The First Poems in English (Penguin Classics)
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This selection of the earliest poems in English comprises works from an age in which verse was not written down, but recited aloud and remembered. Heroic poems celebrate courage, loyalty and strength, in excerpts from Beowulf and in The Battle of Brunanburgh, depicting King Athelstan's defeat of his northern enemies in 937 AD, while The Wanderer and The Seafarer reflect on exile, loss and destiny. The Gnomic Verses are proverbs on the natural order of life, and the Exeter Riddles are witty show more linguistic puzzles. Love elegies include emotional speeches from an abandoned wife and separated lovers, and devotional poems include a vision of Christ's cross in The Dream of the Rood, and Caedmon's Hymn, perhaps the oldest poem in English, speaking in praise of God. show lessTags
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by octothorp
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I read this book mostly for the famous elegies "The Ruin," "The Wanderer," and "The Seafarer," the last of which was my favorite poem in high school. The imagery is perfect for autumn: grey skies, icy winds, and ruined cities, seen by those resigned to exile from the fires of home. While the poems about love and war were relatively dull, I found that some of the Exeter Riddles were almost as poetic as the elegies. I wonder if they inspired one of the most famous scenes in The Hobbit.
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