ANGLO-SAXON LYRIC POETRY

 





Anglo-Saxon Lyric Poetry


The subjectivity of the Anglo-Saxon people's lifestyle—their bravery, seafaring, hunting, paganism, love of nature, etc.—is the main theme of Anglo-Saxon lyric poetry. Lamenting loss and death is a common topic in Anglo-Saxon elegy poetry. Similar to lyric poetry, elegy also expresses the poet's innermost thoughts, feelings, and emotions.Among the well-known lyric and elegiac poems from the Old English or Anglo-Saxon era are Wulf and Eadmacer, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Wife's Lament, and The Husband's Message.
Among the well-known lyric and elegiac poems from the Old English or Anglo-Saxon era are Wulf and Eadmacer, The Wanderer, The Seafarer, The Wife's Lament, and The Husband's Message.

The Wanderer

  •  It is a 115-line elegy written by an unidentified Anglo-Saxon poet.
  • It is a young man's grief for his deceased master. The Wonderer journeys aboard a ship, by herself and without companions, in search of a place of safety and tranquility under a new ruler.He thinks about the joys of his past days as he sleeps, which only makes him more upset when he wakes up to the sight of falling snow and grey waves. In the end, he concludes that suffering is a regular occurrence for humans.
  • The poem ends with a conventional Christian sentiment that good is the man who never loses his faith on God.
  • The poem is entirely personal, yet via its presentation, it manages to become universal.

 The Seafarer

  • The Exeter Book has a 120-line poem that is by far the most creative Anglo-Saxon lyric. 
  • It appears to be a conversation between a young person who is eager to explore the perils of the seas and an experienced mariner who is detailing the isolating hardships of life at sea.
  • However, it's possible that the poem is the monologue of an elderly sailor who, while recalling the hardships at sea, is restless and drawn to the pagan allure of a life at sea.
  • He thought about the transient nature of worldly pleasures and future life as a result of his disdain for earthly luxury and desire to embark on the journey.
  • The poem may also be an analogy on how human life is compared to the water. There are many of seascapes that have their own eerie charm. Poetry by authors like Byron, Kipling, Masefield, and others later on reveals this intense longing for the life .

The Wife’s Lament

  • Possibly among the first love poems written in English is this one. The Exeter Book contains the manuscript.
  • It is an elegiac lament of a lady who has been sent out into the woods by her enemy and separated from her spouse.
  • The woman, overcome with desperation at being apart, rips her passion to shreds and curses the enemy, hoping that he will experience the agony of loneliness and banishment.
  •  She misses the loving, caring times they shared as a couple. Here, the poet skillfully conveys the intense need of a troubled and loving heart.

The Husband’s Message

  • It is broken up into pieces. This poem has a considerable number of lines that are lost forever.
  • A message is sent to his wife by an exiled spouse using letters engraved on a wooden block. 
  • The wife is told the tale of the wood's own life and voyage on a ship.It informs her that even though her husband had to leave the house due to circumstances, he was still able to rise to a position of dignity and prosperity. At last, it invites her to accompany her spouse to the exiled location.
  • While some commentators consider the poem to be a continuation of "The Wife's Complaint," others view it as a stand-alone poem.

Wulf and Eadwacer

  • This eighteen-line poem was thought to be a puzzle in and of itself. It was written in the Exeter Book right before The Riddles.Most likely, it's a theatrical monologue.
  •  The female speaker seems to be a prisoner in a distant country. She yearns for her forbidden lover, Wulf.Because of her oppressive spouse Eadwacer, she begs Wulf to rescue her from her current situation.
  • Deeply intimate, it's among the first poetry in English with a clear romantic bent.

The Ruin or the Ruined Berg

  • This is an elegy on a fallen city, its walls eroding and its glories long gone.
  •  The city is thought to be a destroyed Roman city, similar to Bath, which is known for its hot springs.The poet then shifts his focus to considering how everything is essentially malleable.
  •  The Ruin is an elegy unlike any other as it laments a destroyed city rather than the passing away or tragedy of an individual.
  •  One of the best Old English elegiac poems, it is full of nostalgia and lyrical grief.




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