Beowulf

Rating:
Summary: A lively, living translation
Review: There is so much to enjoy in this book that I hardly know where to begin.

First, the text itself is modern and lyrical. Heany, a Nobel award winner, has brought this text his full skill as a translator, as a Celt, and as a poet above all. It flows, the meter is strong and expressive, and many readers can all approach it on their own levels. It's a story of heroism tried, tried again, and tried to the end of human endurance - but a few other stories show up in the interludes. There are jealousies and political intrigues, as well as personal bonds and honor. And, in a happy surprise, the Celtic tradition of metalworking is never far from the surface. However great the feat of arms, the arms themselves and the anonymous smiths always get their footnote.

One fascinating feature of this book is that the original text, a modern typesetting of the old English, stands side by side with the modern text. This is a remarkable bit of honesty and academic rigor, almost as if a chef invited every diner to examine the kitchen in white-glove detail. I can't read the original, but I don't have to in order to get some of its value. I can pick out a word here and there - "gold" from "golde", or "mother" from "modor" - but even I can see more. I can just look the unknown words and see how the original alliterated and how the modern English does not. I don't value the modern rendering less for the loss, but I value the original more.

A stereotype is due for update. "Beowulf" was once a trial by ordeal for English majors. That is no longer true. Heany makes it a vivid contemporary experience without losing sight of the people and times that brought it to life. Ever better, Tolkien fans will see where he drew so much of his inspiration, especially in naming his people. This story is not just good in itself, it's good in the ways that it underlies so many English stories that followed it.

//wiredweird

Rating:
Summary: Only Dark Age Epic to Survive!
Review: This poem is a lot older than the Viking sagas. Luckily it has survived through the years and has preserved a window into the semi-civilization of the Northern Dark Ages. If you want to know how a real barbarian warrior felt and thought, this book is the best and only one there is.
Seaney's translation is highly readable and yet still conveys the alliterative poetic style of the original. The modern text faces the ancient: so, you can read passages in the original if you want; much of it you will understand since it is still English: Old English.
With Seaney's fabulous translation and with the facing Old English original, you can authentically transport yourself back to the 7th Century A.D. If you are an English speaker by birth, this poem will have spiritual meaning for you as well since you are communicating with your ancient linguistic forebears.
This poem reads a lot like the Iliad of Homer: it is a world of kings, queens, warriors, and bards. Unlike Homer, however, it has its giants, dragons elves and orcs (no hobbits though!). Grendel, the first monster encountered in the tale, which Beowulf defeats using a kind of Judo arm-lock move (and the arm comes right off! HAHAHAHA! Good technique!), is some kind of thing I know not what: kind of a mixture between a ghost and a giant, and very stinky. Beowulf then goes and hunts down Grendel's mother inside an underwater cavern, and finds a treasure-trove of swords, jewels, rare items and things: very reminiscent of Diablo II!
I love Beowulf's swimming competition! He and another guy argue about who is the tougher, so they decide to have a 'little' swimming match... Many days later and Beowulf has defeated several killer whales and things with underwater swordplay. I guess it would work, since modern shark researchers still wear chainmail armour. He is one tough guy to swim for so many days wearing chainmail though!!!
You see, the whole story is supposed to build a hero of all heroes. The greatest palace in the world is under attack by Grendel, so the greatest warrior-hero the world has ever seen is called upon to offer aid. Beowulf is so strong and such a good fighter that he prefers not even to use weapons in warfare: he'd rather just use his bare hands and Jiu-jitsu his opponents to death! He even apologizes to the audience that he is 'too old' to kill the dragon with his hands any more (when he is like 80 years old!) so he will have to use a sword and shield: 'sorry guys for letting you down'! Beowulf is clearly the Paul Bunyan/Hercules of Old England. What makes him so appealing is that he has no flaws at all in him: he is perfectly wise, perfectly brave, perfectly skilled in battle, perfectly strong, perfectly kind, and HUGE! Beowulf sets out an ideal that we can all aspire to in one way or another, but never ever reach.
I suspect that the tale of Beowulf came over from the Continent with the invading Angle and Saxon tribes, and never went away: it only kept growing in the telling. For the English, it was Beowulf who was the greatest hero, whereas for other Northern peoples Sigfried became the most popular over time. It does seem that the poet is trying to have Beowulf outdo Sigfried: Beowulf doesn't even need to use weapons whereas Sigfried does; Beowulf kills multiple mosters (and WHALES too, while swimming in the ocean!); Beowulf dies a noble death whereas Sigfried is stabbed in the back; Beowulf rules many years as a wise and generous king whereas Sigfried is more of a 10-minute wonder. Clearly whatever king considered himself a relative of Beowulf wanted to show that his family is better than anyone else's.
The mixture of Biblical lore with Nordic myth is really cool! I really liked reading about how Cain was cursed by God to roam the countryside as a kind of wandering spirit, and he gave birth to all the Elves, Giants, Ents (Eotuns) and Orcs. In Nordic lore it is Loki the Trickster who fathers all these creeps: it only makes the whole thing more fun, I think, to have Cain do it. Also, the mention of Almighty God 53 times in the poem has a special powerful ring to it that Odin just doesn't have: with his one eye popped out and all, and that creepy crow or parrot or whatever sitting on his shoulder. The Christian element doesn't take anything away from the tale at all: it only makes it more 'grounded' and the issue of who is right and who is wrong more clear. In any case, the Germans Christianized their Sigfried, so why can't the English their Beowulf? Anyways, it was the Christian set-up that brought writing to the English in the first place, so in order for things like Beowulf to be written and enjoyed as books, there had to be Christianity.
Congratulations to Seamus Heaney on his fantastic translation!
Oh yes, and the chianmail cover that sticks out feels real neat!

Rating:
Summary: A great translation of an interesting story
Review: _Beowulf_ is a fairly simple story, but still an interesting read. The battle scenes are exciting, especially the fight with the dragon in the end. Even as Beowulf conquers his enemies, there's a dark sense of foreboding throughout, which makes for a very somber tone. In between action sequences, _Beowulf_ has much to say about honorable conduct and the Warrior's Code--enough where I wonder if the story wasn't intended to be instructional. As far as the classics go, it's a pretty quick read (about 100 pages of text--you can read it in one or two sittings).

When dealing with older works like this, your reading experience can be a dream or a nighmare depending the quality of the translation. Seamus Heaney makes this work clear and accessible to everyone. Also, he includes a pretty good introduction dealing with the history of _Beowulf_, as well as some things to look out for while reading it.