On translating 'Beowulf'

1

Several are to be found on p. 25 of that book: notably the renowned 'boss of horrors' for fyrena hyrde 750, here rendered 'master of crimes'; and 'genial saloon' for winsele 771, here rendered 'winehall'. The suggestion of Grand Guignol and less reputable 'pubs' is wholly false to the original.

2

Those who have access to texts and editions will easily find many examples. Nouns, such as guma 'man', are the largest class, but other words of other kind are also frequent, such as ongeador 1595 'together'; gamol 58, etc. 'old'; sin 1336, etc. 'his'. In these four cases the ancestors of the normal modern words mann, togædere, ald, his were already the current words in the poet's day.

3

O.E. bera; O.N. biōrn 'bear'.

4

Literally 'greedy one'; O.N. freki, wolf.

5

It is a habit of many glossaries to Old English texts to record, in addition to a genuine translation, also that modem word which is (or is supposed to be) derived from the Old English word, and even to print this etymological intruder in special type so that it is impressed on the eye to the disadvantage of the correct rendering. The habit is pernicious. It may amuse the glossators, but it wastes space upon what is in the circumstances an irrelevance. It certainly does not assist the memory of students, who too often have to learn that the etymological gloss is worse than useless. Students should handle such glossaries with suspicion. The reading of Beowulf is an opportunity for learning the Old English language and mastering a form of poetic expression. Lessons in the later history of English were better reserved for other occasions.

6

Not all of these are strictly synonymous. Ceorl, mann, wer, were also current words with proper senses (freeman, human being, adult male or husband).

7

The 'bearer of mund', that is, one who has taken an inferior or friendless man under his mund or 'tutela'.

8

Boat-ward, in the northern form batward, is recorded from Wyntoun's Chronicle of the fifteenth century - probably made afresh and not descended from Old English.

9

On swanrad see above. Beado-leoma 'ray of light in battle' is a sword (drawn and glinting); woruld-candel 'candle of the world' is the sun; goldwine 'goldfriend', is a lord or king (generous in gifts of treasure to his kin and loyal knights); ban-hus 'the house whose timbers are bones' is the body.

10

middangeard.

11

garsecg.

12

læne lif 2845.

13

metodsceaft 1180, 2815.