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italo_carlvino's review
4.0
I didn't actually read this book, but I read poems in this book, so I'm going to use it to talk about what I read.
The Dream of the Rood - A wonderfully creative poem about a conversation between the author and the cross. It is full of bizarre yet creative imagery and a delight.
Judith - A mini-epic about the eponymous heroine this poem is action packed, clever, and a great legend. I definitely enjoyed it, especially the dramatic scene of Judith beheading the Assyrian king. However, there is a reliance of the deadly seductress stereotype, it is the conceit of the story after all.
The Wanderer - This poem, or elegy, is very sad, melancholy, but also deep and thoughtful.
The Seafarer - I love Anglo-Saxon elegies, and the Seafarer is an excellent example of the genre. I love the cold, stark and hard imagery evoked by the alliteration.
The Dream of the Rood - A wonderfully creative poem about a conversation between the author and the cross. It is full of bizarre yet creative imagery and a delight.
Judith - A mini-epic about the eponymous heroine this poem is action packed, clever, and a great legend. I definitely enjoyed it, especially the dramatic scene of Judith beheading the Assyrian king. However, there is a reliance of the deadly seductress stereotype, it is the conceit of the story after all.
The Wanderer - This poem, or elegy, is very sad, melancholy, but also deep and thoughtful.
The Seafarer - I love Anglo-Saxon elegies, and the Seafarer is an excellent example of the genre. I love the cold, stark and hard imagery evoked by the alliteration.
thereadinghobbit's review
5.0
Very interesting collection of translated Anglo-Saxon poetry. The introductions and the general 'about this poem' sections are good and thorough, but boy, I so often didn't understand a word the writer was saying. Perhaps that's because it was originally published in the 60s, but I feel like this was written for an already academic audience, rather than the general public. Still, really good and interesting when you're interested in Anglo-Saxon literature!
quintusmarcus's review
4.0
How do you review a book of Anglo-Saxon poetry? The poems are what they are, as long as the translations are more or less readable. The quality of the book comes down to the supporting materials (introductions and notes) in the edition, which in this case are excellent. One can also point to the quality of the selection, which again is excellent: The Wanderer, Caedmon's Hymn, a selection of shorter verses and riddles, pretty much everything except Beowulf. The only possible quibble is that the translations, though clear and very readable, don't rise to the level of Seamus Heaney's Beowulf or W.S. Merwin's Sir Gawain. That's not a fair comparison,though, and is a very minor quibble.
There are more than enough rings, swords, feasts, and lords to keep any Tolkien fan happy, and I would gladly recommend this collection to anyone wanting to get a little insight into Tolkien's imagination.
There are more than enough rings, swords, feasts, and lords to keep any Tolkien fan happy, and I would gladly recommend this collection to anyone wanting to get a little insight into Tolkien's imagination.
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