A Glossed Text

Beowulf

The earliest English poem, given here in its original form

This heroic Anglo-Saxon narrative poem, believed to have been written 1,250 years ago, is rich in history and legend. Michael Alexander edits this latest edition to great acclaim.

Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother, and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland. Through its blend of myth and history, Beowulf vividly evokes a twilight world in which men and supernatural forces live side by side, and celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in a transient world.

Michael Alexander

Michael Alexander is much the best translator from Old English. His Penguin <i>Beowulf</i> is much to be recommended, but so too is the volume entitled <i>The First Poems in English</i>

This selection of the earliest poems in English comprises works from an age in which verse was not written down, but recited aloud and remembered. Heroic poems celebrate courage, loyalty and strength, in excerpts from Beowulf and in The Battle of Brunanburgh, depicting King Athelstan&rsquo;s defeat of his northern enemies in 937 AD, while The Wanderer and The Seafarer reflect on exile, loss and destiny. The Gnomic Verses are proverbs on the natural order of life, and the Exeter Riddles are witty linguistic puzzles. Love elegies include emotional speeches from an abandoned wife and separated lovers, and devotional poems include a vision of Christ&rsquo;s cross in The Dream of the Rood, and Caedmon&rsquo;s Hymn, perhaps the oldest poem in English, speaking in praise of God.

The First Poems in English

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Praise for The First Poems in English

Michael Alexander is much the best translator from Old English. His Penguin Beowulf is much to be recommended, but so too is the volume entitled The First Poems in English

Books by Michael Alexander

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