Translations

Does anyone have any favorites? I enjoyed the Seamus Heaney version when it came out. Recently, I wanted to read some other versions and I am about to start the Howell D. Chickering translation.

I just read the Heaney a couple of weeks ago. It's been decades since I've read Beowulf, but I seem to recall enjoying the version from my college text (it was a Norton Anthology) a bit more. I wonder if it's an issue of age. I should dig out the Norton and reread that version to compare.

Has anyone read Beowulf and the Critics? I've been eyeing it, but it's a tad pricy.

The Seamus Heaney one is the only translation I've read that actually tried to keep the alliterative patterns...I'm not sure I could read a different translation after reading that one. I'm currently trying to plod through it in the original, though.

#2
Clamairy, are we on *all* the same groups? :-)

#3 - I just joined today! I wanted to join when the group was first created, but it had been such a long time since I read Beowulf that I was too ashamed. I waited until after I had finished with the Heaney translation.

I have a few versions, but I'm really fascinated by the one found on the author page of Geoffrey Chaucer.

But it got 4 stars, myshelves.
What's not to love?

Really? I didn't go look at it, just wondered if I'd slept through something in the Chaucer course.

Odd. There's no cover.
;o)

http://www.librarything.com/work/2933374

What, you mean none of you have read the recently discovered 'lost' translation of Chaucer? It holds many up-to-now never seen chapters of Beowulf that have scholars in hot debate. For instance, the recently discovered 'lost' chapter where grendel's mother has tea with the Wife of Bath (the latter of which, it is argued, actually suggested the revenge scheme), in addition to many of the authors notes which reveal that the Reeve, the Miller, and the Nun had actually bribed the knights to desert their leige in his fight against the dragon, because travelling on foot is, lets face it, dull, and they needed some serious entertainment.

:-)

i'm really surprised (almost shocked) that no one has mentioned the foremost KNOWN translator of the Beowulf: J. R. R. Tolkien. He was well known in academic circles before the Rings grabbed ahold.

My favorite translation is maybe not available now:
Father Klaeber's Beowulf, complete with the original ms.

Has anyone noticed that Sigourney Weaver's Alien series is the Beowulf?

In the first, there is the monster; in the second, there is the mother below the surface, and in the third, Weaver becomes bald (suggesting an older age) and she even says in the movie: "This one isn't like the others. This is more like a dragon."

Real literature and stories NEVER DIE!!!

Has anyone here read Grendel by John Gardner? Excellent retelling from, obviously, Grendel's point of view.

I read Grendel in high school... 3 decades ago. I really should reread it one of these years.

andyray, I never thought of Aliens as Beowulf, but you might be on to something there! :o)

I just joined this group devoted to Beowulf. I am inclined to say that Seamus Heaney is the best translation among the several that I have, but I am intrigued by the comment that J.R.R. Tolkien made a translation. That makes perfect sense to me. Does anyone know if it is still in print?

I am currently reading Seamus Heaney's version. I have never read Beowulf before.

david perrings

David Perrings: Let me know what you think of it. I tend to think that this early epic poem is rooted in actual facts. I believe that Grendel and the dragon were actual creatures that are now extinct. There are enough "myths" out there that sound like actual accounts, as does Beowulf, even though some parts of it seem exaggerated. To think that it might have actually happened makes for an interesting read. YangGuy

Heaney did an interesting job translating Beowulf for a general audience, but it's crucial to realize that he's trading off faithfulness to the original for his poetical sensibilities. His translation (even if it was chosen for the Norton Critical Edition) is very different from the original and takes some significant wording/phrasing liberties.
I prefer the translations by Chickering or Klaeber to anything else I've seen. The best bet, of course, is to read it in the original. Track down a copy of Bright's Old English, snagging the Student Edition of Beowulf (edited by George Jack), and getting an Old English dictionary (I like the MART edition by J. R. Clark-Hall). With the student edition, it's actually not very difficult to translate the text.

There's also the Francis B. Grummere translation. It appears in Volume 49 ("Epic and Saga") of the Harvard Classics.

The Introductory note states, in part:

"From Professor Grummere's translation, which preserves with great skill the essential metrical features of the original, accent and alliteration, one can get a good idea of the rhythmic vigor of the old English."

I'd add this one to the list being compiled.

Dear prehensel & Polite_Society: Thank you for your recommendations. I have a Student's Dictionary of Anglo-Saxon by Henry Sweet. How does that compare with the J.R. Clark-Hall Old English dictionary? I'll have to track down Bright's Old English Student Edition of Beowulf and the Francis B. Grmmere translation.

It might be tough to find a copy of Bright's since it's out of print, but not impossible. It's definitely worth it, in my opinion. I know Fred C. Robinson has two interesting introductions to OE printed by Blackwell; they might be good to try if you can't find Bright's. Sweet's Primer demands a lot of memorization of declensions and that sort of thing, which I avoid like roving hordes of Vikings.

I'm not familiar with Sweet's dictionary, but I think that they use it in the Old English sequence here at UO. If you can get Jack's student edition, you'll see these wonderful marginal glosses that save a tremendous amount of time; if, for example, you can't remember what "aglaeca" means, you don't have to go hunting for it in the dictionary because it's right there on the page next to the passage. With that edition, almost any dictionary will do.

I'm very wary of verse translations of Old English poems (and of Latin poems for that matter). At the end of the day, the language barrier combined with the completely different prosody makes it almost impossible to faithfully and artfully translate a poem like Beowulf in verse. Perhaps it's my particular academic approach to the poem, but linguistic and thematic faithfulness should be paramount in order to fully understand the thematic concerns, narrative structure, and cultural context of the poem. Sacrificing either for "art" is a Hollywood move and sacrificing either for "poetry" is fine: just don't call it a translation.

But I'm not too opinionated on the subject or anything...

I'm interested in the recommendations for the translation by Klaeber. I've been looking at copies on AbeBooks, and one listing describes it as "old west saxon text (not a modern english translation)". It is a translation, right? Prose or poetry?

I'm really looking for a translation that tries to preserve the metre and alliterative aspects of the original. I've heard that the translation of Alan Sullivan and Timothy Murphy (ISBN:0321107209) may be what I want, but, rather ominously, I can't find anyone on LT who has it. Is anyone here familiar with that translation?

As far as I've experienced, Klaeber's edition is not a translation; it--along with the Dobbie, Anglo-Saxon Poetic Records edition--is a standard academic edition.

I've got a Klaeber (3rd ed) here, which I picked up used by pure luck at the Strand in NYC years ago. It's in terrible condition (especially from water damage), but I'm grateful to have it.

While Klaeber is not a translation, the detailed annotations and glossary are outstanding. Anyone reading a modern translation would enhance their experience by having Klaeber's edition by their side.

Tolkien's essay "Beowulf: The Monsters and the Critics" is still one of the best studies on the topic. He expanded scholarly attention on the work from the historical and linguistic elements to the mythological elements, and defended the study (and enjoyment) of mythic narrative for modern readers. It's a great companion piece to his essay "On Fairy Stories." Together they are a manifesto for Tolkien's own creative writing. You can find both essays in The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays.

DoctorRobert: Your post had me searching high and low for my Klaeber and it has yet to be found. In the mid-1990s, I sold much of my first editions, but I do not remember selling that. It must be where I didn't look, that is certain, but I'm not going at this time to wander through the dust and droppings of the attic. I understand what you mean that Klaeber is "not a translation," but surely it is being put in modern English from Old English or Cyrillic, as some call it, is a translation ipso facto, n'est-ce pas?

Andyray,

I'm sorry to hear that you may have sold your Klaeber. It wasn't water-damaged by any chance? Maybe I have yours!

Klaeber is in Old English; it's not modernized. Hence the thorough glossary, which I think is why that edition has the reputation is does. It's possible that you're thinking of a side-by-side Old English and modern English edition that I'm not aware of.

But I agree with your general point that it's not a simple matter to call a modern English edition of an Old English text a translation. Still, the differences in vocabulary, spelling, grammar, and even characters are different enough that one wouldn't be out of line to use the word. I would draw the line at Middle English. You can modernize Chaucer, but you don't really need to; with patience a careful reader can follow 80% of the text without even a marginal glossary.

agreed here. my chaucer comes undiluted and uncondensed.

#17 polite_society - Thanks for the heads up on the Harvard Classics. I have them - I can't help bragging that I got them at the PTA Thrift Shop for $10 - although a couple of them have burn marks on the bottom - wish I knew THAT story! Anyway.

I'm in the 888 challenge and decided that I needed to read Beowulf and didn't even realize that I had it in the house.

I'm reading Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain right now - perhaps Beowulf is next.

just browsing,
Beowulf comes from the oral tradition, while it is nice to read it it is even better to hear someone else read it. With that in mind I recommend Heaney's version as read by himself: Beowulf (Audio version) by Sheamus Heaney (translator). It is available for download on iTunes.

I've just started listening to the Seamus Heaney version on the way home from work tonight. I haven't read my Harvard Classics version yet, but will do so after listening to this so that I can compare.

I've only listened to about 15 minutes, so don't have an opinion yet except that I like his voice and can easily understand what he's saying - I can't say that about all the audio books I listen to!

I love his version myself, the alliteration really makes it.

*Warning* Heresy to follow.

Finished the audiobook on the way home tonight. I APPRECIATED the story, but for some reason, I really didn't like the language very much. It sounded ...flat... to me somehow. I didn't get a sense of the dramatic nature of the battles, or the horribleness of Grendel, his mother, or the dragon. I don't know if that's the story itself, Heaney's translation, or a lack of something on my part.

I'm going to read the Grummere version this weekend.

aaaagh, I just fell of my chair, I guess it is a matter of taste. Heaney happens to be one of my favourites, I went to see a production of his translation of Antigone last week and loved what he did with that. Well karenmarie you just made an enemy for life, OK, Liam, it's only a translation!

Maybe I would like Antigone? Maybe once I read the Grummere I'll love the Heaney?

I've only read 4 pages of the Grummere. Got busy with non-book stuff this weekend, so don't have an opinion yet.

We can't be enemies for life. I did say that it might be a lack of something on my part... if that's so, then you'll have to forgive me in my ignorance!

Just checked out your profile. Where in the Southern US do you live? I'm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina, although I'm originally from California.

I actually haven't changed my profile fully, up until about 6 months ago I was living in Nacogdoches, (the oldest town in ...) Texas. I am now back in Ireland, studies, once I finish I hope to return, 90% of my books are in storage there.

I thought you hadn't updated your profile to show the US.

I'm sorry your books are living in Texas while you're living in Ireland. I've had my books boxed up before and hate it.

Okay, I'm to the part where Beowulf has just come to kill Grendel and is meeting Hrothgar. The language is absolutely beautiful. Here's the start of his speech: 'Hygelac's, we, fellows at board; I am Beowulf named. I am seeking to say to the son of Healfdene this mission of mine, to thy master-lord the doughty prince, if he deign at all grace that we greet him, the good one, now." It's a hard read, but I'm enjoying it.

This slays me, but I think I'm going to have to BUY the Heaney version so I can really compare. Amazon, here I come!

After, of course, the interruptions of real life: get ready to go to work, drop child off at high school, drive to work.

I like Heaney because he is a poet and tries to convey something of the poetry, prose translations are out there and they may be more accurate, it sometimes sucks not being able to read Anglo Saxon!

It would be good to remember the Mother of most of the world's languages (at least, what we call the "civilized" world, whatever that is) branched out in three (what looks like today) totally different areas, e.g., (1) cyrillic, (2) latlinized, and (3) umblatic gutteral (my designation, the original designation usually is "Germanic). The latter includes Gaelic, Germanic, and Anglo-Saxon. So the reader above who didn't like the A-S, saying it sounded "flat," is right on. Anyone who adores the Latinized stem will feel the Anglo-Saxon is flat and become sleepy with boredom. However,
Gaelic is delicious to all three branches. Go figure!