming. Or perhaps it would be safer to say that only a small part of the Old English verse which survives to us can be reckoned purely secular. The custom of using the vernacular, alongside Latin, for religious poetical purposes, spread to the Continent in the eighth century, thanks to the English missionaries who in that century converted the Germans to Christianity and reformed the Gallican Church. Cædmon, then, may be looked upon as the father, not only of English religious poetry, but also of the religious poetry in the vernaculars of continental Europe.

Here we are primarily concerned not with Old English religious poetry in general but with a particular poem: Beowulf. This poem holds a unique place in the literature of Europe. Its fundamentally Christian orientation is now widely recognized, and needs no discussion in this paper. Nevertheless, one cannot properly classify it as a religious poem in any strict or narrow sense. The action of the poem takes place in a part of ancient Germania and at a time thought of by the poet as ancient and therefore pagan. The characters are not Christians and know nothing of Christianity. The hero is a virtuous pagan. He is made as Christ-like as the setting permits, but all his virtues can be explained quite naturally as growing out of the heroic ideals of conduct traditional among the English as among the other Germanic peoples.

The monkish author, devout Christian though he is, finds much to admire in the pagan cultural tradition which, as an Englishman, he inherited from ancient Germania. It is his purpose to glorify this heroic heritage, this spiritual heirloom, this precious birthright of his nation. He accomplishes his purpose by laying stress upon those things in Germanic tradition which agree with Christianity or at any rate do not clash seriously with the Christian faith. In particular, his hero in all he says and does shows himself high-minded, gentle, and virtuous, a man dedicated to the heroic life, and the poet presents this life in terms of service: Beowulf serves his lord, his people, and all mankind, and in so doing he does not shrink from hardship, danger, and death itself. In many passages the poet’s own Christianity comes to the surface, most notably, perhaps, in the so-called sermon of the aged King Hrothgar, who out of the fullness of his wisdom warns the youthful hero against the sin of pride. But even here the king’s words, though obviously based on Christian teaching, are not put in specifically Christian terms, and most of the time the author keeps his Christianity below the surface. Nor does he falsify Germanic paganism by leaving out those features of it inconsistent with the Christian faith. Thus he puts in the mouth of Beowulf himself the following piece of pagan wisdom:

it is better for every man

to avenge his friend than to mourn much [l384b-1385]

The poet’s picture of the Germanic past is idealized but not distorted. The devil-worship of the Danes (as the medieval Christians conceived it to be) is mentioned with perfect frankness in a famous passage (lines 175 ff.). Anachronisms are fewer and less serious than one would expect in a poem of the eighth century. Indeed, perhaps the most remarkable though not the most important feature of the poem is the relatively high standard of historical accuracy which it maintains. The author was clearly a man learned in the traditional lore of his people, and concerned to tell the truth as he saw it.

We have seen that the earliest Christian poets of England, whether they composed in Latin or in English, took over the poetical manner traditional for the language of composition (and pagan in origin) but supplied their own matter: namely, Christian story or Christian teaching. For the matter handed down in the old pagan poetry they had no use; indeed, they objected strongly to what the old poets had to say, much though they admired and imitated their way of saying it. For illustration, I shall have to limit myself to two utterances of Alcuin, an Englishman of the eighth century best known for the help he gave Charlemagne in the so-called Carolingian revival of learning. In one of his poems, Alcuin compares the Song of Songs most favorably with the poetry of Virgil, saying,

I urge you, young man, to learn these canticles by heart. They are better by far than the songs of mendacious Virgil. They sing to you the precepts of life eternal; he in his wickedness will fill your ears with worthless lies.

Alcuin condemns with equal severity the stock of traditional story drawn upon by the English scops of his day. In a letter of his he has this to say about one of these stories:

What has Ingeld to do with Christ? Narrow is the room, and it cannot hold both. The heavenly king will have nothing to do with so-called kings, heathen and damned, because that king reigns in heaven, world without end, but the heathen one, damned, laments in hell.

This attitude toward pagan literature prevailed, on the whole, down to the rise of humanism in fourteenth-century Italy. The humanists, however, found admirable in, say, Cicero, not only his artistic skill as a writer of Latin prose, but also his philosophy of life. This widening of interest served to accentuate, in the humanists, the reverence for classical antiquity so characteristic of the Middle Ages in general. The new movement brought the cult of classicism to the verge of idolatry, and humanistic thinking may be looked upon as the last and most extreme phase of medieval idealization of classical culture.

Let us now go back to the Beowulf poet. It would hardly do to think of him as an eighth-century humanist, six hundred years before his time, since his interest lay, not in the philosophy of life of classical antiquity but in that of Germanic antiquity. Nevertheless his case is not unlike Petrarch’s in that both authors, Christians though they were, sought and found spiritual as well as stylistic values in a pagan literary culture; each in the particular culture which was his own by inheritance. In this matter the Beowulf poet did not stand alone. The author of Deor taught the virtue of patience under affliction by exempla drawn from pagan Germanic story, and the author of Maldon sang of a Christian lord and dright who fought and died for the faith, inspired and sustained by the same heroic ideals that their heathen forefathers had cherished. These ideals held their own to the very end of Old English times, and made many a man a hero in life and death not merely by force of ordinary tradition but also, and in large measure, by force of poetic tradition. The scops kept the old ideals strong by singing the heroes of the past. The very attack which Alcuin made on heroic story tells us that in his day the old songs were still sung even in the citadels of English Christian piety: the monasteries. Such performances became impossible, of course, after the monastic reform in the latter part of the tenth century, a reform which swept western Europe and established a more rigorous pattern of monkish life wherever it went. But the English monk of that same century who composed the poem on the Battle of Maldon

Reviews for Beowulf (Translated with Annotations by John Lesslie Hall and an Introduction by Kemp Malone)

[justagirlwithabook · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had to read Beowulf in high school my senior year (we did a bit on the middle ages and its literature). I think I wouldn't have liked this as much as I did if it hadn't been for my instructor. She made the story come to life and provided our class with all sorts of history of the UK (pre-UK) and its countries and people. It was reminiscent in many ways to Odysseus and I enjoyed it overall.

[lovinglit · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This translated version has the Olde English verse written on the left page, and the modern English verse on the right page. As Heaney states in the introduction, he has tried with this translation to keep the language simple and as the original intended the meaning to be. He favoured meaning over rhyme, and as a consequence there is little rhyme. But the rhythm is certainly there and it reads very well. I was surprised at how accessible the story was, and how drawn in I was. There seemed to be some glaringly obvious similarities in storyline to The Hobbit...I am unsure as to whether this has been stated before I came to the conclusion, but is seemed so to me. The parts of the story that did get complicated were the family lineages and connections. But that didn't detract from the legend of Beowulf being as grand and fearsome as ever

[thornton37814 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Irish author Seamus Heaney provides a readable poetic translation of the epic Beowulf. In the poem readers see a mingling of Christian and pagan traditions. Well-versed Biblical students may even notice parallels between Beowulf and warriors in the Bible. Although the Old English appears on facing pages, my lack of knowledge of Old English makes it impossible for me to determine Heaney's faithfulness to the originals. His introduction and acknowledgement provides some background. He admits to differing opinions with other scholars but the final product seems true to the version I remember from college days while being far more readable. Perhaps more readers will find this classic tale accessible because of Heaney's work.

[patsymurray · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised to find I enjoyed this poem despite its grim subject matter. It is a story of a heroic battle of a warrior with evil forces. Beowulf wins the first battle easily, but the second and third are harder fought. The virtues here are simple, and the evil originates almost entirely from outside the community so it is easy to choose a side. This poem reenforces the warrior's code that kept men loyal and obedient to their leaders. The accompanying photographs of landscapes and artifacts in this edition help generate the atmosphere and help add to the reader's understanding of the action and description in the poem. .

[traumleben_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For many, Beowulf is a painful childhood memory because we were all forced to read -- or read parts of -- a translation of Old English into somewhat less old English. It was a fairly average tale made worse through unenthusiastic translation. It's oft featured in English literature curricula precisely because of its age, but that doesn't make it good poetry. A story like Beowulf was first carried forward from teller to listener long before it was ever written down. Once committed to paper though, it becomes frozen in time. Once it's frozen, it starts to lose its connection to the audience so it's only right that we entertain new translations. Seamus Heaney does a brilliant job of it, making an eminently readable epic poem, worthy of your overtaxed attention. From dragon-slaying to Scandinavian alliances, it's worth revisiting.

[josephtate_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent, excellent translation.

[jasmyn9 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

6. Beowulf translated by Seamus HeaneyGenre: Pages: 215Acquired: January 2011Book of Your Shelf? NopeWhy I have/read it: Group ReadSeries: NoThe heroic tale of the warrior Beowulf and his fights against three monters. A "modern" translation of the Old English poem, it was very easy to understand. The translation flowed smoothly for the most part, and was easy to follow and really get into the story. The only complaint I have, is that there were times the rhythm seemed a bit off and it pulled me out of the story.4/5

[josephlyoung · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting collection of hero stories of ancient Scandinavian origin. While reading, I noticed ring references that may be the source for the magic rings featured in J.R.R. Tolkien"s Hobbit stories and the dark creatures used by Tolkien and in Rowling's Harry Potter Books. Good background for understanding many of the classic English Literature references. Slow reading because of strange name spellings and use of Old English. I think it is worth the effort or at least it was for me.

[isabelx_21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first time I've read Seamus Heaney's translation. As Beowulf is a poem, I think that a poetic approach to the translation makes much more sense, and is more readable than the prose rendering in my other copy of Beowulf. Never again would he glitter and glideand show himself off in midnight air,exulting in his riches:is a much more evocative description of the slain dragon thanNever would he circle through the air for his sport at the dead of night, nor let himself be seen abroad, glorying in the treasures he owned;

[tjsjohanna_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Review of David White translation: While there might be translations that do more in terms of translating both the sense of poetry and all the particular literary forms of the original work, Mr. Wright's translation has the distinction of being very readable while still retaining some of the flavor of the literary style. I also quite enjoyed the introduction where Mr. Wright discusses his reasons for a prose translation and explains some of the background and allusions to be found within the tale. Beowulf himself represents the honorable warrior - the man who seeks for glory for all the right reasons. His exploits are exciting and amazing, yet the author of Beowulf never lets the reader forget that fortunes change, all men die, and glory fades.

[keristars_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

For me, most of the appeal of Beowulf is its historical value, as well as comparison to other cultures' epic tales. I'm not actually very much interested in stories about heroes and battles otherwise.Thus, I think it is definitely worthwhile to read the poem at least once, even if you aren't much of a fan of the genre. The Seamus Heaney translation is the one I would recommend. I found it to be very accessible and engaging, and had no trouble at all following the story. I rather appreciated when he changed the rhythm and other patterns to indicate someone reciting a story within the story - it's a sort of meta stylistic choice and not terribly necessary, but I liked it.The WW Norton edition of Heaney's translation is also nice to have because of the margin notes that indicate the actions of a particular set of lines. I'm not sure if other editions from other translators/editors do the same thing, but it was very useful when I got caught up in the words and lost track of exactly what was happening, or when the story returned from a tangent.

[marcush_42 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a timeless classic. An epic poem that details the life of Beowulf, a great warrior. The poem gets reduced down many times simply to the Grendel/Hrothgar section, but should be read in its entirety. It's amazing that this is one of the earliest pieces of literature our civilization created, and Heaney does an amazing job at translating it.If you love fantasy like Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, The Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, or even the Harry Potter novels, read this poem and you will see how influence it is.

[sparklegirl_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting. Definitely reads like an epic, mystical tale. I think I'd like it better if I hadn't read it in school.

[adribabe · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book back in High School and absolutely loved it. I recently saw the movie with Angelina Jolie and it seemed a fairly accurate representation of the story itself...not bad if you are ok with the whole half animation thing. This story is a hard read so i recommend it be read either translated or with a helpful reading guide. (Not saying you can't figure it out on your own...just saying it helps). I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy and historical adventure. I loved immersing myself into the Vikings lands and culture. Not very many books are out there that describe what people and events were like back then and this story is the one that has survived so many centuries. I wonder how many amazing tales have been lost in time.

[laphenix · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A fun read with a distanced narrative that reduces tension.

[joyhclark · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Words cannot express my hatred for this book. I've been forced to read it 3 times throughout high school and college. If I'm ever forced to read it again, I may have to poke my eyes out. Seriously, I hate it that much.

[neverstopreading-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have read Beowulf prior to this translation, and I've read Heaney prior to this. Coming into it I loved both story and translator. This is a very readable and poetic translation. It also contains the old English on the left, if you, like me, like to compare translations with the original.

[wealhtheowwylfing · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

By far my favorite translation, although the least faithful to the original text. Heaney was particularly good at preserving the alliteration, rhythm, and feeling of a fast-paced oral poem. It's not a perfect translation. Sometimes he added more archaic words to the mix (like his translation "tarn-hag" for mere-wif, when water-witch would do just as well; or "keshes" for fen-gelad, when I think just saying fen paths gives all the meaning one needs), which on the one hand, adds to the feel of the poem, but on the other, rather obscures the meaning. But this translation also has a beautiful mastery of metaphorical language, and an ability to convey mood and emotion like no other translation I've come across. An excellent example of this is lines 3143-55:
On a height they kindled the hugest of all
funeral fires; fumes of woodsmoke
billowed darkly up, the blaze roared
and drowned out their weeping, wind died down
and flames wrought havoc in the hot bone-house,
burning it to the core. They were disconsolate
and wailed aloud for their lord's decease.
A Geat woman too sang out in grief;
with hair bound up, she unburdened herself
of her worst fears, a wild litany
of nightmare and lament: her nation invaded,
enemies on the rampage, bodies in piles,
slavery and abasement. Heaven swallowed the smoke.
A fitting end to Beowulf the hero and king, and a wonderful read for any fan of epic tales.

[katieloucks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

pretty decent - I probably wouldn't have read it if I weren't in some college classes that went over it, but I like it

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Many reviewers say this isn't the best translation of Beowulf; I wouldn't know as it is the only one I've read. I think Mr. Heaney has written an accessible translation that brings the imagery of the times to life and shows well aspects of Viking society, such as the loyalty to kings, the importance of rewarding your men, and the need to prove yourself brave and valiant. I am not surprised this has become a standard text for these reasons.

[altheaann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Four stars, only because it's not as amazing as Tolkien's translation, which I read right before this version. (I read them back-to-back, for comparison.) I've read other translations before, but I don't recall which ones specifically.

This one, the Heaney translation, is apparently the standard in today's college classes. (It wasn't yet published last time I read 'Beowulf.')

The Tolkien direct translation is more 'difficult,' but both (I cannot verify, but I got the feeling) more accurate and more lovely to the ear, with evocative and musical language. Tolkien's language and imagery is both vivid and elevated; and gives the reader the feeling of a glimpse into the past.

Heaney apparently admitted that he sacrificed literal accuracy to his desire to keep the poem a poem - to maintain a certain 'alliteration and rhythm.' He also gives the story a far more modern-sounding vocabulary; which some may prefer - but I did not.

For me, the Heaney lies between two of Tolkien's versions. Tolkien did his accurate, scholarly translation. But he also wrote his own poem or 'lay' based on Beowulf - which is true, musical poetry. Both work amazingly at being the best possible iteration of what they are. A faithful translation. A heart-moving poem. Heaney's translation - while it is undoubtedly better than many others - is sometimes awkward rather than gloriously archaic. Still; had I not read the other version directly preceding it, I probably would've given 5 stars.

[jeocantoni · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fantastic epic poem that gives a view into a history that is often overlooked by scholars. Certainly the Greeks and Romans receive their due but the Anglo-Saxons have just as rich and captivating an epic and thanks to Seamus Heaney their tale is done justice. Thank you. I highly recommend this work to anyone interested in the British Isles, Anglo-Saxon history or epic poems. Seamus Heaney does fantastic work in his efforts to make this particular work bilingual, but regardless of the translation it is a must read for anyone interested in classics and/or Anglo-Saxon history! (an absolute must!!!!)

[cecrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I'm a bit shamed to rate this below average, perceiving its value as a historical artifact, but as literature in terms of content it doesn't amount to much more than a curiosity piece. Such perfectly crafted heroes are now denigrated so the model doesn't serve, and the story reads like the tale of a hubris bubble that never gets popped. That said, I'm glad to have taken the few minutes required to breeze through a modern translation for discussion purposes. I suspect a less wooden ear than mine for poetry, and wearing more patience, may perceive greater magic in its original form.

[sasham-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I would have loved to have a glossary with in this book with a few explanations of some words and maybe a summary because the poetical form can make the story hard to follow

[qatarjj · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This poem has been around for about 1200 years so you know it's got to be good.

I can't help wonder how much the original oral version changed with the telling and retelling until some anonymous monk committed the story to paper, or at least vellum. I suspect he added his own touches, converting the pagan Northmen to Christians! Also how many stories did Beowulf influence? JRR Tolkien was something of a subject matter expert on Beowulf so it probably shaped the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[maowangvater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The mighty young hero of the Geats rescues the Danes from two hellish monsters that are slaughtering their warriors as they sleep in the royal banquet hall. Then heaped in glory and treasure he returns home to become, in his old age, king and dragon-slayer: the final glorious deed that ends his life. Raffel's translation into vivid alliterative modern English is vivid and exciting. The new afterword lauds how well this translation has stood the test of time, and how many recent adaptations of the poem have been published since then (including the icky 2007 movie). Frank also writes that this earliest epic did not enter the canon of English literature until the late nineteenth century.

[kurt.rocourt · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good story.

[atdcross · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not being a scholar on such poems as "Beowulf" and having read it for the first time, I find it was a beautifully written and in such a way as you can almost see the poetic imagery in front of your eyes. From the first words of the prologue - "Hear me!" - one may be caught in the trap of, although the poem consists of 3182 lines of verse (no fear, only 99 pages), finishing the book in one day.There is adventure, suspense, anticipation, blood, revenge, fantasy, death, mourning, villains, faith in God, glorious heroes, dreadful monsters, all elements of what makes a great story combined in one. There are moments that you can almost feel the character's emotions, for example, in Wiglaf's failed attempt to revive Beowulf from death and his resignation to the Christian God's will:"...He was sittingNear Beowulf's body, warily sprinklingWater in the dead man's face, tryingTo stir him. He could not. No one could have keptLife in their lord's body, or turnedAside the Lord's will: worldAnd men and all move as He orders,And always have, and always will."(lines 2853-2859)For those not familiar and new to reading this kind of poetry, as I am, there is provided a helpful introduction, an informative afterword, and a glossary of names and a diagram of the genealogy of characters mentioned.I encourage the reading if this classic. After reading it, you will know why it is a classic, and that for centuries.

[lamotamant · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm a Heaney fan and, after reading his introduction to and translation of Beowulf, I think the depth of that statement swelled a few leagues. That being said, I haven't read Beowulf prior to this encounter and would have to read other translations to really offer up a satisfyingly comparative review. However, I can say that this particular effort of Heaney's has inspired enough interest to do just that.

As for the story of Beowulf in and of itself: it offers a view into an honor-bound society and a heroic journey that is priceless in how it's merit in both style and telling has inspired and shaped our definition of the 'hero's journey' up to the present day. As Heaney says, it's 'an inheritance,' a statement I fully agree with. Much like Homer's Odyssey or Tolkien's Rings, it's both definitive, explorative, and "willable...again and again and again."

[mbmackay · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A 6th century tale of Danish/Swedish blood feuds overlaid with a later Christian gloss. Written in Eng. in the 9th century.Read Samoa Nov 2003