R. M. Liuzza’s translation of "Beowulf", first published by Broadview in 1999, has been widely praised for its accuracy and beauty. The facing-page translation is accompanied in this edition by genealogical charts, historical summaries, and a glossary of proper names. Historical appendices include related legends, stories, and religious writings from both Christian and Anglo-Saxon traditions. These texts help readers to see "Beowulf" as an exploration of the politics of kingship and the psychology of heroism, and as an early English meditation on the bridges and chasms between the pagan past and the Christian present.
Appendices also include a generous sample of other modern translations of "Beowulf", shedding light on the process of translating the poem. This new edition features an updated introduction and an expanded section of material on Christianity and paganism.
Author(s): Roy M. Liuzza (ed., transl.)
Series: Broadview Editions
Edition: 2
Publisher: Broadview Press
Year: 2013
Language: English, Old English
Pages: 330
City: Peterborough, Ontario
Acknowledgements 7
Preface 9
Introduction 11
"Beowulf" between Myth and History 12
"Beowulf" betweenn Song and Text 18
"Beowulf" between Court and Cloister 27
"Beowulf" between Old and Modem English 36
A Note on the Text 45
A Note to the Second Edition 47
Reading Old English 49
"Beowulf" 51
Glossary of Proper Names 247
Genealogies 251
The Geatish-Swedish Wars 253
Appendix A: Characters Mentioned in "Beowulf" 255
1. From Gregory of Tours, "History of the Franks" 255
2. From the "Liber Monstrorum" 255
3. From Alcuin, Letter to "Speratus" (797) 256
4. West-Saxon Royal Genealogies 256
a. From Asser, "Life of King Alfred" (893) 256
b. From Æthelweard, "Chronicle" 257
5. "The Fight at Finnsburh" 258
6. "Widsith" 259
Appendix B: Analogues to the Themes and Events in "Beowulf" 265
1. From "Grettissaga" (c. 1300) 265
a. The Fight in the Hall 265
b. The Fight at the Falls 268
2. From Saxo Grammaticus, "Gesta Danorum" 271
3. From Snorri Sturluson, "Heimskringla" (c. 1223-35), "Ynglinga saga" 272
4. From "The Life of Saint Gildas" 273
5. From Bückling Homily 17 274
Appendix C: Christians and Pagans 275
1. Gregory the Great, Letter to Abbot Mellitus (601) 275
2. From Bede the Venerable, "Ecclesiastical History of the English People" 276
3. From St. Boniface, "Letters" 278
a. "Letter 46" (c. 738) 278
b. "Letter 73" (c. 746) 279
4. Wulfstan, "On False Gods" 281
5. Laws against Paganism 284
a. From Wulfstan, "Canons of Edgar" no. 16 284
b. From the Laws of Cnut, 1-5 284
Appendix D: Contexts for Reading "Beowulf" 287
1. Wulfstan, "Sermo Lupi ad Anglos" (1014) 287
2. Ælfric, "Life of St. Edmund" (c. 995) 292
3. "Vainglory" (before c. 975) 297
Appendix E: Translations of "Beowulf" 301
1. Sharon Turner, "The History of the Manners, Landed Property, Government, Laws, Poetry, Literature, Religion and Language of the Anglo-Saxons" (1805) 302
2. John Josias Conybeare, "Illustrations of Anglo-Saxon Poetry" (1826) 303
3. J. M. Kemble, "A Translation of the Anglo-Saxon Poem of Beowulf" (1835) 304
4. From Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, "Anglo-Saxon Literature," 'North American Review' (1838) 304
5. A. Diedrich Wackerbarth, "Beowulf: An Epic Poem Translated from the Anglo-Saxon into English Verse" (1849) 306
6. John Earle, "The Deeds of Beowulf" (1892) 307
7. William Morris and A. J. Wyatt, "The Tale of Beowulf Sometime King of the Folk of the Weder Geats" (1895) 308
8. Francis B. Gummere, "The Oldest English Epic" (1909) 308
9. William Ellery Leonard, "Beowulf" (1923) 309
10. R. K. Gordon, "The Song of Beowulf" (1923) 310
11. Charles W. Kennedy, "Beowulf" (1940) 310
12. Edwin Morgan, "Beowulf" (1952) 311
13. Burton Raffel, "Beowulf" (1963) 312
14. E. Talbot Donaldson, "Beowulf" (1966) 313
15. Kevin Crossley-Holland, "Beowulf" (1968) 313
16. Michael Alexander, "Beowulf" (1973) 314
17. Howell D. Chickering, Jr., "Beowulf" (1977) 315
18. S. A. J. Bradley, "Anglo-Saxon Poetry" (1982) 315
19. Stanley B. Greenfield, "A Readable Beowulf" (1982) 316
20. Ruth P. M. Lehmann, "Beowulf" (1988) 317
21. Marc Hudson, "Beowulf" (1990) 318
22. Frederick Rebsamen, "Beowulf" (1991) 318
23. R. M. Liuzza, "Beowulf" (1999) 319
24. Seamus Heaney, "Beowulf" (2000) 320
Works Cited and Recommended Reading 321
