The seafarer poem project gutenberg selfpublishing. The seafarer is an anglosaxon elegy that is composed in old english and was written down in the exeter book in the tenth century. Find an answer to your question which characteristic of anglosaxon poetry is illustrated by the seafarer. The seafarer home questions timeline on this day people maps texts. Anglosaxon poetry, the seafarer and the wanderer, the.
The seafarer summary the seafarer is an ancient anglo saxon poem in which the elderly seafarer reminisces about his life spent sailing on the open ocean. The seafarer, with other poems including the wanderer in lesson 8, is found in the exeter book, a latter 10th century volume of anglo saxon poetry. Bought this because i was asked to comment on a friends translation of the poem. It is the largest collection of old english poetry in existence.
Which characteristic of anglosaxon poetry is illustrated. The seafarer is a character who has suffered during his winter voyage on a ship. Weve restricted our choices to works of literature written in anglo saxon or old english, so that rules out bedes historia ecclesiastica gentis anglorum, which, as the title suggests, was written in latin. Introduction the seafarer was first discovered in the exeter book, a hand. All three poems survive in the exeter book, a manuscript of anglosaxon poems produced by a single scribe around a. Beowulf, exeter, the ecclesiastical history of english people, and the anglo saxon chronicles. L traditional themes on the wanderer and the seafarer, in. The seafarer is an anonymous anglosaxon eulogy that was found in the exeter book. The seafarer translated by burton raffel paganism and christianity in the seafarer paganism. The translation i used with some modification is found here. A choice of anglosaxon verse contains the old english texts of all the major short poems, such as the.
It is 124 lines and is commonly referred to as an elegy, a poem that mourns a loss or more generally a sorrowful piece of writing. The poem is an elegy, characterized by an attitude of melancholy toward earthly life while, perhaps in allegory, looking forward to the life to come. What are the finest works of anglo saxon literature. The seafarer is similar, but its journey motif more explicitly symbolizes the speakers spiritual yearnings. The seafarer is an anglosaxon poem found in the exeter book, or the codex exoniensis, which was transcribed by christian monks in the tenth century. While many scholars have described the seafarer as an insular sailors lamentations concluding with faith in gods ultimate mercy, just as many scholars have identified the poem as an. The seafarer and the wanderer hazleton area high school. They, and many other treasures, are included in the anglosaxon world.
The seafarer ezra pound translation of old english anglosaxon poem duration. Apr 10, 2016 please thumbs up this video if you like it. Professor glenns notes on the poem, including a sectionbysection outline. Because of this he feels he can write a song about himself. The seafarer may be without a liegelord, but he addresses those whose duty is to both lord and lord jesus. In the following essay, meyer contends that the seafarer describes a harsh, lonely, and fallen world that one must navigate through to reach ones true home in heaven. Bitter breastcares have i abided, known on my keel many a cares hold, and dire seasurge, and there i oft spent narrow. A translation is faithful when it conveys the meaning, not merely the words, of its original. Several others have similar themes, and three elegiesthe husbands message, the wifes lament, and wulf and eadwacerdescribe what appears to be. Show text without translation show word order translation guides change verse line numbering. I set the first half of the poem in burton raffels magical translation for acting cello, and a film version of the piece is nearing completion. The sutton hoo societys website provides images of the site and the artifacts as well as its own, extremely comprehensive best of the weblike page for anglo saxon literature, history, and archaeology. The two pieces known as the wanderer and the seafarer have long been held to rank among the finest specimens of extant anglo saxon poetry.
As if putting england at this time in a nutshell were even possible. The song of the swan might serve for pleasure living a life at sea. The song of the swanmight serve for pleasure from the seafarer what characteristic from anglosaxon poetry is illustrated in this line. Composed in old english, the poem is a monologue delivered by an old sailor who laments about the sufferings he. Ezra pound is widely considered one of the most influential poets of the 20th century. Audiobooks childrens comics mysterythriller nonfiction romance. An old english poem the seafarer is an anglosaxon or old english poem similar to the wanderer in representing the laments of an exile.
The seafarer is an old english poem giving a firstperson account of a man alone on the sea. However, i dont believe any look at sea themed poetry would be complete without it. My son said the norman baron i am dying and you will be heirto all the broad acres in england that william gave me for my sharewhen we conquered the. It has most often, though not always, been categorised as an elegy, a. Autoplay next video from the early anglosaxon text may i for my own self songs truth reckon, journeys jargon, how i in harsh days hardship endured oft. It has most often, though not always, been categorised as an elegy, a poetic genre commonly assigned to a. The seafarer is found in exeter, cathedral chapter library, ms 3501, the exeter book. Oct 03, 2012 a reading of the poetry of ezra pound. His ship is basically based on love and on striving for truth. The seafarer a new freely downloadable translation. The seafarer summary the seafarer is an ancient anglosaxon poem in which the elderly seafarer reminisces about his life spent sailing on the open ocean.
The anglosaxon poems, the wanderer, the seafarer, and. The two pieces known as the wanderer and the seafarer have long been held to rank among the finest specimens of extant anglosaxon poetry. Jstor is a digital library of academic journals, books, and primary source objects. Translated by burton raffel the seafarer 1st hour genius. Contains a large proportion of all anglosaxon poetry including beowulf, the dream. This is a ppt that i use to walk through the seafarer anglo saxon elegy with students. First, the sheer amount of old english poetry which is presented here is huge, nearly twice as much as is presented in kevin crossleyhollands the anglosaxon world. Well give you the original, but if your anglosaxon isnt up to snuff whose is, really. I read the first edition of this book back in the 1970s. Bradleys collection of translated anglo saxon poetry has it seems to me one thing going for it. What has raised my attention is that this poem is talking about a spiritual seafarer who is striving for heaven by moderation and the love of the lord. The theme of a wandering, damned sailor is a wellknown one. Hwilum ylfete song at times the swans song 20a dyde ic me to gomene, i took to myself as pleasure, ganotes hleo.
Aug 27, 2010 posted by kevin august 27, 2010 2 comments on the seafarer audio recording a lot of people have been coming finding this site while looking for information about the anlgosaxon poem, the seafarer. From the early anglo saxon text may i for my own self songs truth reckon, journeys jargon, how i in harsh days hardship endured oft. It has most often been categorised as an elegy, a poetic genre common in old english. Heres a poetic but still fairly faithful translation of the seafarer by jonathan glenn. The seafarer ezra pound translation of old english anglo. In the search for anglosaxon paganism, 1975, eric stanley pointed out that. Greenfield, stanley b the formulaic expression of the theme of exile in anglosaxon poetry, in.
The world that is presented in many anglosaxon poems, such as the seafarer, is a cold, cruel place. First, the sheer amount of old english poetry which is presented here is huge, nearly twice as much as is presented in kevin crossleyhollands the anglo saxon world. The tribes from germany that conquered britain in the fifth century carried with them both the old english language and a detailed poetic tradition. The sutton hoo burial site was the largest source of anglosaxon artifacts that is, before the staffordshire hoard came along.
The seafarer is an anglo saxon elegy that is composed in old english and was written down in the exeter book in the tenth century. This version was taken from the complete corpus of anglosaxon poetry and is freely distributable verse indeterminate saxon. The wifes lament is an elegy that tells the story of a female narrator mourning for her husband, and she is reflecting on her great loss. The sutton hoo societys website provides images of the site and the artifacts as well as its own, extremely comprehensive best of the weblike page for anglosaxon literature, history, and archaeology. The seafarer is an old english poem recorded in the exeter book, one of the four surviving manuscripts of old english poetry. Gordon produced the first modern scholarly edition in 1960. From the early anglosaxon text may i for my own self songs truth reckon. He later brought forward some striking parallels from anglosaxon religious. The seafarer from the anglo saxon by ezra pound poems cafe. What has raised my attention is that this poem is talking about a spiritual seafarer who.
Unfortunately, however, their deep and true feeling for nature and passionate lyric earnest ness are marred by occasional obscurity of language and abrupt. What is your impression of the speaker in the anglosaxon. Full text of the wanderer and the seafarer internet archive. A religion that has many gods or goddesses, considers the earth holy, and does not have a central authority pagan.
The sutton hoo burial site was the largest source of anglo saxon artifacts that is, before the staffordshire hoard came along. Each box is labeled with a letter, and the three readi. Here you will find the long poem the seafarer of poet ezra pound. The seafarer, with other poems including the wanderer in lesson 8, is found in the exeter book, a latter 10th century volume of anglosaxon poetry.
Anglo saxon in the seafarer the wanderer the wife s lament. Show text without translation hide word order translation guides change verse line numbering. But theres a wealth of great literature written in old english, as the following pick of. The best way to begin british literature is with the anglo saxon time period, and the seafarer is one of the most popular poems from this time period.
A wraecca was a person who had been exiled from his community. In addition to these and other secular poems, the exeter book contains religious verse, nearly 100 riddles, and a heroic narrative. Anglosaxon poetry, the seafarer and the wanderer, the wifes lament. The anglosaxon poems, the wanderer, the seafarer, and the wifes lament the old english, or anglosaxon, era of england lasted from about 4501066 a. The wifes lament is a poem that is well known as an anglo saxon elegy, although to this day, it is still challenged by some scholars to be, in fact, a riddle. Get an answer for what is your impression of the speaker in the anglosaxon poem the seafarer. Storms, on the stonecliffs beaten, fell on the stern. The aim of this translation is to achieve the closest fidelity to its source, in both manner and meaning. Bradleys collection of translated anglosaxon poetry has it seems to me one thing going for it. This excerpt from ezra pounds translation of an anglo saxon poem called the seafarer is a quintessentially poundian example in its treatment and translation. Dobbie produced an edition of the exeter book, containing the seafarer, in the anglo saxon poetic records in 1936.
In his introduction to the play, conor mcpherson refers to an old anonymous anglo saxon poem of the 8th century, the seafarer. Some scholars, however, have argued that the content of the poem also places it into the category of. The phrase summers sentinel is used to describe the cuckoo. Wagner used it in his flying dutchman and one of the most beautiful of schuberts. The seafarer from the anglo saxon by ezra pound youtube. I have concluded with line 99, as did pound, for artistic coherence, and from lack of sympathy with the undistinguished ending of the manuscript. From the early anglosaxon text may i for my own self songs truth reckon, journeys jargon, how i in harsh days hardship endured oft. The little book 90 pages is a sort of standard commentary that has very high quality scholarly material. In his introduction to the play, conor mcpherson refers to an old anonymous anglosaxon poem of the 8th century, the seafarer. If you have stumbled on this page from outside the world of my class, be warned.
The anglo saxon poem the seafarer is equally famous, but less well known, i believe. This excerpt from ezra pounds translation of an anglosaxon poem called the seafarer is a quintessentially poundian example in its treatment and translation. Several others have similar themes, and three elegiesthe husbands message, the wifes lament, and wulf and eadwacerdescribe what appears to be a conventional situation. In our religion, its said that imam leader hussein is the ship of survival from hell, who ever rides it will surely survive.
Here, you can find links to information about the history, culture, and famous figures, plus sidebyside translations of four old germanic poems, deor, the seafarer, the wandererand the old norse. Find the most accurate information on anglosaxon poetry, the seafarer and the wanderer, the wifes lament in our top online source for students. The seafarer has its origins in the old english period of english literature, 450. Its been translated multiple times, most notably by american. Posted by kevin august 27, 2010 2 comments on the seafarer audio recording a lot of people have been coming finding this site while looking for information about the anlgosaxon poem, the seafarer. The poem consists of 124 lines, followed by the single word amen and is recorded only at folios 81 verso 83 recto of the exeter book, one of the four surviving manuscripts of old english poetry. Klinck included the poem in her compendium edition of old english elegies in 1992. Poem highlights the balance between the anglosaxon belief in fate, where everything is grim and overpowering, and the christian believers reliance on god.
One who has little or no religion and who delights in sensual. Its also one for lovers of the tv series the vikings. This pdf file contains the poem with boxes for students to annotate the poem as they read. As with the other translations of old english ive provided for this course, the translation below is rough and ready. Bitter breastcares have i abided, known on my keel many a cares hold, and dire seasurge, and there i oft spent narrow nightwatch nigh the ships head while she tossed close to cliffs.
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