Beowulf

Rating:
Summary: Beowulf done right.
Review: I love this book. The writer uses words with Anglo-Saxon roots to give it a real Folkish feeling.
There is, also, a tape recording of this book that is great.
He takes a 1500 year old poem and brings it to life.
I wish Heaney would translate the Icelandic Sagas. Some of the translations are really flat.
Heaney is a damn good poet in his own right. It is great to have poets translating poems. Most dry translations miss the fact that Beowulf is meant to be read a loud as a poem.
This is a must for any modern day heathen, student of English literature, or any one that just likes a good adventure story.
I think all followers of the Asatru Faith should own a copy of this book.

Rating:
Summary: Clear translation, roomy edition
Review: The hardcover edition gives ample margin space for notes, a classy layout (the title and page number run along the bottom margin, ghosted enough to write over, in a bold, simple font), and parallel texts of the Old English and Heaney's translation. Heaney's English is unadorned; he preserves the half-measure of the original, where each line is composed of two half-lines. Heaney achieves this without obscuring the meanings or creating a choppy tone. At times the translation may seem too plain and straightforward, but it serves as an excellent translation for students and readers wishing to add Beowulf to their canon. Grove City College currently uses this translation in its British Literature class.

Rating:
Summary: Þæt wæs gôd scop
Review: .......

So it is with no immoderate disbelief that I heartily commend an anonymous poet to the modern reader. This poet's work is extremely powerful, and Seamus Haney has translated it to excellent effect. Simply put, Haney has breathed life into this remarkable work for me. It is a delight to read (I've read it twice now). Haney's publisher has prepared his text, and on the opposing page, has reproduced the original text itself. The Old English is exhilarating--I enjoy nothing more than conquering a few words in this tongue. I cannot vouch for Haney's accuracy --I am no expert in Old English, but his language has the touch than only a poet could lend to this work. He has also composed an introduction to the text, which I was glad to read, and has produced genealogies that are quite useful for the reader, in order to unravel the snarled lineages of the Scandinavian clans.

The language is very direct, of course: it issues a kind of confrontational fortitude that, in the words of one friend "doesn't use all those Latin-derived words." The overall effect of the poem reminds me of the coronary injection in Quentin Tarantino's film Pulp Fiction. From the beginning of the poem, the reader is overwhelmed by the sense that each of Beowulf's choices will net immediate, life-changing results. We don't know until the end of the work whether his decisions are good ones, or if they will prove fatal.

Still not convinced? You think you'd rather read a contemporary action-packed novel than a 1300-year-old poem? Think again--this poem is populated by a fraternity-house of noisy, mead-filled warriors whose primary goal, it seems, is to exact vengeance on enemies, shatter a few skulls, and destroy evil beasts, (in one case, ripping off a limb or two, just for show). The actual monsters (and the dragon) in Beowulf are truly evil and despotic. When they are not destroying mead-halls or consuming warrior-flesh, they lurk deep in a boggish nightmare-underworld of caverns and tombs of long-forgotten kings. Rest assured that excerpts from Beowulf will never grace a Hallmark card--the poet used ink made from testosterone. In fact, female characters tend to waft into poem, and drift out again, having little, if any effect on the overall direction of the poem. Female readers may find this repulsive; however, the poet considered Beowulf's world a boy's world, and depicts it thus.

Wait! If you're a woman, don't stop reading yet--before you suppose that a cave-dwelling ex-boyfriend wrote this poem, you must not forget the profound thematic insights that the author laid out. He depicts a world where a person may change one's destiny, which indelibly chisels one's fate into the cliff-wall. For the author, destiny-building takes courage, and the results may be temporary gain (Beowulf defeats monsters, and local kings dump mounds of cold, hard treasure into his boats) but, ultimately, human-directed Fate can be painful or even destructive. Doing what is right may exact vengeance:

Suppose a monster is destroying your village. To kill such a monster is good, right? The poet is not so sure: his answer is a definite 'Maybe'. Suppose you kill said monster. Fine--now the creature's whole clan descends upon your city, angrier than ever, seeking bloody vengeance on your family. Despite this, the poet asserts that to remain idle may be more dangerous still. A strong king is revered by his clan, right? What if that king dies in a battle? What would become of the king's clan? The Geats, Beowulf's clan, die in just such a way. Whether you do, or whether you don't, you are still damned. So go right ahead.

The author wrote Beowulf in the Christian era, but pre-Christian sentimentalities still rule the poet's world. How can a "turn-your-cheek" Christian fit in a world where "an eye-for-an-eye" rules the land? Maybe the two tenets are incompatible, or maybe not. The author grapples with precisely this issue. Although the text is not implicit, the thought draws the reader like an overwhelming tide to Beowulf's end.

This poem could gain a particularly strong appeal in times of war. Beowulf is a warrior's Ecclesiastes. The reader comes away with the sentiment that Beowulf did everything he could, yet, all around him was, ultimately, vanity. With his death (I hope I didn't spoil the ending for anybody), Beowulf's land will certainly be invaded and his tribe's cultural identity will evaporate. However, the Geats build him a massive funeral pyre that can be seen from miles away, at sea. As Beowulf's ashes ascend to heaven humankind can be hopeful. Whether Beowulf dies or not, the war-cogs rattle forward. Battles will always be won and lost, although, sometimes, those battles will be great. Strong people will live awhile, and eventually die. Weak people will fade. But, still, the sun will rise in the morning, and as ships sail by Geatland, the crew will see it: the mighty pillar for a mighty warrior. This is for many to see, and for all to remember. Þæt wæs gôd scop.

The poem is that powerful.

Rating:
Summary: Perogatives, perceptions and poetic percussions
Review: I first encountered Beowulf in about the tenth grade at a gathering of students and teachers as I was corrected in modern English usage by an English teacher but by fortuitous accident was correct in it's more ancient Anglo-Saxon form as pointed out by my Latin professor (fresh from Emmanuel College, Cambridge University) who concluded his comment with a stirring example of the eald cwide:
" Hwaet we Garrrr-Dena on gearr-dagum
theod cyninga thrrym gefrrunon,
hu the aethelingas ellen frremedon."
Later discussions and explanations got me hooked on both the poetry and stories of the Ancients. A near thirty year lapse had occurred when I picked up a very worn copy of Rafel Burton's verse translation of Beowulf at a used bookstore in San Antonio, Texas. This sparked a renewed interest in such buried treasures and in the years since I have read both prose and verse translations including the excellent scholarly bilingual work by Chickering. The latter work inspired an interest in the language itself and the gift by a friend and fellow poet of Bright's ANGLO-SAXON READER (printed in August 1948 only a few months after I was born) sealed my fate. Somewhere between the purchase of A CONCISE ANGLO-SAXON DICTIONARY by J.D.Clark Hall and WORDCRAFT by Stephen Pollington, I found Seamus Heaney's book and recordings of BEOWULF: "Direct...Poetic... Earthy" Not something to listen to in somber recital but enjoyed in roudy mead-halls amidst the clacking of drinking horns and kissing of maidens and blushings of clerics secretly scribing stories. Heaney's BEOWULF is a must for heros and true believers. The heart of a poet strides amid the horror of war and the honor (and lack of honor) of warriors and the wyrd that follows the consequence of choices. The only thing better would be a rendering in the original before a fluent audience.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent adventure
Review: This is an excellent epic poem and an adventure you don't want to miss. This is a poem set in the midevil times. It is about an area that is being ravaged by dragons. The cities army cannot hold it's ground and thus a conqurer from another area must come to save the day. It is none other than beowulf that comes to the rescue. It is really a poem that needs no description from me for I cannot do it justice. I strongly recommend this for a relaxing yet adventuresome read.

Rating:
Summary: Beowulf review
Review: I would not recommend Beowulf to anyone who is looking for an interesting book. The story line is too historic, and it is hard for people these days to find a way to connect with Beowulf, the main character. As someone who does not enjoy stories based around epic heroes, Beowulf was extremely boring for me. He kills this; he slaughters that; he defeats this; he overpowers that. The story is so predictable that it isn't even worth reading. Maybe older readers will like it better, but in my opinion, it should not be considered a "classic."

Rating:
Summary: Simply the absolute best
Review: What can I say? The translator reads his own translation, which is excellent. Abolutely necessary when Beowulf is required reading in class. You can follow along in the text.

Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: All I can say is 'WOW'. I had never heard of the book before last week. I found a site with the top 100 novels list and decided to start reading some of them. This book is amazing. I couldn't walk away from it, I read it in 3 short, highly imaginative hours. It is definately a cover to cover read and I recommend it to anyone who has a liking for epic tales of heroics or a love for stories of chivalry, honor, and bravery.
Wow.

Rating:
Summary: Epic Translation of an Epic Poem
Review: While Heaney does the best he can with the infamous 'poet passage' that takes place in the middle third of BEOWULF, the rest of the translation is a stunning marvel to behold. It flows nearly seamlessly from passage to passage -- except for the aforementioned 'poet passage' -- and the tale is as brisk, vibrant, and memorable as it ever was. Of particular note is Beowulf's defeat of Grendel, as well as the passages dealing with his remembrance of the deed toward the end of the work.

While BEOWULF has never been as strong, in my opinion, as some of the other epic poems, Heaney does a great job at keeping his pace aligned with the needs of the contemporary reader. Some other versions might've focused more on bravada, but Heaney sticks straigt to the language nicely.

Very nice indeed!

Rating:
Summary: Crystal-clear rendering of Beowulf for contemporary readers
Review: I first encountered Beowulf while I was in high school, about 20 years ago. Two obstacles prevented me from being able to make heads or tails of what I was reading: First was the somewhat dated and tortuous "old english" prose that most translators of classic literature seem to adopt for these sorts of projects; second was the fact that the narrative itself jumps around a bit and includes flashbacks or digressions that can be confusing. By the time I was 2/3 of the way through it, I was completely lost, and I abondoned it without finishing.

Seamus Heaney has produced a new translation of this work that might not be the first choice for serious scholars, but is a welcome retelling for nonspecialists who would like to be able to at least get a glimpse into this classic of world literature. The translation is spare, simple, and does not draw attention to itself, which really lets the story move to the forefront. That's not to say that it lacks poetry; at many places, Heaney's translation gave me goosebumps. But it is simulataneously poetic and clear; somewhat unusual these days, but maybe more in spirit with the way it was originally told.

For example, compare this (from a 1910 translation by F.B. Grummere):

LO, praise of the prowess of people-kings
of spear-armed Danes, in days long sped,
we have heard, and what honor the athelings won!

[...]

he waxed under welkin, in wealth he throve,
till before him the folk, both far and near,
who house by the whale-path, heard his mandate,
gave him gifts: a good king he!

With this (Heaney):

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 campaings.

[...]

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.

Aside from the translation itself, Heaney also includes frequent marginal notes that help the reader to follow what is going on; for example, "Beowulf recalls the feast in Heorot." "He tells about Grendel's mother." These are useful because the narrative often jumps abruptly from one scene to another without much of a transition within the text. This might not be much of a problem for a reader who is already familiar with the story, but for a new reader it can create difficulties, which these marginal notes greatly help to overcome.

Together, the translation and the marginal notes make this a pleasant, powerful read. I think a lot of the grumbling about this book is from people who suffered through older translations and think that you should have to suffer too. Spare yourself the misery and read this.