For a long time I had it in mind to make a translation of the old Anglo-Saxon Saga, Beowulf, in poetical form, and pursued a preliminary study of the manuscript, charred from the Cottonian fire, in the British Museum. That work, the oldest monument of the Anglo-Saxon language, is a very noble heritage from a great, though unknown, author-ship, full of rugged strength; and it should be read by every student of literature. But when I began to cast the materials over, I found them lacking in qualities of human interest that are necessary to modern poetical narrative.
The old Beowulf is a minstrel's song of hero deeds, in which a period of four generations is covered. The tale opens with Sceaf the Scylding, who comes out of the sea, is made King, dies, and is sent back into the sea in the opening lines. There is his son, who is called Beowulf, and Beowulf's son is Hrothgar. While this Hrothgar is on the throne, there comes another Beowulf, a Gothic warrior, who fights with Grendel and with the Water-Hag, and then goes back to his own country, where he is made King, and, after reigning for fifty years, is killed in extreme old age in a fight with a Dragon. The old poem has thus no unity of time or place; neither has it any portraiture of womanhood; and there is no suggestion of a love story. The action takes place in Denmark and in Sweden; yet the claim has been made that the scenery described is in England. It seems clear that the Angles and Saxons, who were neighbors of the Danes on the Continent, brought the story over to England, and that it was made to assume literary form before the Danes forced themselves into England as conquerors.
Besides, there were already literal translations of the Saga by Kemble, Thorp, Harrison and Sharp[which does contain a 200-page glossary, but no translation], Garnett, Earle, and William Morris; making another direct rendering a supererogant labor.
While adhering to the purpose to write a poem on the adventures of Beowulf, these circumstances impelled me to abandon the intention of a general agreement with the ancient version. I have therefore composed an original narrative, in which the leading characters and some of the incidents of the early work have been freely used, but as materials only. I have transferred to my hero, Beowulf, the picturesque history of Sceaf; have changed the relationship of characters and incidents; have invented the illumination of Beowulf's soul and his banishment; and have introduced the love motive between Beowulf and Freaware that runs through the poem to the end. Indeed, the structure, language, style, description, elaboration, interpretation, and development of the story are new. I have arbitrarily laid the scene in England, under purely idealized conditions; and have initiated nearly all that the poem contains of womanhood, of love, of religion and state policy, and of domestic life and manners. It is clear, therefore, that my work must not be judged either as a translation, version, or paraphrase of the old Beowulf.
Were the fabled monsters of olden times wholly creatures of the imagination? I think not. Paleontology has already restored their bones to us -- or bones very like theirs.
* It requires no great strain of fancy to think of such creatures in the swamps, and of the King offering guerdon and his daughter's hand to him who would slay them. But perhaps they are allegorical of human ills. What man is there to-day who has not met his Dragon? What nation still lives that has not overcome its Grendel?
* In the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburg they have the fossil remains of a beast, the Terrible Lizard, nearly one hundred feet long; and the British Museum has just sent an expedition to Patagonia to find a living Megatherium.
[lines 194-224a in section III and 8th line from the bottom of folio 134r to 4th line from the bottom of folio 134v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{Beowulf hears about Grendel and decides to travel from his home in Geatland (southern Sweden) to Heorot (in northeast Denmark) to see if he can help out.
}
[lines 791-819a in section XII and 8th line from the top of folio 147r to 13th line from the top of folio 147v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment Beowulf and Grendel are fighting and Grendel is howling and screaming and wishing to escape but Beowulf has grabbed Grendel's arm and is using his incredible hand-strength to hold on to him.
}
[lines 1537-1569 in sections XXII and XXIII and 5th line from the bottom of folio 163v, through folio 164r to 4th line from the top of folio 164v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD] Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here. Note: there is a discussion of the word eaxle in line 1537a on my page on Shoulder Grabbing vs. Hair Pulling
{At this moment Beowulf has just failed to hurt Grendel's mother with the sword Hrunting and he tries to wrestle her as he had done with Grendel.
}
Now, mindful of his fame, he trembled not,
But trusting to his wondrous grip of hand
He seized the Swamp-Hag in his mighty clasp
And sought to overcome her in her den.
His strength had been enfeebled in the lake
By battling with the scaly monsters there,
And now he found he could not long maintain
His prowess, but fell back upon the floor.
The Swamp-Hag bit his body-sark in vain,
Then seized his banished weapon in her claw
And sought to thrust it through his silver casque.
[lines 1584b-1590 in section XXIII and 7th line from the bottom of folio 164v to first half of the last line of folio 164v on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment Beowulf has just discovered Grendel's lifeless body lying in the cave.
}
[lines 2672b-2708a in sections XXXVI and XXXVII and 8th line from the bottom of folio 189A197r, through folio 189A197v to 3rd line from the top of folio 189r on Kevin S. Kiernan's Electronic Beowulf CD]
Images of the original manuscript text of this section, and an mp3 file of Ben Slade reading it in Old English, are here.
{At this moment, Wiglaf has just run into the flames to be by Beowulf's side and the dragon has charged at them both, incinerating Wiglaf's shield.
}
The linden shield of Wiglaf was consumed,
And he took shelter 'neath the King's iron shield.
