The First Poems in English
The First Poems in English
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Summary
A selection of the earliest poems in English comprising works from an age in which verse was not written down, but recited aloud and remembered. This work contains natural order of life, and the Exeter Riddles that are witty linguistic puzzles. Love elegies include emotional speeches from an abandoned wife and separated lovers.
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The First Poems in English by Michael Alexander
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 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.
Michael Alexander is much the best translator from Old EnglishHis Penguin Beowulf is much to be recommended, but so too is the volume entitled The First Poems in English -- A.N. Wilson
Michael Alexander is Professor of English at the University of St Andrews, and translator/editor of Beowulf: A Verse Translation and Beowulf: A Glossed Text, Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales: The First Fragment and The Earliest English Poems.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780140433784 |
| ISBN 10 | 0140433783 |
| Title | The First Poems in English |
| Author | Michael Alexander |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Penguin Books Ltd |
| Year published | 2008-05-29 |
| Number of pages | 176 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |