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A review by jon_o88
Beowulf: A Verse Translation by
4.0
Michael Alexander’s Beowulf - 4 ⭐
Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf - 3.5 ⭐
Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon Epic poem and the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English. It survives as one part of a manuscript known as the Nowell Codex, copied in the early 11th Century by an unknown scribe. The age of the original composition is also unknown. I read Michael Alexander’s translation in-tandem with that of Seamus Heaney, both are unabridged Verse Translations, so this will be a comparative review of sorts.
The tale itself is set in the North-Germanic or Scandinavian region during the 5th and 6th centuries. Though written for a Christian audience, the subjects of the story are “Pagans”. Predominantly the Danes, victims of 12 Years of nightly terror wrought by the demonic abomination Grendel, and the Geats, to whom their would-be hero Beowulf belongs. Bolstered it is, however, by the inclusion of the Swedes, Jutes, Angles, Frisians, Franks and Heathobards and the storied connections, rarely amicable, between the various tribes.
It’s an era of patriarchal warrior aristocracies. Kings are respected for their “open-handedness” and generosity in gift-giving; subjects are prized and rewarded, above all, for their Bravery and Heroism, characteristics which Beowulf exemplifies above all others. Women, even Queens, are reduced to glorified mead wenches and “companions of the bed” as we see with both Hygd and Wealhtheow. Daughters of Kings, like Hildeburgh or Freawaru, are little more than peace-offerings between rival tribes, given without care for how one might treat the daughter of their enemy. Here’s a Hot Tip: If you’re a woman and time-travel becomes possible, don’t push the fucking Rewind button!! There’s nothing remotely good waiting for you there. I don’t give a shit about your Highlander Fantasies either, forget about it! Where was I? Oh yeah.
Great importance is placed on the Lineage of men. Kingships, hoards of treasure and legendary weapons, bearing the names of their original owners, are inherited and gifted by the Will of the King as proof of one’s value and a display of Brotherhood/Kinship. The ”Pagan” tribes of the time lived in perpetual states of nervous tension, slights to their ancestors unforgotten, always looking for a chance for reciprocation or, more accurately, retaliation and so the cycle of revenge, like life and death symbolised by the Worm Ouroboros, was eternally renewed. All of this is woven beautifully into what is essentially a Hero Story in which Beowulf must battle 3 monstrous creatures, across many years, in defence of both the Danes and his eventual subjects, the Geats.
It’s evident to me now that most all classics of this nature contain, essentially, an entire analysis of the text in the introduction, meaning if you’re looking to read this purely as a fantastical tale unknown to you, you might consider leaving the introduction until after completing the text. If, however, you’re reading with an equal interest in the story’s historical significance, then the information shared in the introduction can actually add to the reading experience.
Wordsmithery vs. Wordsorcery is really what it comes down to when comparing the two translations. Both are great but Alexander wins the day for a number of reasons, in my opinion.
Heaney’s translation is the more accessible of the two. Much more direct and modern in both it’s phrasing and use of words. Heaney himself comments in the intro on straying from the strictest rules of the poem, stating, "when these breaches occur, it is because I prefer to let the natural 'sound of sense' prevail over the demands of the convention" and that he has "a prejudice in favour of forthright delivery". That’s absolutely fine and I think it gives Heaney’s version a more universal appeal but, at the same time, I feel that it loses some of the magic that Alexander's evokes having stuck more strictly to the conventions of the original poem. He also includes an excellent section in the introduction on his personal experience translating the text and adds a charming Celtic sheen to the Classic experience.
Where Heaney’s translation has done a great job re-popularizing this classic and may garner greater popularity in the Modern market, Alexander’s translation offers what I believe to be, in my entirely unqualified opinion, a closer-to-original experience and a more accurate interpretation of what the original Anglo-Saxon tale would sound like translated into modern English. Heaney was a fantastic Wordsmith; I don’t want to diminish his work in any way. If you wish to read his translation, excellent choice, you’ll love it! I just found something more “Old English” in Alexander’s work and was drawn to that. On top of this, Alexander’s Penguin Classics edition has a far more comprehensive intro, at about 50 pages, discussing central themes of the work, “its place among epic poems, the history of its publication and reception, and issues of translation”. It also includes a set of Genealogical tables (as does Heaney), a handy map, extensive notes on all important passages and an Index of Proper Nouns. These might just sound like pointless add-ons but they really are essential.
They’re essential because, Heroes in a half-shell, brothers and sisters! There are some names to wrap your head around here! Just so you can get an idea:
Hygelac, King of the Geats, is the Son of Hrethel, Brother of Herebeald and Hathkin and Father to Heardred.
Hrothgar, King of the Danes, is the Son of Healfdane, Brother of Heorogar and Halga, and Father to Hrethric and Hrothmund.
Heoroward is the Son of Heorogar
Hrothulf is the Son of Halga
Still with me? Didn’t think so. Couple more things.
Beowulf is the son of Edgetheow but make sure not to confuse Beow (Beowulf the Dane) with our Hero, Beowulf the Geat.
Apart from that you should be fine unless, like me, you read 2 translations in tandem. Then you’ll come across different translations of the same name… Good luck!
”Now the flames shall grow dark
And the fire destroy the sustainer of the warriors
Who often endured the iron shower
When, string-driven, the storm of arrows
Sang over shield-wall, and the shaft did its work,
Sped by its feathers, furthered the arrow-head.”
Seamus Heaney’s Beowulf - 3.5 ⭐
Beowulf is an Anglo-Saxon Epic poem and the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English. It survives as one part of a manuscript known as the Nowell Codex, copied in the early 11th Century by an unknown scribe. The age of the original composition is also unknown. I read Michael Alexander’s translation in-tandem with that of Seamus Heaney, both are unabridged Verse Translations, so this will be a comparative review of sorts.
The tale itself is set in the North-Germanic or Scandinavian region during the 5th and 6th centuries. Though written for a Christian audience, the subjects of the story are “Pagans”. Predominantly the Danes, victims of 12 Years of nightly terror wrought by the demonic abomination Grendel, and the Geats, to whom their would-be hero Beowulf belongs. Bolstered it is, however, by the inclusion of the Swedes, Jutes, Angles, Frisians, Franks and Heathobards and the storied connections, rarely amicable, between the various tribes.
It’s an era of patriarchal warrior aristocracies. Kings are respected for their “open-handedness” and generosity in gift-giving; subjects are prized and rewarded, above all, for their Bravery and Heroism, characteristics which Beowulf exemplifies above all others. Women, even Queens, are reduced to glorified mead wenches and “companions of the bed” as we see with both Hygd and Wealhtheow. Daughters of Kings, like Hildeburgh or Freawaru, are little more than peace-offerings between rival tribes, given without care for how one might treat the daughter of their enemy. Here’s a Hot Tip: If you’re a woman and time-travel becomes possible, don’t push the fucking Rewind button!! There’s nothing remotely good waiting for you there. I don’t give a shit about your Highlander Fantasies either, forget about it! Where was I? Oh yeah.
Great importance is placed on the Lineage of men. Kingships, hoards of treasure and legendary weapons, bearing the names of their original owners, are inherited and gifted by the Will of the King as proof of one’s value and a display of Brotherhood/Kinship. The ”Pagan” tribes of the time lived in perpetual states of nervous tension, slights to their ancestors unforgotten, always looking for a chance for reciprocation or, more accurately, retaliation and so the cycle of revenge, like life and death symbolised by the Worm Ouroboros, was eternally renewed. All of this is woven beautifully into what is essentially a Hero Story in which Beowulf must battle 3 monstrous creatures, across many years, in defence of both the Danes and his eventual subjects, the Geats.
It’s evident to me now that most all classics of this nature contain, essentially, an entire analysis of the text in the introduction, meaning if you’re looking to read this purely as a fantastical tale unknown to you, you might consider leaving the introduction until after completing the text. If, however, you’re reading with an equal interest in the story’s historical significance, then the information shared in the introduction can actually add to the reading experience.
Wordsmithery vs. Wordsorcery is really what it comes down to when comparing the two translations. Both are great but Alexander wins the day for a number of reasons, in my opinion.
Heaney’s translation is the more accessible of the two. Much more direct and modern in both it’s phrasing and use of words. Heaney himself comments in the intro on straying from the strictest rules of the poem, stating, "when these breaches occur, it is because I prefer to let the natural 'sound of sense' prevail over the demands of the convention" and that he has "a prejudice in favour of forthright delivery". That’s absolutely fine and I think it gives Heaney’s version a more universal appeal but, at the same time, I feel that it loses some of the magic that Alexander's evokes having stuck more strictly to the conventions of the original poem. He also includes an excellent section in the introduction on his personal experience translating the text and adds a charming Celtic sheen to the Classic experience.
Where Heaney’s translation has done a great job re-popularizing this classic and may garner greater popularity in the Modern market, Alexander’s translation offers what I believe to be, in my entirely unqualified opinion, a closer-to-original experience and a more accurate interpretation of what the original Anglo-Saxon tale would sound like translated into modern English. Heaney was a fantastic Wordsmith; I don’t want to diminish his work in any way. If you wish to read his translation, excellent choice, you’ll love it! I just found something more “Old English” in Alexander’s work and was drawn to that. On top of this, Alexander’s Penguin Classics edition has a far more comprehensive intro, at about 50 pages, discussing central themes of the work, “its place among epic poems, the history of its publication and reception, and issues of translation”. It also includes a set of Genealogical tables (as does Heaney), a handy map, extensive notes on all important passages and an Index of Proper Nouns. These might just sound like pointless add-ons but they really are essential.
They’re essential because, Heroes in a half-shell, brothers and sisters! There are some names to wrap your head around here! Just so you can get an idea:
Hygelac, King of the Geats, is the Son of Hrethel, Brother of Herebeald and Hathkin and Father to Heardred.
Hrothgar, King of the Danes, is the Son of Healfdane, Brother of Heorogar and Halga, and Father to Hrethric and Hrothmund.
Heoroward is the Son of Heorogar
Hrothulf is the Son of Halga
Still with me? Didn’t think so. Couple more things.
Beowulf is the son of Edgetheow but make sure not to confuse Beow (Beowulf the Dane) with our Hero, Beowulf the Geat.
Apart from that you should be fine unless, like me, you read 2 translations in tandem. Then you’ll come across different translations of the same name… Good luck!
”Now the flames shall grow dark
And the fire destroy the sustainer of the warriors
Who often endured the iron shower
When, string-driven, the storm of arrows
Sang over shield-wall, and the shaft did its work,
Sped by its feathers, furthered the arrow-head.”