I. OUR FIRST POETRY
Beowulf. Here is the story of Beowulf, the earliest and the greatest epic1, or heroic poem, in our literature. It begins with a prologue2, which is not an essential part of the story, but which we review gladly for the sake of the splendid poetical4 conception that produced Scyld, king of the Spear Danes. [2]
At a time when the Spear Danes were without a king, a ship came sailing into their harbor. It was filled with treasures and weapons of war; and in the midst of these warlike things was a baby sleeping. No man sailed the ship; it came of itself, bringing the child, whose name was Scyld.
Now Scyld grew and became a mighty6 warrior7, and led the Spear Danes for many years, and was their king. When his son Beowulf [3] had become strong and wise enough to rule, then Wyrd (Fate), who speaks but once to any man, came and stood at hand; and it was time for Scyld to go. This is how they buried him:
Then Scyld departed, at word of Wyrd spoken,
The hero to go to the home of the gods.
Sadly they bore him to brink8 of the ocean,
Comrades, still heeding9 his word of command.
There rode in the harbor the prince's ship, ready,
With prow10 curving proudly and shining sails set.
Shipward they bore him, their hero beloved;
The mighty they laid at the foot of the mast.
Treasures were there from far and near gathered,
Byrnies of battle, armor and swords;
Never a keel sailed out of a harbor
So splendidly tricked with the trappings of war.
They heaped on his bosom12 a hoard13 of bright jewels
To fare with him forth14 on the flood's great breast.
No less gift they gave than the Unknown provided,
When alone, as a child, he came in from the mere16.
High o'er his head waved a bright golden standard--
Now let the waves bear their wealth to the holm.
Sad-souled they gave back its gift to the ocean,
Mournful their mood as he sailed out to sea. [4]
"And no man," says the poet, "neither counselor17 nor hero, can tell who received that lading."
One of Scyld's descendants was Hrothgar, king of the Danes; and with him the story of our Beowulf begins. Hrothgar in his old age had built near the sea a mead18 hall called Heorot, the most splendid hall in the whole world, where the king and his thanes gathered nightly to feast and to listen to the songs of his gleemen. One night, as they were all sleeping, a frightful19 monster, Grendel, broke into the hall, killed thirty of the sleeping warriors20, and carried off their bodies to devour21 them in his lair22 under the sea. The appalling23 visit was speedily repeated, and fear and death reigned24 in the great hall. The warriors fought at first; but fled when they discovered that no weapon could harm the monster. Heorot was left deserted26 and silent. For twelve winters Grendel's horrible raids continued, and joy was changed to mourning among the Spear Danes.
At last the rumor27 of Grendel crossed over the sea to the land of the Geats, where a young hero dwelt in the house of his uncle, King Hygelac. Beowulf was his name, a man of immense strength and courage, and a mighty swimmer who had developed his powers fighting the "nickers," whales, walruses28 and seals, in the icebound northern ocean. When he heard the story, Beowulf was stirred to go and fight the monster and free the Danes, who were his father's friends.
With fourteen companions he crosses the sea. There is an excellent bit of ocean poetry here (ll. 210-224), and we get a vivid idea of the hospitality of a brave people by following the poet's description of Beowulf's meeting with King Hrothgar and Queen Wealhtheow, and of the joy and feasting and story-telling in Heorot. The picture of Wealhtheow passing the mead cup to the warriors with her own hand is a noble one, and plainly indicates the reverence29 paid by these strong men to their wives and mothers. Night comes on; the fear of Grendel is again upon the Danes, and all withdraw after the king has warned Beowulf of the frightful danger of sleeping in the hall. But Beowulf lies down with his warriors, saying proudly that, since weapons will not avail against the monster, he will grapple with him bare handed and trust to a warrior's strength.
Forth from the fens31, from the misty32 moorlands,
Grendel came gliding34--God's wrath35 [5] he bore--
Came under clouds, until he saw clearly,
Glittering with gold plates, the mead hall of men.
Down fell the door, though fastened with fire bands;
Open it sprang at the stroke of his paw.
Swollen36 with rage burst in the bale-bringer;
Flamed in his eyes a fierce light, likest fire. [6]
At the sight of men again sleeping in the hall, Grendel laughs in his heart, thinking of his feast. He seizes the nearest sleeper37, crushes his "bone case" with a bite, tears him limb from limb, and swallows him. Then he creeps to the couch of Beowulf and stretches out a claw, only to find it clutched in a grip of steel. A sudden terror strikes the monster's heart. He roars, struggles, tries to jerk his arm free; but Beowulf leaps to his feet and grapples his enemy bare handed. To and fro they surge. Tables are overturned; golden benches ripped from their fastenings; the whole building quakes, and only its iron bands keep it from falling to pieces. Beowulf's companions are on their feet now, hacking39 vainly at the monster with swords and battle-axes, adding their shouts to the crashing of furniture and the howling "war song" of Grendel. Outside in the town the Danes stand shivering at the uproar40. Slowly the monster struggles to the door, dragging Beowulf, whose fingers crack with the strain, but who never relaxes his first grip. Suddenly a wide wound opens in the monster's side; the sinews snap; the whole arm is wrenched41 off at the shoulder; and Grendel escapes shrieking42 across the moor33, and plunges43 into the sea to die.
Beowulf first exults44 in his night's work; then he hangs the huge arm with its terrible claws from a cross-beam over the king's seat, as one would hang up a bear's skin after a hunt. At daylight came the Danes; and all day long, in the intervals45 of singing, story-telling, speech making, and gift giving, they return to wonder at the mighty "grip of Grendel" and to rejoice in Beowulf's victory.
When night falls a great feast is spread in Heorot, and the Danes sleep once more in the great hall. At midnight comes another monster, a horrible, half-human creature,[7] mother of Grendel, raging to avenge46 her offspring. She thunders at the door; the Danes leap up and grasp their weapons; but the monster enters, seizes Aeschere, who is friend and adviser47 of the king, and rushes away with him over the fens.
The old scenes of sorrow are reviewed in the morning; but Beowulf says simply:
Sorrow not, wise man. It is better for each
That his friend he avenge than that he mourn much.
Each of us shall the end await
Of worldly life: let him who may gain
Honor ere death. That is for a warrior,
When he is dead, afterwards best.
Arise, kingdom's guardian48! Let us quickly go
To view the track of Grendel's kinsman49.
I promise it thee: he will not escape,
Nor in earth's bosom, nor in mountain-wood,
Nor in ocean's depths, go where he will. [8]
Then he girds himself for the new fight and follows the track of the second enemy across the fens. Here is Hrothgar's description of the place where live the monsters, "spirits of elsewhere," as he calls them:
They inhabit
The dim land that gives shelter to the wolf,
The windy headlands, perilous50 fen30 paths,
Where, under mountain mist, the stream flows down
And floods the ground. Not far hence, but a mile,
The mere stands, over which hang death-chill groves51,
A wood fast-rooted overshades the flood;
There every night a ghastly miracle
Is seen, fire in the water. No man knows,
Not the most wise, the bottom of that mere.
The firm-horned heath-stalker, the hart, when pressed,
Wearied by hounds, and hunted from afar,
Will rather die of thirst upon its bank
Than bend his head to it. It is unholy.
Dark to the clouds its yeasty waves mount up
When wind stirs hateful tempest, till the air
Grows dreary53, and the heavens pour down tears. [9]
Beowulf plunges into the horrible place, while his companions wait for him oh the shore. For a long time he sinks through the flood; then, as he reaches bottom, Grendel's mother rushes out upon him and drags him into a cave, where sea monsters swarm54 at him from behind and gnash his armor with their tusks55. The edge of his sword is turned with the mighty blow he deals the merewif; but it harms not the monster. Casting the weapon aside, he grips her and tries to hurl56 her down, while her claws and teeth clash upon his corslet but cannot penetrate57 the steel rings. She throws her bulk upon him, crushes him down, draws a short sword and plunges it at him; but again his splendid byrnie saves him. He is wearied now, and oppressed. Suddenly, as his eye sweeps the cave, he catches sight of a magic sword, made by the giants long ago, too heavy for warriors to wield58. Struggling up he seizes the weapon, whirls it and brings down a crashing blow upon the monster's neck. It smashes through the ring bones; the merewif falls, and the fight is won.
The cave is full of treasures; but Beowulf heeds59 them not, for near him lies Grendel, dead from the wound received the previous night. Again Beowulf swings the great sword and strikes off his enemy's head; and lo, as the venomous blood touches the sword blade, the steel melts like ice before the fire, and only the hilt is left in Beowulf's hand. Taking the hilt and the head, the hero enters the ocean and mounts up to the shore.
Only his own faithful band were waiting there; for the Danes, seeing the ocean bubble with fresh blood, thought it was all over with the hero and had gone home. And there they were, mourning in Heorot, when Beowulf returned with the monstrous60 head of Grendel carried on a spear shaft61 by four of his stoutest62 followers63.
In the last part of the poem there is another great fight. Beowulf is now an old man; he has reigned for fifty years, beloved by all his people. He has overcome every enemy but one, a fire dragon keeping watch over an enormous treasure hidden among the mountains. One day a wanderer stumbles upon the enchanted65 cave and, entering, takes a jeweled cup while the firedrake sleeps heavily. That same night the dragon, in a frightful rage, belching66 forth fire and smoke, rushes down upon the nearest villages, leaving a trail of death and terror behind him.
Again Beowulf goes forth to champion his people. As he approaches the dragon's cave, he has a presentiment67 that death lurks68 within:
Sat on the headland there the warrior king;
Farewell he said to hearth69-companions true,
The gold-friend of the Geats; his mind was sad,
Death-ready, restless. And Wyrd was drawing nigh,
Who now must meet and touch the aged70 man,
To seek the treasure that his soul had saved
And separate his body from his life. [10]
There is a flash of illumination, like that which comes to a dying man, in which his mind runs back over his long life and sees something of profound meaning in the elemental sorrow moving side by side with magnificent courage. Then follows the fight with the firedrake, in which Beowulf, wrapped in fire and smoke, is helped by the heroism71 of Wiglaf, one of his companions. The dragon is slain72, but the fire has entered Beowulf's lungs and he knows that Wyrd is at hand. This is his thought, while Wiglaf removes his battered73 armor:
"One deep regret I have: that to a son
I may not give the armor I have worn,
To bear it after me. For fifty years
I ruled these people well, and not a king
Of those who dwell around me, dared oppress
Or meet me with his hosts. At home I waited
For the time that Wyrd controls. Mine own I kept,
Nor quarrels sought, nor ever falsely swore.
Now, wounded sore, I wait for joy to come." [11]
He sends Wiglaf into the firedrake's cave, who finds it filled with rare treasures and, most wonderful of all, a golden banner from which light proceeds and illumines all the darkness. But Wiglaf cares little for the treasures; his mind is full of his dying chief. He fills his hands with costly74 ornaments75 and hurries to throw them at his hero's feet. The old man looks with sorrow at the gold, thanks the "Lord of all" that by death he has gained more riches for his people, and tells his faithful thane how his body shall be burned on the Whale ness, or headland:
"My life is well paid for this hoard; and now
Care for the people's needs. I may no more
Be with them. Bid the warriors raise a barrow
After the burning, on the ness by the sea,
On Hronesness, which shall rise high and be
For a remembrance to my people. Seafarers
Who from afar over the mists of waters
Drive foamy77 keels may call it Beowulf's Mount
Hereafter." Then the hero from his neck
Put off a golden collar; to his thane,
To the young warrior, gave it with his helm,
Armlet and corslet; bade him use them well.
"Thou art the last Waegmunding of our race,
For fate has swept my kinsmen79 all away.
Earls in their strength are to their Maker80 gone,
And I must follow them."[12]
Beowulf was still living when Wiglaf sent a messenger hurriedly to his people; when they came they found him dead, and the huge dragon dead on the sand beside him.
Then the Goth's people reared a mighty pile
With shields and armour81 hung, as he had asked,
And in the midst the warriors laid their lord,
Lamenting83. Then the warriors on the mount
Kindled84 a mighty bale fire; the smoke rose
Black from the Swedish pine, the sound of flame
Mingled85 with sound of weeping; ... while smoke
Spread over heaven. Then upon the hill
The people of the Weders wrought86 a mound87,
High, broad, and to be seen far out at sea.
In ten days they had built and walled it in
As the wise thought most worthy88; placed in it
Rings, jewels, other treasures from the hoard.
They left the riches, golden joy of earls,
In dust, for earth to hold; where yet it lies,
Useless as ever. Then about the mound
The warriors rode, and raised a mournful song
For their dead king; exalted89 his brave deeds,
Holding it fit men honour their liege lord,
Praise him and love him when his soul is fled.
Thus the [Geat's] people, sharers of his hearth,
Mourned their chief's fall, praised him, of kings, of men
The mildest and the kindest, and to all
His people gentlest, yearning90 for their praise. [13]
One is tempted91 to linger over the details of the magnificent ending: the unselfish heroism of Beowulf, the great prototype of King Alfred; the generous grief of his people, ignoring gold and jewels in the thought of the greater treasure they had lost; the memorial mound on the low cliff, which would cause every returning mariner92 to steer93 a straight course to harbor in the remembrance of his dead hero; and the pure poetry which marks every noble line. But the epic is great enough and simple enough to speak for itself. Search the literatures of the world, and you will find no other such picture of a brave man's death.
History and Meaning of BeowulfConcerning the history of Beowulf a whole library has been written, and scholars still differ too radically94 for us to express a positive judgment95. This much, however, is clear,--that there existed, at the time the poem was composed, various northern legends of Beowa, a half-divine hero, and the monster Grendel. The latter has been interpreted in various ways,--sometimes as a bear, and again as the malaria96 of the marsh97 lands. For those interested in symbols the simplest interpretation98 of these myths is to regard Beowulf's successive fights with the three dragons as the overcoming, first, of the overwhelming danger of the sea, which was beaten back by the dykes99; second, the conquering of the sea itself, when men learned to sail upon it; and third, the conflict with the hostile forces of nature, which are overcome at last by man's indomitable will and perseverance100.
All this is purely101 mythical102; but there are historical incidents to reckon with. About the year 520 a certain northern chief, called by the chronicler Chochilaicus (who is generally identified with the Hygelac of the epic), led a huge plundering103 expedition up the Rhine. After a succession of battles he was overcome by the Franks, but--and now we enter a legendary104 region once more--not until a gigantic nephew of Hygelac had performed heroic feats106 of valor107, and had saved the remnants of the host by a marvelous feat105 of swimming. The majority of scholars now hold that these historical events and personages were celebrated108 in the epic; but some still assert that the events which gave a foundation for Beowulf occurred wholly on English soil, where the poem itself was undoubtedly109 written.
Poetical FormThe rhythm of Beowulf and indeed of all our earliest poetry depended upon accent and alliteration110; that is, the beginning of two or more words in the same line with the same sound or letter. The lines were made up of two short halves, separated by a pause. No rime111 was used; but a musical effect was produced by giving each half line two strongly accented syllables112. Each full line, therefore, had four accents, three of which (i.e. two in the first half, and one in the second) usually began with the same sound or letter. The musical effect was heightened by the harp113 with which the gleeman accompanied his singing.. The poetical form will be seen clearly in the following selection from the wonderfully realistic description of the fens haunted by Grendel. It will need only one or two readings aloud to show that many of these strange-looking words are practically the same as those we still use, though many of the vowel114 sounds were pronounced differently by our ancestors.
... Hie dygel lond
Warigeath, wulf-hleothu, windige n?ssas,
Frecne fen-gelad, th?r fyrgen-stream
Under n?ssa genipu nither gewiteth,
Flod under foldan. Nis th?t feor heonon,
Mil-gemearces, thaet se mere standeth,
Ofer th?m hongiath hrinde bearwas
... They (a) darksome land
Ward11 (inhabit), wolf cliffs, windy nesses,
Frightful fen paths where mountain stream
Under nesses' mists nether115 (downward) wanders,
A flood under earth. It is not far hence,
By mile measure, that the mere stands,
Over which hang rimy groves.
Illustration: A PAGE FROM THE MANUSCRIPT OF BEOWULF
A PAGE FROM THE MANUSCRIPT OF BEOWULF
Widsith. The poem "Widsith," the wide goer or wanderer, is in part, at least, probably the oldest in our language. The author and the date of its composition are unknown; but the personal account of the minstrel's life belongs to the time before the Saxons first came to England.[14] It expresses the wandering life of the gleeman, who goes forth into the world to abide116 here or there, according as he is rewarded for his singing. From the numerous references to rings and rewards, and from the praise given to generous givers, it would seem that literature as a paying profession began very early in our history, and also that the pay was barely sufficient to hold soul and body together. Of all our modern poets, Goldsmith wandering over Europe paying for his lodging117 with his songs is most suggestive of this first recorded singer of our race. His last lines read:
Thus wandering, they who shape songs for men
Pass over many lands, and tell their need,
And speak their thanks, and ever, south or north,
Meet someone skilled in songs and free in gifts,
Who would be raised among his friends to fame
And do brave deeds till light and life are gone.
He who has thus wrought himself praise shall have
A settled glory underneath118 the stars. [15]
Deor's Lament82. In "Deor" we have another picture of the Saxon scop, or minstrel, not in glad wandering, but in manly119 sorrow. It seems that the scop's living depended entirely120 upon his power to please his chief, and that at any time he might be supplanted121 by a better poet. Deor had this experience, and comforts himself in a grim way by recalling various examples of men who have suffered more than himself. The poem is arranged in strophes, each one telling of some afflicted122 hero and ending with the same refrain: His sorrow passed away; so will mine. "Deor" is much more poetic3 than "Widsith," and is the one perfect lyric[16] of the Anglo-Saxon period.
Weland for a woman knew too well exile.
Strong of soul that earl, sorrow sharp he bore;
To companionship he had care and weary longing123,
Winter-freezing wretchedness. Woe124 he found again, again,
After that Nithhad in a need had laid him--
Staggering sinew-wounds--sorrow-smitten man!
That he overwent; this also may I. [17]
The Seafarer. The wonderful poem of "The Seafarer" seems to be in two distinct parts. The first shows the hardships of ocean life; but stronger than hardships is the subtle call of the sea. The second part is an allegory, in which the troubles of the seaman125 are symbols of the troubles of this life, and the call of the ocean is the call in the soul to be up and away to its true home with God. Whether the last was added by some monk126 who saw the allegorical possibilities of the first part, or whether some sea-loving Christian127 scop wrote both, is uncertain. Following are a few selected lines to show the spirit of the poem:
The hail flew in showers about me; and there I heard only
The roar of the sea, ice-cold waves, and the song of the swan;
For pastime the gannets' cry served me; the kittiwakes' chatter128
For laughter of men; and for mead drink the call of the sea mews.
When storms on the rocky cliffs beat, then the terns, icy-feathered,
Made answer; full oft the sea eagle forebodingly screamed,
The eagle with pinions129 wave-wet....
The shadows of night became darker, it snowed from the north;
The world was enchained by the frost; hail fell upon earth;
'T was the coldest of grain. Yet the thoughts of my heart now are throbbing130
To test the high streams, the salt waves in tumultuous play.
Desire in my heart ever urges my spirit to wander,
To seek out the home of the stranger in lands afar off.
There is no one that dwells upon earth, so exalted in mind,
But that he has always a longing, a sea-faring passion
For what the Lord God shall bestow131, be it honor or death.
No heart for the harp has he, nor for acceptance of treasure,
No pleasure has he in a wife, no delight in the world,
Nor in aught save the roll of the billows; but always a longing,
A yearning uneasiness, hastens him on to the sea.
The woodlands are captured by blossoms, the hamlets grow fair,
Broad meadows are beautiful, earth again bursts into life,
And all stir the heart of the wanderer eager to journey,
So he meditates132 going afar on the pathway of tides.
The cuckoo, moreover, gives warning with sorrowful note,
Summer's harbinger sings, and forebodes to the heart bitter sorrow.
Now my spirit uneasily turns in the heart's narrow chamber133,
Now wanders forth over the tide, o'er the home of the whale,
To the ends of the earth--and comes back to me.
Eager and greedy,
The lone15 wanderer screams, and resistlessly drives my soul onward134,
Over the whale-path, over the tracts135 of the sea. [18]
The Fight at Finnsburgh and Waldere. Two other of our oldest poems well deserve mention. The "Fight at Finnsburgh" is a fragment of fifty lines, discovered on the inside of a piece of parchment drawn136 over the wooden covers of a book of homilies. It is a magnificent war song, describing with Homeric power the defense137 of a hall by Hn?f[19] with sixty warriors, against the attack of Finn and his army. At midnight, when Hn?f and his men are sleeping, they are surrounded by an army rushing in with fire and sword. Hn?f springs to his feet at the first alarm and wakens his warriors with a call to action that rings like a bugle138 blast:
This no eastward139 dawning is, nor is here a dragon flying,
Nor of this high hall are the horns a burning;
But they rush upon us here--now the ravens141 sing,
Growling142 is the gray wolf, grim the war-wood rattles143,
Shield to shaft is answering. [20]
The fight lasts five days, but the fragment ends before we learn the outcome: The same fight is celebrated by Hrothgar's gleeman at the feast in Heorot, after the slaying144 of Grendel.
"Waldere" is a fragment of two leaves, from which we get only a glimpse of the story of Waldere (Walter of Aquitaine) and his betrothed145 bride Hildgund, who were hostages at the court of Attila. They escaped with a great treasure, and in crossing the mountains were attacked by Gunther and his warriors, among whom was Walter's former comrade, Hagen. Walter fights them all and escapes. The same story was written in Latin in the tenth century, and is also part of the old German Nibelungenlied. Though the saga146 did not originate with the Anglo-Saxons, their version of it is the oldest that has come down to us. The chief significance of these "Waldere" fragments lies in the evidence they afford that our ancestors were familiar with the legends and poetry of other Germanic peoples.
II. ANGLO-SAXON LIFE
We have now read some of our earliest records, and have been surprised, perhaps, that men who are generally described in the histories as savage147 fighters and freebooters could produce such excellent poetry. It is the object of the study of all literature to make us better acquainted with men,--not simply with their deeds, which is the function of history, but with the dreams and ideals which underlie148 all their actions. So a reading of this early Anglo-Saxon poetry not only makes us acquainted, but also leads to a profound respect for the men who were our ancestors. Before we study more of their literature it is well to glance briefly149 at their life and language.
The Name Originally the name Anglo-Saxon denotes two of the three Germanic tribes,--Jutes, Angles, and Saxons,--who in the middle of the fifth century left their homes on the shores of the North Sea and the Baltic to conquer and colonize150 distant Britain. Angeln was the home of one tribe, and the name still clings to the spot whence some of our forefathers151 sailed on their momentous152 voyage. The old Saxon word angul or ongul means a hook, and the English verb angle is used invariably by Walton and older writers in the sense of fishing. We may still think, therefore, of the first Angles as hook-men, possibly because of their fishing, more probably because the shore where they lived, at the foot of the peninsula of Jutland, was bent153 in the shape of a fishhook. The name Saxon from seax, sax, a short sword, means the sword-man, and from the name we may judge something of the temper of the hardy154 fighters who preceded the Angles into Britain. The Angles were the most numerous of the conquering tribes, and from them the new home was called Anglalond. By gradual changes this became first Englelond and then England.
More than five hundred years after the landing of these tribes, and while they called themselves Englishmen, we find the Latin writers of the Middle Ages speaking of the inhabitants of Britain as Anglisaxones,--that is, Saxons of England,--to distinguish them from the Saxons of the Continent. In the Latin charters of King Alfred the same name appears; but it is never seen or heard in his native speech. There he always speaks of his beloved "Englelond" and of his brave "Englisc" people. In the sixteenth century, when the old name of Englishmen clung to the new people resulting from the union of Saxon and Norman, the name Anglo-Saxon was first used in the national sense by the scholar Camden [21] in his History of Britain; and since then it has been in general use among English writers. In recent years the name has gained a wider significance, until it is now used to denote a spirit rather than a nation, the brave, vigorous, enlarging spirit that characterizes the English-speaking races everywhere, and that has already put a broad belt of English law and English liberty around the whole world.
The Life. If the literature of a people springs directly out of its life, then the stern, barbarous life of our Saxon forefathers would seem, at first glance, to promise little of good literature. Outwardly their life was a constant hardship, a perpetual struggle against savage nature and savage men. Behind them were gloomy forests inhabited by wild beasts and still wilder men, and peopled in their imagination with dragons and evil shapes. In front of them, thundering at the very dikes for entrance, was the treacherous157 North Sea, with its fogs and storms and ice, but with that indefinable call of the deep that all men hear who live long beneath its influence. Here they lived, a big, blond, powerful race, and hunted and fought and sailed, and drank and feasted when their labor158 was done. Almost the first thing we notice about these big, fearless, childish men is that they love the sea; and because they love it they hear and answer its call:
... No delight has he in the world,
Nor in aught save the roll of the billows; but always a longing,
A yearning uneasiness, hastens him on to the sea. [22]
As might be expected, this love of the ocean finds expression in all their poetry. In Beowulf alone there are fifteen names for the sea, from the holm, that is, the horizon sea, the "upmounding," to the brim, which is the ocean flinging its welter of sand and creamy foam78 upon the beach at your feet. And the figures used to describe or glorify159 it--"the swan road, the whale path, the heaving battle plain"--are almost as numerous. In all their poetry there is a magnificent sense of lordship over the wild sea even in its hour of tempest and fury:
Often it befalls us, on the ocean's highways,
In the boats our boatmen, when the storm is roaring,
Leap the billows over, on our stallions of the foam. [23]
The Inner Life. A man's life is more than his work; his dream is ever greater than his achievement; and literature reflects not so much man's deed as the spirit which animates160 him; not the poor thing that he does, but rather the splendid thing that he ever hopes to do. In no place is this more evident than in the age we are now studying. Those early sea kings were a marvelous mixture of savagery161 and sentiment, of rough living and of deep feeling, of splendid courage and the deep melancholy162 of men who know their limitations and have faced the unanswered problem of death. They were not simply fearless freebooters who harried163 every coast in their war galleys164. If that were all, they would have no more history or literature than the Barbary pirates, of whom the same thing could be said. These strong fathers of ours were men of profound emotions. In all their fighting the love of an untarnished glory was uppermost; and under the warrior's savage exterior165 was hidden a great love of home and homely166 virtues167, and a reverence for the one woman to whom he would presently return in triumph. So when the wolf hunt was over, or the desperate fight was won, these mighty men would gather in the banquet hall, and lay their weapons aside where the open fire would flash upon them, and there listen to the songs of Scop and Gleeman,--men who could put into adequate words the emotions and aspirations168 that all men feel but that only a few can ever express:
Music and song where the heroes sat--
The glee-wood rang, a song uprose
When Hrothgar's scop gave the hall good cheer. [24]
It is this great and hidden life of the Anglo-Saxons that finds expression in all their literature. Briefly, it is summed up in five great principles,--their love of personal freedom, their responsiveness to nature, their religion, their reverence for womanhood, and their struggle for glory as a ruling motive169 in every noble life.
Springs of Anglo-Saxon Poetry In reading Anglo-Saxon poetry it is well to remember these five principles, for they are like the little springs at the head of a great river,--clear, pure springs of poetry, and out of them the best of our literature has always flowed. Thus when we read,
Blast of the tempest--it aids our oars38;
Rolling of thunder--it hurts us not;
Rush of the hurricane--bending its neck
To speed us whither our wills are bent,
we realize that these sea rovers had the spirit of kinship with the mighty life of nature; and kinship with nature invariably expresses itself in poetry. Again, when we read,
Now hath the man
O'ercome his troubles. No pleasure does he lack,
Nor steeds, nor jewels, nor the joys of mead,
Nor any treasure that the earth can give,
O royal woman, if he have but thee, [25]
we know we are dealing170 with an essentially171 noble man, not a savage; we are face to face with that profound reverence for womanhood which inspires the greater part of all good poetry, and we begin to honor as well as understand our ancestors. So in the matter of glory or honor; it was, apparently172, not the love of fighting, but rather the love of honor resulting from fighting well, which animated173 our forefathers in every campaign. "He was a man deserving of remembrance" was the highest thing that could be said of a dead warrior; and "He is a man deserving of praise" was the highest tribute to the living. The whole secret of Beowulf's mighty life is summed up in the last line, "Ever yearning for his people's praise." So every tribe had its scop, or poet, more important than any warrior, who put the deeds of its heroes into the expressive174 words that constitute literature; and every banquet hall had its gleeman, who sang the scop's poetry in order that the deed and the man might be remembered. Oriental peoples built monuments to perpetuate175 the memory of their dead; but our ancestors made poems, which should live and stir men's souls long after monuments of brick and stone had crumbled176 away. It is to this intense love of glory and the desire to be remembered that we are indebted for Anglo-Saxon literature.
Our First Speech. Our first recorded speech begins with the songs of Widsith and Deor, which the Anglo-Saxons may have brought with them when they first conquered Britain. At first glance these songs in their native dress look strange as a foreign tongue; but when we examine them carefully we find many words that have been familiar since childhood. We have seen this in Beowulf; but in prose the resemblance of this old speech to our own is even more striking. Here, for instance, is a fragment of the simple story of the conquest of Britain by our Anglo-Saxon ancestors:
Her Hengest and ?sc his sunu gefuhton with Bryttas, on thaere stowe the is gecweden Creccanford, and th?r ofslogon feower thusenda wera. And tha Bryttas tha forleton Cent-lond, and mid5 myclum ege flugon to Lundenbyrig. (At this time Hengest and Aesc, his son, fought against the Britons at the place which is called Crayford and there slew177 four thousand men. And then the Britons forsook178 Kentland, and with much fear fled to London town.)
The reader who utters these words aloud a few times will speedily recognize his own tongue, not simply in the words but also in the whole structure of the sentences.
From such records we see that our speech is Teutonic in its origin; and when we examine any Teutonic language we learn that it is only a branch of the great Aryan or Indo-European family of languages. In life and language, therefore, we are related first to the Teutonic races, and through them to all the nations of this Indo-European family, which, starting with enormous vigor156 from their original home (probably in central Europe) [27] spread southward and westward179, driving out the native tribes and slowly developing the mighty civilizations of India, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the wilder but more vigorous life of the Celts and Teutons. In all these languages--Sanskrit, Iranian, Greek, Latin, Celtic, Teutonic--we recognize the same root words for father and mother, for God and man, for the common needs and the common relations of life; and since words are windows through which we see the soul of this old people, we find certain ideals of love, home, faith, heroism, liberty, which seem to have been the very life of our forefathers, and which were inherited by them from their old heroic and conquering ancestors. It was on the borders of the North Sea that our fathers halted for unnumbered centuries on their westward journey, and slowly developed the national life and language which we now call Anglo-Saxon.
Dual155 Character of our LanguageIt is this old vigorous Anglo-Saxon language which forms the basis of our modern English. If we read a paragraph from any good English book, and then analyze180 it, as we would a flower, to see what it contains, we find two distinct classes of words. The first class, containing simple words expressing the common things of life, makes up the strong framework of our language. These words are like the stem and bare branches of a mighty oak, and if we look them up in the dictionary we find that almost invariably they come to us from our Anglo-Saxon ancestors. The second and larger class of words is made up of those that give grace, variety, ornament76, to our speech. They are like the leaves and blossoms of the same tree, and when we examine their history we find that they come to us from the Celts, Romans, Normans, and other peoples with whom we have been in contact in the long years of our development. The most prominent characteristic of our present language, therefore, is its dual character. Its best qualities--strength, simplicity181, directness--come from Anglo-Saxon sources; its enormous added wealth of expression, its comprehensiveness, its plastic adaptability182 to new conditions and ideas, are largely the result of additions from other languages, and especially of its gradual absorption of the French language after the Norman Conquest. It is this dual character, this combination of native and foreign, of innate183 and exotic elements, which accounts for the wealth of our English language and literature. To see it in concrete form, we should read in succession Beowulf and Paradise Lost, the two great epics184 which show the root and the flower of our literary development.
III. CHRISTIAN WRITERS OF THE ANGLO-SAXON PERIOD
The literature of this period falls naturally into two divisions,--pagan and Christian. The former represents the poetry which the Anglo-Saxons probably brought with them in the form of oral sagas,--the crude material out of which literature was slowly developed on English soil; the latter represents the writings developed under teaching of the monks185, after the old pagan religion had vanished, but while it still retained its hold on the life and language of the people. In reading our earliest poetry it is well to remember that all of it was copied by the monks, and seems to have been more or less altered to give it a religious coloring.
The coming of Christianity meant not simply a new life and leader for England; it meant also the wealth of a new language. The scop is now replaced by the literary monk; and that monk, though he lives among common people and speaks with the English tongue, has behind him all the culture and literary resources of the Latin language. The effect is seen instantly in our early prose and poetry.
Illustration: THE MANUSCRIPT BOOK After the painting by John W. Alexander From a Copley Print. Copyright, 1899, Curtis and Cameron
THE MANUSCRIPT BOOK After the painting by John W. Alexander From a Copley Print. Copyright, 1899, Curtis and Cameron
Northumbrian Literature. In general, two great schools of Christian influence came into England, and speedily put an end to the frightful wars that had waged continually among the various petty kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxons. The first of these, under the leadership of Augustine, came from Rome. It spread in the south and center of England, especially in the kingdom of Essex. It founded schools and partially186 educated the rough people, but it produced no lasting187 literature. The other, under the leadership of the saintly Aidan, came from Ireland, which country had been for centuries a center of religion and education for all western Europe. The monks of this school labored188 chiefly in Northumbria, and to their influence we owe all that is best in Anglo-Saxon literature. It is called the Northumbrian School; its center was the monasteries189 and abbeys, such as Jarrow and Whitby, and its three greatest names are Bede, C?dmon, and Cynewulf.
Illustration: INITIAL LETTER OF A MS. COPY OF ST. LUKE'S GOSPEL, CIR190. 700 A.D.
INITIAL LETTER OF A MS. COPY OF ST. LUKE'S GOSPEL, CIR. 700 A.D.
BEDE (673-735)
The Venerable Bede, as he is generally called, our first great scholar and "the father of our English learning," wrote almost exclusively in Latin, his last work, the translation of the Gospel of John into Anglo-Saxon, having been unfortunately lost. Much to our regret, therefore, his books and the story of his gentle, heroic life must be excluded from this history of our literature. His works, over forty in number, covered the whole field of human knowledge in his day, and were so admirably written that they were widely copied as text-books, or rather manuscripts, in nearly all the monastery191 schools of Europe.
The First History of EnglandThe work most important to us is the Ecclesiastical History of the English People. It is a fascinating history to read even now, with its curious combination of accurate scholarship and immense credulity. In all strictly192 historical matters Bede is a model. Every known authority on the subject, from Pliny to Gildas, was carefully considered; every learned pilgrim to Rome was commissioned by Bede to ransack193 the archives and to make copies of papal decrees and royal letters; and to these were added the testimony194 of abbots who could speak from personal knowledge of events or repeat the traditions of their several monasteries.
Side by side with this historical exactness are marvelous stories of saints and missionaries195. It was an age of credulity, and miracles were in men's minds continually. The men of whom he wrote lived lives more wonderful than any romance, and their courage and gentleness made a tremendous impression on the rough, warlike people to whom they came with open hands and hearts. It is the natural way of all primitive196 peoples to magnify the works of their heroes, and so deeds of heroism and kindness, which were part of the daily life of the Irish missionaries, were soon transformed into the miracles of the saints. Bede believed these things, as all other men did, and records them with charming simplicity, just as he received them from bishop197 or abbot. Notwithstanding its errors, we owe to this work nearly all our knowledge of the eight centuries of our history following the landing of C?sar in Britain.
C?DMON (Seventh Century)
Now must we hymn198 the Master of heaven,
The might of the Maker, the deeds of the Father,
The thought of His heart. He, Lord everlasting199,
Established of old the source of all wonders:
Creator all-holy, He hung the bright heaven,
A roof high upreared, o'er the children of men;
The King of mankind then created for mortals
The world in its beauty, the earth spread beneath them,
He, Lord everlasting, omnipotent200 God. [28]
If Beowulf and the fragments of our earliest poetry were brought into England, then the hymn given above is the first verse of all native English song that has come down to us, and C?dmon is the first poet to whom we can give a definite name and date. The words were written about 665 A.D. and are found copied at the end of a manuscript of Bede's Ecclesiastical History.
Life of C?dmon. What little we know of C?dmon, the Anglo-Saxon Milton, as he is properly called, is taken from Bede's account[29] of the Abbess Hilda and of her monastery at Whitby. Here is a free and condensed translation of Bede's story:
There was, in the monastery of the Abbess Hilda, a brother distinguished201 by the grace of God, for that he could make poems treating of goodness and religion. Whatever was translated to him (for he could not read) of Sacred Scripture202 he shortly reproduced in poetic form of great sweetness and beauty. None of all the English poets could equal him, for he learned not the art of song from men, nor sang by the arts of men. Rather did he receive all his poetry as a free gift from God, and for this reason he did never compose poetry of a vain or worldly kind.
Until of mature age he lived as a layman203 and had never learned any poetry. Indeed, so ignorant of singing was he that sometimes, at a feast, where it was the custom that for the pleasure of all each guest should sing in turn, he would rise from the table when he saw the harp coming to him and go home ashamed. Now it happened once that he did this thing at a certain festivity, and went out to the stall to care for the horses, this duty being assigned to him for that night. As he slept at the usual time, one stood by him saying: "C?dmon, sing me something." "I cannot sing," he answered, "and that is why I came hither from the feast." But he who spake unto him said again, "C?dmon, sing to me." And he said, "What shall I sing?" and he said, "Sing the beginning of created things." Thereupon C?dmon began to sing verses that he had never heard before, of this import: "Now should we praise the power and wisdom of the Creator, the works of the Father." This is the sense but not the form of the hymn that he sang while sleeping.
When he awakened204, C?dmon remembered the words of the hymn and added to them many more. In the morning he went to the steward205 of the monastery lands and showed him the gift he had received in sleep. The steward brought him to Hilda, who made him repeat to the monks the hymn he had composed, and all agreed that the grace of God was upon C?dmon. To test him they expounded206 to him a bit of Scripture from the Latin and bade him, if he could, to turn it into poetry. He went away humbly207 and returned in the morning with an excellent poem. Thereupon Hilda received him and his family into the monastery, made him one of the brethren, and commanded that the whole course of Bible history be expounded to him. He in turn, reflecting upon what he had heard, transformed it into most delightful208 poetry, and by echoing it back to the monks in more melodious209 sounds made his teachers his listeners. In all this his aim was to turn men from wickedness and to help them to the love and practice of well doing.
[Then follows a brief record of C?dmon's life and an exquisite210 picture of his death amidst the brethren.] And so it came to pass [says the simple record] that as he served God while living in purity of mind and serenity211 of spirit, so by a peaceful death he left the world and went to look upon His face.
C?dmon's Works. The greatest work attributed to C?dmon is the so-called Paraphrase212. It is the story of Genesis, Exodus213, and a part of Daniel, told in glowing, poetic language, with a power of insight and imagination which often raises it from paraphrase into the realm of true poetry. Though we have Bede's assurance that C?dmon "transformed the whole course of Bible history into most delightful poetry," no work known certainly to have been composed by him has come down to us. In the seventeenth century this Anglo-Saxon Paraphrase was discovered and attributed to C?dmon, and his name is still associated with it, though it is now almost certain that the Paraphrase is the work of more than one writer.
Aside from the doubtful question of authorship, even a casual reading of the poem brings us into the presence of a poet rude indeed, but with a genius strongly suggestive at times of the matchless Milton. The book opens with a hymn of praise, and then tells of the fall of Satan and his rebel angels from heaven, which is familiar to us in Milton's Paradise Lost. Then follows the creation of the world, and the Paraphrase begins to thrill with the old Anglo-Saxon love of nature.
Here first the Eternal Father, guard of all,
Of heaven and earth, raisèd up the firmament214,
The Almighty215 Lord set firm by His strong power
This roomy land; grass greened not yet the plain,
Ocean far spread hid the wan64 ways in gloom.
Then was the Spirit gloriously bright
Of Heaven's Keeper borne over the deep
Swiftly. The Life-giver, the Angel's Lord,
Over the ample ground bade come forth Light.
Quickly the High King's bidding was obeyed,
Over the waste there shone light's holy ray.
Then parted He, Lord of triumphant216 might,
Shadow from shining, darkness from the light.
Light, by the Word of God, was first named day. [30]
After recounting the story of Paradise, the Fall, and the Deluge217, the Paraphrase is continued in the Exodus, of which the poet makes a noble epic, rushing on with the sweep of a Saxon army to battle. A single selection is given here to show how the poet adapted the story to his hearers:
Then they saw,
Forth and forward faring, Pharaoh's war array
Gliding on, a grove52 of spears;--glittering the hosts!
Fluttered there the banners, there the folk the march trod.
Onwards surged the war, strode the spears along,
Blickered the broad shields; blew aloud the trumpets218....
Wheeling round in gyres, yelled the fowls219 of war,
Of the battle greedy; hoarsely220 barked the raven140,
Dew upon his feathers, o'er the fallen corpses--
Swart that chooser of the slain! Sang aloud the wolves
At eve their horrid221 song, hoping for the carrion222. [31]
Besides the Paraphrase we have a few fragments of the same general character which are attributed to the school of C?dmon. The longest of these is Judith, in which the story of an apocryphal223 book of the Old Testament224 is done into vigorous poetry. Holofernes is represented as a savage and cruel Viking, reveling in his mead hall; and when the heroic Judith cuts off his head with his own sword and throws it down before the warriors of her people, rousing them to battle and victory, we reach perhaps the most dramatic and brilliant point of Anglo-Saxon literature.
CYNEWULF (Eighth Century)
Of Cynewulf, greatest of the Anglo-Saxon poets, excepting only the unknown author of Beowulf, we know very little. Indeed, it was not till 1840, more than a thousand years after his death, that even his name became known. Though he is the only one of our early poets who signed his works, the name was never plainly written, but woven into the verses in the form of secret runes,[32] suggesting a modern charade225, but more difficult of interpretation until one has found the key to the poet's signature.
Works of Cynewulf. The only signed poems of Cynewulf are The Christ, Juliana, The Fates of the Apostles, and Elene. Unsigned poems attributed to him or his school are Andreas, the Phoenix226, the Dream of the Rood, the Descent into Hell, Guthlac, the Wanderer, and some of the Riddles227. The last are simply literary conundrums228 in which some well-known object, like the bow or drinking horn, is described in poetic language, and the hearer must guess the name. Some of them, like "The Swan" [33] and "The Storm Spirit," are unusually beautiful.
The ChristOf all these works the most characteristic is undoubtedly The Christ, a didactic poem in three parts: the first celebrating the Nativity; the second, the Ascension; and the third, "Doomsday," telling the torments229 of the wicked and the unending joy of the redeemed230. Cynewulf takes his subject-matter partly from the Church liturgy231, but more largely from the homilies of Gregory the Great. The whole is well woven together, and contains some hymns232 of great beauty and many passages of intense dramatic force. Throughout the poem a deep love for Christ and a reverence for the Virgin233 Mary are manifest. More than any other poem in any language, The Christ reflects the spirit of early Latin Christianity.
Here is a fragment comparing life to a sea voyage,--a comparison which occurs sooner or later to every thoughtful person, and which finds perfect expression in Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar."
Now 'tis most like as if we fare in ships
On the ocean flood, over the water cold,
Driving our vessels234 through the spacious235 seas
With horses of the deep. A perilous way is this
Of boundless236 waves, and there are stormy seas
On which we toss here in this (reeling) world
O'er the deep paths. Ours was a sorry plight237
Until at last we sailed unto the land,
Over the troubled main. Help came to us
That brought us to the haven238 of salvation239,
God's Spirit-Son, and granted grace to us
That we might know e'en from the vessel's deck
Where we must bind240 with anchorage secure
Our ocean steeds, old stallions of the waves.
Andreas and EleneIn the two epic poems of Andreas and Elene Cynewulf (if he be the author) reaches the very summit of his poetical art. Andreas, an unsigned poem, records the story of St. Andrew, who crosses the sea to rescue his comrade St. Matthew from the cannibals. A young ship-master who sails the boat turns out to be Christ in disguise, Matthew is set free, and the savages241 are converted by a miracle.[34] It is a spirited poem, full of rush and incident, and the descriptions of the sea are the best in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
Elene has for its subject-matter the finding of the true cross. It tells of Constantine's vision of the Rood, on the eve of battle. After his victory under the new emblem242 he sends his mother Helena (Elene) to Jerusalem in search of the original cross and the nails. The poem, which is of very uneven243 quality, might properly be put at the end of Cynewulf's works. He adds to the poem a personal note, signing his name in runes; and, if we accept the wonderful "Vision of the Rood" as Cynewulf's work, we learn how he found the cross at last in his own heart. There is a suggestion here of the future Sir Launfal and the search for the Holy Grail.
Decline of Northumbrian Literature. The same northern energy which had built up learning and literature so rapidly in Northumbria was instrumental in pulling it down again. Toward the end of the century in which Cynewulf lived, the Danes swept down on the English coasts and overwhelmed Northumbria. Monasteries and schools were destroyed; scholars and teachers alike were put to the sword, and libraries that had been gathered leaf by leaf with the toil244 of centuries were scattered245 to the four winds. So all true Northumbrian literature perished, with the exception of a few fragments, and that which we now possess [35] is largely a translation in the dialect of the West Saxons. This translation was made by Alfred's scholars, after he had driven back the Danes in an effort to preserve the ideals and the civilization that had been so hardly won. With the conquest of Northumbria ends the poetic period of Anglo-Saxon literature. With Alfred the Great of Wessex our prose literature makes a beginning.
Illustration: C?DMON CROSS AT WHITBY ABBEY
C?DMON CROSS AT WHITBY ABBEY
ALFRED (848-901)
"Every craft and every power soon grows
old and is passed over and forgotten, if it
be without wisdom.... This is now to be
said, that whilst I live I wish to live nobly,
and after life to leave to the men who come
after me a memory of good works." [36]
So wrote the great Alfred, looking back over his heroic life. That he lived nobly none can doubt who reads the history of the greatest of Anglo-Saxon kings; and his good works include, among others, the education of half a country, the salvage246 of a noble native literature, and the creation of the first English prose.
Life and Times of Alfred. For the history of Alfred's times, and details of the terrific struggle with the Northmen, the reader must be referred to the histories. The struggle ended with the Treaty of Wedmore, in 878, with the establishment of Alfred not only as king of Wessex, but as overlord of the whole northern country. Then the hero laid down his sword, and set himself as a little child to learn to read and write Latin, so that he might lead his people in peace as he had led them in war. It is then that Alfred began to be the heroic figure in literature that he had formerly247 been in the wars against the Northmen.
With the same patience and heroism that had marked the long struggle for freedom, Alfred set himself to the task of educating his people. First he gave them laws, beginning with the Ten Commandments and ending with the Golden Rule, and then established courts where laws could be faithfully administered. Safe from the Danes by land, he created a navy, almost the first of the English fleets, to drive them from the coast. Then, with peace and justice established within his borders, he sent to Europe for scholars and teachers, and set them over schools that he established. Hitherto all education had been in Latin; now he set himself the task, first, of teaching every free-born Englishman to read and write his own language, and second, of translating into English the best books for their instruction. Every poor scholar was honored at his court and was speedily set to work at teaching or translating; every wanderer bringing a book or a leaf of manuscript from the pillaged248 monasteries of Northumbria was sure of his reward. In this way the few fragments of native Northumbrian literature, which we have been studying, were saved to the world. Alfred and his scholars treasured the rare fragments and copied them in the West-Saxon dialect. With the exception of C?dmon's Hymn, we have hardly a single leaf from the great literature of Northumbria in the dialect in which it was first written.
Works of Alfred. Aside from his educational work, Alfred is known chiefly as a translator. After fighting his country's battles, and at a time when most men were content with military honor, he began to learn Latin, that he might translate the works that would be most helpful to his people. His important translations are four in number: Orosius's Universal History and Geography, the leading work in general history for several centuries; Bede's History, [37] the first great historical work written on English soil; Pope Gregory's Shepherds' Book, intended especially for the clergy249; and Boethius's Consolations250 of Philosophy, the favorite philosophical251 work of the Middle Ages.
The Saxon Chronicle.More important than any translation is the English or Saxon Chronicle. This was probably at first a dry record, especially of important births and deaths in the West-Saxon kingdom. Alfred enlarged this scant252 record, beginning the story with C?sar's conquest. When it touches his own reign25 the dry chronicle becomes an interesting and connected story, the oldest history belonging to any modern nation in its own language. The record of Alfred's reign, probably by himself, is a splendid bit of writing and shows clearly his claim to a place in literature as well as in history. The Chronicle was continued after Alfred's death, and is the best monument of early English prose that is left to us. Here and there stirring songs are included in the narrative253, like "The Battle of Brunanburh" and "The Battle of Maldon."[38] The last, entered 991, seventy-five years before the Norman Conquest, is the swan song of Anglo-Saxon poetry. The Chronicle was continued for a century after the Norman Conquest, and is extremely valuable not only as a record of events but as a literary monument showing the development of our language.
Close of the Anglo-Saxon Period. After Alfred's death there is little to record, except the loss of the two supreme254 objects of his heroic struggle, namely, a national life and a national literature. It was at once the strength and the weakness of the Saxon that he lived apart as a free man and never joined efforts willingly with any large body of his fellows. The tribe was his largest idea of nationality, and, with all our admiration255, we must confess as we first meet him that he has not enough sense of unity256 to make a great nation, nor enough culture to produce a great literature. A few noble political ideals repeated in a score of petty kingdoms, and a few literary ideals copied but never increased,--that is the summary of his literary history. For a full century after Alfred literature was practically at a standstill, having produced the best of which it was capable, and England waited for the national impulse and for the culture necessary for a new and greater art. Both of these came speedily, by way of the sea, in the Norman Conquest.
Summary of Anglo-Saxon Period. Our literature begins with songs and stories of a time when our Teutonic ancestors were living on the borders of the North Sea. Three tribes of these ancestors, the Jutes, Angles, and Saxons, conquered Britain in the latter half of the fifth century, and laid the foundation of the English nation. The first landing was probably by a tribe of Jutes, under chiefs called by the chronicle Hengist and Horsa. The date is doubtful; but the year 449 is accepted by most historians.
These old ancestors were hardy warriors and sea rovers, yet were capable of profound and noble emotions. Their poetry reflects this double nature. Its subjects were chiefly the sea and the plunging257 boats, battles, adventure, brave deeds, the glory of warriors, and the love of home. Accent, alliteration, and an abrupt258 break in the middle of each line gave their poetry a kind of martial259 rhythm. In general the poetry is earnest and somber260, and pervaded261 by fatalism and religious feeling. A careful reading of the few remaining fragments of Anglo-Saxon literature reveals five striking characteristics: the love of freedom; responsiveness to nature, especially in her sterner moods; strong religious convictions, and a belief in Wyrd, or Fate; reverence for womanhood; and a devotion to glory as the ruling motive in every warrior's life.
In our study we have noted262: (1) the great epic or heroic poem Beowulf, and a few fragments of our first poetry, such as "Widsith," "Deor's Lament," and "The Seafarer." (2) Characteristics of Anglo-Saxon life; the form of our first speech. (3) The Northumbrian school of writers. Bede, our first historian, belongs to this school; but all his extant works are in Latin. The two great poets are C?dmon and Cynewulf. Northumbrian literature flourished between 650 and 850. In the year 867 Northumbria was conquered by the Danes, who destroyed the monasteries and the libraries containing our earliest literature. (4) The beginnings of English prose writing under Alfred (848-901). Our most important prose work of this age is the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, which was revised and enlarged by Alfred, and which was continued for more than two centuries. It is the oldest historical record known to any European nation in its own tongue.
Selections for Reading. Miscellaneous Poetry. The Seafarer, Love Letter (Husband's Message), Battle of Brunanburh, Deor's Lament, Riddles, Exodus, The Christ, Andreas, Dream of the Rood, extracts in Cook and Tinker's Translations from Old English Poetry [39] (Ginn and Company); Judith, translation by A.S. Cook. Good selections are found also in Brooke's History of Early English Literature, and Morley's English Writers, vols. 1 and 2.
Beowulf. J.R.C. Hall's prose translation; Child's Beowulf (Riverside Literature Series); Morris and Wyatt's The Tale of Beowulf; Earle's The Deeds of Beowulf; Metrical versions by Garnett, J.L. Hall, Lumsden, etc.
Prose. A few paragraphs of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in Manly's English Prose; translations in Cook and Tinker's Old English Prose.
Bibliography263. [40]
History. For the facts of the Anglo-Saxon conquest of England consult first a good text-book: Montgomery, pp. 31--57, or Cheyney, pp. 36-84. For fuller treatment see Green, ch. 1; Traill, vol. 1; Ramsey's Foundations of England; Turner's History of the Anglo-Saxons; Freeman's Old English History; Allen's Anglo-Saxon England; Cook's Life of Alfred; Asser's Life of King Alfred, edited by W.H. Stevenson; C. Plummer's Life and Times of Alfred the Great; E. Dale's National Life and Character in the Mirror of Early English Literature; Rhys's Celtic Britain.
Literature. Anglo-Saxon Texts. Library of Anglo-Saxon Poetry, and Albion Series of Anglo-Saxon and Middle English Poetry (Ginn and Company); Belles264 Lettres Series of English Classics, sec. 1 (Heath & Co.); J.W. Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader; Sweet's Anglo-Saxon Primer, and Anglo-Saxon Reader.
General Works. Jusserand, Ten Brink, Cambridge History, Morley (full titles and publishers in General Bibliography).
Special Works. Brooke's History of Early English Literature; Earle's Anglo-Saxon Literature; Lewis's Beginnings of English Literature; Arnold's Celtic Literature (for relations of Saxon and Celt); Longfellow's Poets and Poetry of Europe; Hall's Old English Idyls; Gayley's Classic Myths, or Guerber's Myths of the Northlands (for Norse Mythology); Brother Azarias's Development of Old English Thought.
Beowulf, prose translations by Tinker, Hall, Earle, Morris and Wyatt; metrical versions by Garnett, J.L. Hall, Lumsden, etc. The Exeter Book (a collection of Anglo-Saxon texts), edited and translated by Gollancz. The Christ of Cynewulf, prose translation by Whitman; the same poem, text and translation, by Gollancz; text by Cook. C?dmon's Paraphrase, text and translation, by Thorpe. Garnett's Elene, Judith, and other Anglo-Saxon Poems. Translations of Andreas and the Phoenix, in Gollancz's Exeter Book. Bede's History, in Temple Classics; the same with the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (one volume) in Bohn's Antiquarian Library.
Suggestive Questions. [41]
1. What is the relation of history and literature? Why should both subjects be studied together? Explain the qualities that characterize all great literature. Has any text-book in history ever appealed to you as a work of literature? What literary qualities have you noticed in standard historical works, such as those of Macaulay, Prescott, Gibbon, Green, Motley, Parkman, and John Fiske?
2. Why did the Anglo-Saxons come to England? What induced them to remain? Did any change occur in their ideals, or in their manner of life? Do you know any social or political institutions which they brought, and which, we still cherish?
3. From the literature you have read, what do you know about our Anglo-Saxon ancestors? What virtues did they admire in men? How was woman regarded? Can you compare the Anglo-Saxon ideal of woman with that of other nations, the Romans for instance?
4. Tell in your own words the general qualities of Anglo-Saxon poetry. How did it differ in its metrical form from modern poetry? What passages seem to you worth learning and remembering? Can you explain why poetry is more abundant and more interesting than prose in the earliest literature of all nations?
5. Tell the story of Beowulf. What appeals to you most in the poem? Why is it a work for all time, or, as the Anglo-Saxons would say, why is it worthy to be remembered? Note the permanent quality of literature, and the ideals and emotions which are emphasized in Beowulf. Describe the burials of Scyld and of Beowulf. Does the poem teach any moral lesson? Explain the Christian elements in this pagan epic.
6. Name some other of our earliest poems, and describe the one you like best. How does the sea figure in our first poetry? How is nature regarded? What poem reveals the life of the scop or poet? How do you account for the serious character of Anglo-Saxon poetry? Compare the Saxon and the Celt with regard to the gladsomeness of life as shown in their literature.
7. What useful purpose did poetry serve among our ancestors? What purpose did the harp serve in reciting their poems? Would the harp add anything to our modern poetry?
8. What is meant by Northumbrian literature? Who are the great Northumbrian writers? What besides the Danish conquest caused the decline of Northumbrian literature?
9. For what is Bede worthy to be remembered? Tell the story of C?dmon, as recorded in Bede's History. What new element is introduced in C?dmon's poems? What effect did Christianity have upon Anglo-Saxon literature? Can you quote any passages from C?dmon to show that Anglo-Saxon character was not changed but given a new direction? If you have read Milton's Paradise Lost, what resemblances are there between that poem and C?dmon's Paraphrase?
10. What are the Cynewulf poems? Describe any that you have read. How do they compare in spirit and in expression with Beowulf? with C?dmon? Read The Phoenix (which is a translation from the Latin) in Brooke's History of Early English Literature, or in Gollancz's Exeter Book, or in Cook's Translations from Old English Poetry, and tell what elements you find to show that the poem is not of Anglo-Saxon origin. Compare the views of nature in Beowulf and in the Cynewulf poems.
11. Describe the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. What is its value in our language, literature, and history? Give an account of Alfred's life and of his work for literature. How does Anglo-Saxon prose compare in interest with the poetry?
CHRONOLOGY
HISTORY LITERATURE
449(?). Landing of Hengist and
Horsa in Britain
477. Landing of South Saxons
547. Angles settle Northumbria 547. Gildas's History
597. Landing of Augustine and his
monks. Conversion265 of Kent
617. Eadwine, king of Northumbria
635-665. Coming of St. Aidan.
Conversion of Northumbria 664. C?dmon at Whitby
673-735. Bede
750 (cir.). Cynewulf
poems
867. Danes conquer Northumbria
871. Alfred, king of Wessex 860. Anglo-Saxon Chronicle begun
878. Defeat of Danes. Peace of
Wedmore
901. Death of Alfred 991. Last known poem of the
Anglo-Saxon
period, The Battle of
Maldon, otherwise called
Byrhtnoth's Death
1013-1042. Danish period
1016. Cnut, king
1042. Edward the Confessor. Saxon
period restored
1049. Westminster Abbey begun
1066. Harold, last of Saxon kings.
Norman Conquest
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1
epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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prologue
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| n.开场白，序言；开端，序幕 | |
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poetic
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| adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的 | |
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poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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mid
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| adj.中央的，中间的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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14
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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counselor
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| n.顾问，法律顾问 | |
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18
mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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19
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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21
devour
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| v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷 | |
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22
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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27
rumor
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| n.谣言，谣传，传说 | |
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28
walruses
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| n.海象( walrus的名词复数 ) | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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30
fen
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| n.沼泽，沼池 | |
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fens
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| n.（尤指英格兰东部的）沼泽地带( fen的名词复数 ) | |
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misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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34
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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35
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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38
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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39
hacking
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| n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动 | |
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40
uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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41
wrenched
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| v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的过去式和过去分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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42
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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43
plunges
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| n.跳进，投入vt.使投入，使插入，使陷入vi.投入，跳进，陷入v.颠簸( plunge的第三人称单数 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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44
exults
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| 狂喜，欢跃( exult的第三人称单数 ) | |
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45
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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46
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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47
adviser
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| n.劝告者，顾问 | |
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48
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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49
kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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50
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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51
groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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52
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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53
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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54
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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55
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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56
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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57
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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58
wield
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| vt.行使，运用，支配；挥，使用(武器等) | |
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59
heeds
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| n.留心，注意，听从( heed的名词复数 )v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的第三人称单数 ) | |
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60
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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61
shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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62
stoutest
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| 粗壮的( stout的最高级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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63
followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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64
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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65
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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66
belching
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| n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式 | |
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67
presentiment
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| n.预感，预觉 | |
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68
lurks
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| n.潜在，潜伏；（lurk的复数形式）vi.潜伏，埋伏（lurk的第三人称单数形式） | |
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69
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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70
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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71
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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72
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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73
battered
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| adj.磨损的；v.连续猛击；磨损 | |
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74
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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75
ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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76
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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77
foamy
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| adj.全是泡沫的，泡沫的，起泡沫的 | |
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78
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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79
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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80
maker
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| n.制造者，制造商 | |
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81
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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82
lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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83
lamenting
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| adj.悲伤的，悲哀的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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84
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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85
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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86
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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87
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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88
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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89
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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91
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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92
mariner
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| n.水手号不载人航天探测器，海员，航海者 | |
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93
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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radically
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| ad.根本地，本质地 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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malaria
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| n.疟疾 | |
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marsh
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| n.沼泽，湿地 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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dykes
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| abbr.diagonal wire cutters 斜线切割机n.堤( dyke的名词复数 )；坝；堰；沟 | |
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100
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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101
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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mythical
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| adj.神话的；虚构的；想像的 | |
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103
plundering
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| 掠夺，抢劫( plunder的现在分词 ) | |
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104
legendary
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| adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学） | |
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105
feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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valor
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| n.勇气，英勇 | |
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108
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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alliteration
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| n.（诗歌的）头韵 | |
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111
rime
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| n.白霜；v.使蒙霜 | |
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112
syllables
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| n.音节( syllable的名词复数 ) | |
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113
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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114
vowel
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| n.元音；元音字母 | |
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115
nether
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| adj.下部的，下面的；n.阴间；下层社会 | |
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116
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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117
lodging
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| n.寄宿，住所；(大学生的)校外宿舍 | |
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118
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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119
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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120
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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121
supplanted
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| 把…排挤掉，取代( supplant的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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122
afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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124
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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125
seaman
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| n.海员，水手，水兵 | |
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126
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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127
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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128
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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129
pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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130
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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131
bestow
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| v.把…赠与，把…授予；花费 | |
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132
meditates
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的第三人称单数 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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133
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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134
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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135
tracts
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| 大片土地( tract的名词复数 )； 地带； （体内的）道； （尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的）短文 | |
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136
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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137
defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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138
bugle
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| n.军号，号角，喇叭；v.吹号，吹号召集 | |
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139
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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140
raven
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| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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141
ravens
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| n.低质煤；渡鸦( raven的名词复数 ) | |
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142
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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143
rattles
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| （使）发出格格的响声， （使）作嘎嘎声( rattle的第三人称单数 )； 喋喋不休地说话； 迅速而嘎嘎作响地移动，堕下或走动； 使紧张，使恐惧 | |
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144
slaying
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| 杀戮。 | |
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145
betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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146
saga
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| n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇 | |
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147
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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148
underlie
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| v.位于...之下，成为...的基础 | |
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149
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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150
colonize
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| v.建立殖民地，拓殖；定居，居于 | |
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151
forefathers
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| n.祖先，先人；祖先，祖宗( forefather的名词复数 )；列祖列宗；前人 | |
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152
momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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153
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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154
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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155
dual
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| adj.双的；二重的，二元的 | |
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156
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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157
treacherous
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|
| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
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158
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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159
glorify
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| vt.颂扬，赞美，使增光，美化 | |
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160
animates
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| v.使有生气( animate的第三人称单数 )；驱动；使栩栩如生地动作；赋予…以生命 | |
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161
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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162
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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163
harried
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| v.使苦恼( harry的过去式和过去分词 )；不断烦扰；一再袭击；侵扰 | |
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164
galleys
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| n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房 | |
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165
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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166
homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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167
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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168
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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169
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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170
dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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171
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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172
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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173
animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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174
expressive
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| adj.表现的，表达…的，富于表情的 | |
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175
perpetuate
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| v.使永存，使永记不忘 | |
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176
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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177
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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178
forsook
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| forsake的过去式 | |
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179
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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180
analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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181
simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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182
adaptability
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| n.适应性 | |
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183
innate
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| adj.天生的，固有的，天赋的 | |
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184
epics
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| n.叙事诗( epic的名词复数 )；壮举；惊人之举；史诗般的电影（或书籍） | |
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185
monks
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| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
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186
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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187
lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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188
labored
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| adj.吃力的，谨慎的v.努力争取(for)( labor的过去式和过去分词 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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189
monasteries
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| 修道院( monastery的名词复数 ) | |
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190
cir
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| abbr.circular 通知；circulation （货币，货物等的）流通；circle 圆；circa (Latin=about) （拉丁语）大约 | |
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191
monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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192
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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193
ransack
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| v.彻底搜索，洗劫 | |
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194
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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195
missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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196
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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197
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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198
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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199
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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200
omnipotent
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| adj.全能的，万能的 | |
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201
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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202
scripture
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| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
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203
layman
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| n.俗人，门外汉，凡人 | |
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204
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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205
steward
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| n.乘务员，服务员；看管人；膳食管理员 | |
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206
expounded
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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207
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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208
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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209
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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210
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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211
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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212
paraphrase
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| vt.将…释义，改写；n.释义，意义 | |
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213
exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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214
firmament
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| n.苍穹；最高层 | |
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215
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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216
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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217
deluge
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| n./vt.洪水，暴雨，使泛滥 | |
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218
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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219
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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220
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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221
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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222
carrion
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| n.腐肉 | |
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223
apocryphal
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| adj.假冒的，虚假的 | |
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224
testament
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| n.遗嘱；证明 | |
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225
charade
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| n.用动作等表演文字意义的字谜游戏 | |
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226
phoenix
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| n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生 | |
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227
riddles
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| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
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228
conundrums
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| n.谜，猜不透的难题，难答的问题( conundrum的名词复数 ) | |
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229
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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230
redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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231
liturgy
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| n.礼拜仪式 | |
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232
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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233
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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234
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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235
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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236
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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237
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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239
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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bind
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| vt.捆，包扎；装订；约束；使凝固；vi.变硬 | |
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241
savages
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| 未开化的人，野蛮人( savage的名词复数 ) | |
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242
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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243
uneven
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| adj.不平坦的，不规则的，不均匀的 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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salvage
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| v.救助，营救，援救；n.救助，营救 | |
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247
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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248
pillaged
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| v.抢劫，掠夺( pillage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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249
clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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250
consolations
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| n.安慰，慰问( consolation的名词复数 )；起安慰作用的人（或事物） | |
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251
philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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252
scant
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| adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略 | |
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253
narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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254
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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255
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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256
unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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257
plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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260
somber
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| adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的 | |
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261
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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263
bibliography
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| n.参考书目；(有关某一专题的)书目 | |
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belles
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| n.美女( belle的名词复数 )；最美的美女 | |
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conversion
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| n.转化，转换，转变 | |
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