Medieval Poem Beowulf
Purpose: Using the three different, modern, English translations of passages from the medieval poem Beowulf provided, you will reflect on the purpose and art of translating and editing medieval sources across language and culture. You will compare the different readings of the medieval text, analyzing the form, content and purpose of each, considering the role of the translator and what our relationship with medieval textual sources tells us about our understanding of the medieval past.
Instructions: Include in your guided reading of the text the following sections:
Author and Purpose: Using the Introductions to each edition, reflect on the following questions (in any order):
What unique lens does each author bring to the 1000+-year-old text?
How do they situate their editions?
Translating the Text: Medieval textual sources have been compiled, lost, recovered, and stitched back together in the hundreds of years they have taken to reach us, and each version carries a unique legacy and voice – and all in a language that is no longer living. Translation across language and cultural barriers adds another level of complexity to our study of medieval sources. It is better perhaps to speak of “the Beowulf textual tradition” rather than to think of Beowulf as a single text or work. You will explore this relationship by comparing three different translations of the opening word of the poem and two short passages: 1) Beowulf introduces himself to Hrothgar; and, 2) Grendel’s mother takes her revenge.
In doing so, reflect on the following questions:
The opening word of Beowulf (Anglo-Saxon “Hwæt”) has no direct cognate in modern English. Tolkien defines it as “a note or ‘striking up’ at the beginning of a poem. Deriving from minstrel tradition: in origin a call for attention.” How does each author choose to translate that word and how does it set the stage for the translation? How might you translate such a word?
Using examples from the text, what is a way that each of the translations add to our understanding of this medieval text and the world that created it?
Which do you think is more challenging for a translator, translating the words of a text or the meaning of a text?
Reflecting on the exercise, what might be some limitations and benefits of translated medieval sources? What does each edition reveal to us about Beowulf and its world, specifically?
In summary, your paper should address the 2 instructions sections and 6 questions. Remember, you don’t need to say everything that can possibly be said about each topic, but to show us that you’ve thought critically about the issues they raise.
