- Shopping Bag ( 0 items )
Available on NOOK devices and apps
Need a NOOK? Explore Now
Need a NOOK? Explore Now
"A faithful rendering that is simultaneously an original and gripping poem in its own right." —New York Times Book Review
The national bestseller and winner of the Whitbread Award. Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf is the classic Northern epic of a hero’s triumphs as a young warrior and his fated death as a defender of his people. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on, physically and psychically exposed in the exhausted aftermath. It is not hard to draw parallels in this story to the historical curve of consciousness in the twentieth century, but the poem also transcends such considerations, telling us psychological and spiritual truths that are permanent and liberating.
Please note that the ebook contains the modern English verse translation only.
Voted the Whitbread book of the year.
Seamus Heaney, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature and considered by many to be the greatest living poet writing in English, has produced a new work that will be one of the most significant literary events of the year. This meditation on fame, blood feuds, and the culture of war, already awarded the Whitbread Prize for poetry and named the Whitbread Book of the Year, addresses some of the most important issues of our world at the turn of the millennium. The trouble is, it was written in the first millennium, more than a thousand years ago: Heaney's latest offering is not a collection of original poems or essays, but a modern English verse translation of that greatest of heroic epics, Beowulf.
Heaney's project is to save Beowulf and what he calls its status as a work of "the greatest imaginative vitality" from the tedium of required English courses in high schools and universities. Because of its arcane language, this gripping and beautifully wrought story is largely impenetrable to modern audiences. What's more, just as Beowulf's language and structure paved the way for modern English and its literary devices, its themes of fame and warrior cultures can tell us a lot about the world we now inhabit, where fame is viewed as perhaps the only thing worth achieving, and intractable ethnic conflicts wreak havoc on humankind. Some things never change -- or, as Heaney puts it, BEOWULF "lives in its own continuous present, equal to our knowledge of reality in the present time."
The tale is simple, and yet complex in its telling. It is composed of three main sections that center on a mortal battle: Beowulf's fight with Grendel the monster in the hall of a Danish king; his underwater battle with Grendel's mother, who is bent on revenge; and, finally, 50 years later, Beowulf's death at the hands of a third monster, a dragon accidentally awakened in Beowulf's own kingdom. Each sequence, narrated by an anonymous speaker who is familiar with the customs and laws of the Scandinavian people who make up the epic's characters, follows a similar pattern. First, there is a suspense-producing buildup in which the monster makes its presence known and begins its rampage; then, Beowulf's arrival on the scene and the ensuing battle to the death; and lastly a taking of stock -- in the first two cases, a celebration of the monster's defeat, and in the final sequence, in which the dragon is killed at the cost of Beowulf's life, a period of mourning. Interwoven with these main tales are many diversionary stories, and a series of pronouncements that define the role of the hero and the ethics of war, friendship, and death.
As in Homer, certain powerful phrases and titles, such as "Hrothgar the ring-giver," recur throughout the epic, lending it a comforting and rhythmic certainty. Heaney has divined an odd and mannered lyricism in the Old English and reproduced it in a fresh and compelling way in our own familiar tongue. In his introduction, Heaney speaks of the respect he had as a child for the plain and solemn voices of his father's Northern Irish relatives and how he wanted his translation "to be speakable by one of those relatives." It is filled with simple and direct turns of phrase, such as the final sentence of a list of the virtues of Shield Sheafson, a Danish warrior-king: "That was one good king."
Heaney's next accomplishment is that he remains faithful to Beowulf's confusing structure without losing the thread of the story. The main narrator often gives way to speeches by his characters, who will tell similar (but unrelated) stories of other great warriors. Through these digressions the setting develops, as do its surrounding ethical framework and dramatizing rituals, lending a deeper symbolic meaning to the archetypal actions of its great hero. Poets and bards occasionally appear to sing of more heroic deeds, and, in another instance of this ancient tale's surprising relevance for modern readers, the speaker argues for the descriptive powers of these poets in a self-referential manner that seems positively postmodern.
Heaney has provided a rich and original translation of Beowulf that should dispel once and for all the "rumor" that it is a boring, repetitive tale filled with unpronounceable names. His new offering is vivid and at times breathtaking; it renews the timeless drama of an often-misunderstood epic.
—Jake Kreilkamp
Chapter One
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.
We have heard of those princes' heroic campaigns.
There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
This terror of the hall-troops had come far.
A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on
as his powers waxed and his worth was proved.
In the end each clan on the outlying coasts
beyond the whale-road had to yield to him
and begin to pay tribute. That was one good king.
Afterwards a boy-child was born to Shield,
a cub in the yard, a comfort sent
by God to that nation. He knew what they had tholed,
the long times and troubles they'd come through
without a leader; so the Lord of Life,
the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned.
Shield had fathered a famous son:
Beow's name was known through the north.
And a young prince must be prudent like that,
giving freely while his father lives
so that afterwards in age when fighting starts
steadfast companions will stand by him
and hold the line. Behaviour that's admired
is the path to power among people everywhere.
Shield was still thriving when his time came
and he crossed over into the Lord's keeping.
His warrior band did what he bade them
when he laid down the law among the Danes:
they shouldered him out to the sea's flood,
the chief they revered who had long ruled them.
A ring-whorled prow rode in theharbour,
ice-clad, outbound, a craft for a prince.
They stretched their beloved lord in his boat,
laid out by the mast, amidships,
the great ring-giver. Far-fetched treasures
were piled upon him, and precious gear
I never heard before of a ship so well furbished
with battle tackle, bladed weapons
and coats of mail. The massed treasure
was loaded on top of him: it would travel far
on out into the ocean's sway.
They decked his body no less bountifully
with offerings than those first ones did
who cast him away when he was a child
and launched him alone out over the waves.
And they set a gold standard up
high above his head and let him drift
to wind and tide, bewailing him
and mourning their loss. No man can tell,
no wise man in hall or weathered veteran
knows for certain who salvaged that load.
Then it fell to Beow to keep the forts.
He was well regarded and ruled the Danes
for a long time after his father took leave
of his life on earth. And then his heir,
the great Halfdane, held sway
for as long as he lived, their elder and warlord.
He was four times a father, this fighter prince:
one by one they entered the world,
Heorogar, Hrothgar, the good Halga
and a daughter, I have heard, who was Onela's queen,
a balm in bed to the battle-scarred Swede.
The fortunes of war favoured Hrothgar.
Friends and kinsmen flocked to his ranks,
young followers, a force that grew
to be a mighty army. So his mind turned
to hall-building: he handed down orders
for men to work on a great mead-hall
meant to be a wonder of the world forever;
it would be his throne-room and there he would dispense
his God-given goods to young and old—but
not the common land or people's lives.
Far and wide through the world, I have heard,
orders for work to adorn that wallstead
were sent to many peoples. And soon it stood there,
finished and ready, in full view,
the hall of halls. Heorot was the name
he had settled on it, whose utterance was law.
Nor did he renege, but doled out rings
and torques at the table. The hall towered,
its gables wide and high and awaiting
a barbarous burning. That doom abided,
but in time it would come: the killer instinct
unleashed among in-laws, the blood-lust rampant.
(Continues...)
| Introduction | ix | |
| A Note on Names | xxxi | |
| Beowulf | 2 | |
| Family Trees | 217 | |
| Acknowledgements | 219 |
Anonymous
Posted September 17, 2004
Ok, as an English Lit. major in school, I've had my share of Beowulf, most of which are horridly translated drivel. The fine line with Anglo-Saxon poetry (and any translated poetry for that matter) is there requires a balance between fidelity to the text, and fidelity to the ideas of the text; that is to say, where literal translation may be more 'accurate' in a completely logical and scientific sense, the poetic beauty and proper notions behind the text must also be upheld. Heaney finds the middle ground so commonly lost in modern translations. The Anglo-Saxon poetry of Beowulf is so beautiful and easy on the ears when read in the original Anglo-Saxon--a sense of bold and strong verse, but with the grace and beauty--reflected in Beowulf and especially in the Wurm. This is frequently translated into modern english as grossly (what I would call) 'harsh' and 'grating' verse, with all the punch that it requires, but without the languid fluiditiy required to fully appreciate the epic. Seamus Heaney finds the perfect balance between the two, not addressing the 'bone-crunching Beowulf' as a solely heartless character, but finding the section of the modern english language (that lost area right in the middle of form and function) and giving us this gift. A MUST have for anyone wishing to appreicate the beauty of Germanic poetry. My recomendation: have someone read it aloud to you; it adds SO much to the experience!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.6047271
Posted September 21, 2011
Me and my friend Taylor both bought this book on our nook colors and it says it only has 102 pages. We both know it has more pages so we are completely confused. Can anyonne helps us out with this dillema?!?!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted August 7, 2011
From a town living in fear to a hero saving the day in less than a week, Beowulf was a novel of much action and excitement. This is a wonderful read and something that people will be reading for years to come and it will never lose its popularity because of the writing style and literature to remember. Beowulf is a story in which the town of Heorot is threatened by this horrible creature Grendel who wreaks havoc on innocent people when the sun goes down. Then this hero Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, hears about the cries for help from Heorot and decides to rake up his men and drive their boat over there to defeat this malevolent villain. When they get to the town and spend a night there they hear Grendel in the castle. Through a battle between two opposing forces Beowulf defeats the hated monster so the town can live in peace. During this part of the book the author, Seamus Heaney, does a wonderful job of giving imagery of the fight so the reader can actually feel apart of what is going on and how Beowulf is feeling throughout all this. Heaney also does a good job of getting into the character's minds to show how they are feeling. Then when everyone thinks his or her hometown will be happy once again the mother of Grendel comes to avenge her son. Beowulf and the angered mother face an even more difficult battle when Beowulf emerges his powers and wins for Heorot once again, but this time beheading the hated Grendel as a trophy for the town to praise. I think this was the most important part of the book because it gave great peace to the town living in torture once and for all and everyone was granted the serenity of feeling safe. When Beowulf returns to his home of Geatland the people hear of his leadership and victory that they make him king when the old king Hygelac passes away. Beowulf made the land full of prosper and safety until he is old and faced with another challenge. A thief has come to his home of Geatland and hordes treasure protected by a frightening dragon. The rest of the book is just as amazing as the first parts and anyone would be wrong to not read this. In my opinion this book was highly entertaining. I also thought that for this being such an old book that it is impeccable to be so popular and liked that people are even wanting to read it in today's day and age of technology taking over.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In my class on Anglo-Saxon (the language), we basically translated this the whole semester. It wais such a hard class! I was one of two undergraduates, the rest were grad students. My biggest problem with the language is that it was never standardized. So even with a big Anglo-Saxon dictionary there's no telling if you'll find what you're looking for due to all the spelling variations.
Anyway, I've read Beowulf (in Modern English) many times, starting in 8th grade advanced english. It is a great epic, originally pagan though there are interpolations from Christian editors. It gives one a really great glimpse at the society it depicts, and if you compare it to the archaeological evidence you a nearly complete picture. Highly reccomended for anyone who likes epic poetry, modern fantasy genre, and of course, pre-literate germanic and scandinavian peoples.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 3, 2006
'I was asked to read this book in 7th grade and it didn't sound at all interesting to me but when I started reading the book I loved it so much, I couldn't put the book down.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 3, 2005
I had to read this book for school, and it sounded really uninteresting to me. But as I began to read it, I could not put it down. It is so captivating. This is by far the best epic I've ever read. It has such a good story line.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted February 18, 2002
I like the way this book was produced. It maded the story move faster since all you have to do is read the right pages. The pages on the right side, of course. All joking aside, this is the Epic Beowulf in it's entire form.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 24, 2001
This book was outstanding and brilliant. i loved it. the choice of words that Hearney used are just beautiful and so insiteful. i have read many versions of Beowulf but this one was the best!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 6, 2012
I enjoyed this work of art. It is considered an epic poem. I enjoyed the action and that it was set in olden days. I had to read this for Literature and now I enjoy just reading it for pleasure.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 30, 2011
Wonderful translation
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 28, 2011
Beowulf is a story that will never be forgotten and will last forever. Not one person could read it and not be in awe of the power of one man. The author of this book is unknown still to this day but it is known that it was written by an Anglo-Saxon in medieval English times. This book is an epic poem and Beowulf himself is the epic hero in that poem. The main theme of Beowulf is good vs. evil. Beowulf battles many powerful enemies whom are all evil.
The main point of the story is Beowulf battling many powerful foes with his awesome strength. The book starts with Grendel, the spawn of Cain, killing people in the hall of Herot. Beowulf, wanting glory, hears this and travels to the land of the Danes to battle Grendel. He two battle and Beowulf is victorious. The Danes applaud and praise Beowulf for his strength and bravery. After Beowulf leaves back to the land of the Geats, Grendel's mother begins to terrorize Herot once again. Beowulf returns to defeat her and once again emerges victorious. Herot is now safe once again. Beowulf returns to his homeland and rules as its king for 50 years. A dragon appears and begins to wreak havoc among Beowulf's people and he fights for glory one last time. The dragon is slain with the help of Wyglaf, one of Beowulf's men. Beowulf, however, was mortally wounded and passes. The story ends with Beowulf's funeral pyre.
This was one of the best books I have ever read. The detail and action in this book is astounding. Reading it puts you right in the middle of all the action and keeps you reading to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to anyone who likes stories of great heroes.
Bookworm95AO
Posted October 16, 2011
This book is way easier to understand than the Barnes and Noble edition. Great translator!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.cityhunter2
Posted September 17, 2011
Get a free $5.00 discount code in BN Books! Get in website: loveBN.tk
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged."They said that of all the kings upon the earth/he was the man most gracious and fair-minded,/kindest to his people and keenest to win fame." Ending Lines 3180 - 3182
Awesome. Absolutely Unequalled in its excellence.
6163932
Posted January 31, 2011
if only it had verse #.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The 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
I wouldn't recommend this book to an indivudal, but rather to and English class. The language was good, and so was the plot, but the endless list of characters and their histories can be overwhleming at times.
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I had to read this for English class...and it is what it is. It's a story about a hero, one we all can predict. The fact that it's such an old tale is fascinating, but I prefer newer literature, because we've grown as a culture, so it's good to mature as we move on...not live in the past stories of yesterday. It's a good read because of its name, but other than that...blah.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 5, 2005
So it was summer before my senior year and I was asked to read this book as an assignment. Little did I know that I would deep down admire it! The epic poem has like a saga of its own as well as an awesome backstory!!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 13, 2003
A poetic word-wrenching piece that captivates you from the first page. Gives the heros view on the struggle with his monster. The book is catching the readers interest with a well written language. By the way has the danish king´s court been found(earliest remains from year 0)with a chalice from the 500 c. The king is residing in Scedenige or Scedeland. The oldest reconstructed name for Skåne is *Skadin-aujo(damage-island). Around 600 c it was probably Skadiney, in the viking-age Skáney. That Skadiney, Skadinland becomes Scedenige or Scedeland are matching the difference between west-germanic and ancient scandinavian in re-sound and sch-sound. The danes are called 'dene' and the anglians 'engle'. The countryside around Gullåkra has long been haunted until 19th c by a ghost woman who appeared in a fur cape. Once upon a time she had been beheaded for a crime she had committed. See more on: http://www.expage.com/uppakra
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
"A faithful rendering that is simultaneously an original and gripping poem in its own right." —New York Times Book Review
The national bestseller and winner of the Whitbread Award. Composed toward the end of the first millennium, Beowulf is the classic Northern epic of a hero’s triumphs as a young warrior and his fated death as a defender of his people. The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on, physically and psychically exposed in the exhausted aftermath. It is not hard to draw parallels in this story to the historical curve of consciousness in the twentieth century, but the poem also transcends such considerations, telling us psychological ...