Beowulf translation by seamus heaney highbridge audio. As heaney states in the introduction, he has tried with this translation to keep the language. Crawford logan is scottish, lives in scotland, and has been involved with a number of sagas over many years, including the archers, dr who, eastenders, the mousetrap and the forsyte saga, all 2,500 pages of it. New york times best seller and whitebread book of the year, nobel laureate seamus heaneys new. Beowulf stands as one of the first and greatest works of english literature. Brodie provided his class with anglosaxononly versions of beowulf, and we worked arduously through the text, as anglosaxon is an entirely different language than modern english. The oldest long poem in old english, written about ad 1,000, beowulf tells the story of a great warrior of southern scandinavia, in both youth and maturity. This is only normal when the translator is a great poet, the author anonymous and the original language dead. Apr 27, 2017 beowulf is commonly known as the oldest surviving long poem in old english, consisting of an impressive 3182 alliterative lines.
Listen to beowulf by benedict flynn, crawford logan for free with a 30 day free trial. The old english epic poem beowulf, recorded in its original saxon dialect for the first time. Francis barton gummere translates this beautiful poem. Beowulf audible audiobook abridged seamus heaney author. May 04, 2000 a new york times bestseller and whitbread book of the year. The only surviving manuscript that contains the poem is preserved in the british library and it too was badly damaged by fire in 1731. Beowulf is an oldenglish epic poem telling the tale of the scandinavian hero, beowulf and his battles with monstrous creatures such as the savage grendel. I first encountered beowulf at the university of guelph, under the inspired teaching of the late, great professor alexander h. The odyssey, mead, recorded books modern scholar series, michael d.
Heaneys performance reminds us that beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. New york times best seller and whitebread book of the year, nobel laureate seamus. This is a short but beautiful book, and the gummere translation really captures the feel of the old english. This one is great because it has the original text right beside the english translation. Kevin stroud presents the story of beowulf by deconstructing the poem and examining the original old english language. Click on the audio link to hear an actor reading the passage. Beowulf was composed by an anonymous anglosaxon poet. Heaneys performance reminds us that beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was. A great story to be listened to, this audio book is well read by tad e. Recorded at the simon fraser university audiovisual center, july 2000. Beowulf tells the story of a mysterious young warrior who saves the speardanes from the terrible monster grendel and his venomous mother. Oodles is an easy to use application to read or listen to english classics or hindi books and stories. Unknown beowulf is a long narrative poem composed in old english some time in between the 8th and 11th century ad.
Hrothgar offers rich rewards of twisted gold if beowulf can find and kill the monster and escape with his life. The acclaimed verse translation of the timeless epic tale of bravery and battlethe enduring saga of the hero beowulf and the monster grendelthe first true masterpiece of english. Although i shouldve known before buying it, the translation seems to have too much of heaneys personality in it to be considered an honest translation though i have of course not read the original. Performed by icelandic poet, playwright, professional storyteller and performer svanur thorkelsson, audibles production gives listeners the opportunity to experience how it might have felt to hear bards recite sections of the 3000line poem from memory in anglo saxon dining halls. Beowulf audiobook seamus heaney translator audible. All librivox recordings are in the public domain in the usa and available as free downloads on. The bluest eye pdf toni morrison knopf the bluest eye, published in 1970, is the first novel written by toni morrison, winner of the 1993 nobel prize in literature. May 15, 2017 download as many audiobooks, ebooks, language audio courses, and language eworkbooks as you want during the free trial and its all yours to keep even if you cancel during the free trial. Beowulf reading in old english with translation a reading of beowulf with an explanation of what it means. Tolkiens 1926 translation of beowulf before its finally published next month.
A stag chased by hounds allows itself to be torn apart rather than plunge into those waters. An anglosaxon epic poem, translated from the heynesocin text, read by eleanor chalkley. See a section of beowulf, performed in its original language. This audio book is the translated by irish poet and. Stephen mitchells translation of beowulf is the best i have readand i own more than a dozen. The cliffsnotes study guide on beowulf supplements the original literary work, giving you background information about the author, an introduction to the work, and critical commentaries, all for you to use as an educational tool that will allow you to be.
Homers tale of love, adventure, food and drink, sensual pleasure, and mortal danger reaches the english language. Beowulf the warrior is an outstanding modern version of the oldest epic in the english language. Librivox founded in 2005 is a community of volunteers from all over the world who record public domain texts. Originally written in old english, this translation by francis barton gummere updates it to modern english. Download as many audiobooks, ebooks, language audio courses, and language eworkbooks as you want during the free trial and its all yours to keep even if you cancel during. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Heaneys performance reminds us that beowulf, written near. Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in old english, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. Old english to a modern voice is poignantly refreshing. Grendel and his mother being said to be descended from cain from the bible and beowulf being the archetype of the hero from old ages of time. Nevertheless its obvious from the reading aboveand from texts in the language like this online edition of beowulf in its original tonguethat we would no more be able to speak to.
Download this important work of anglosaxon literature and the oldest surviving epic poem of old english. Seamus heaneys new translation of beowulf is a work that is both true to the original poem and an expression of something fundamental to heaneys own creative gift. Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of beowulf, a scandinavian hero who saves the danes from the seemingly invincible monster grendel and. Benedict flynn beowulf read by crawford logan unabridged. And while such credentials translate to one of the most important works ever composed in old english, there is no general consensus as to when this epic poem was actually composed, with dates ranging from 7th to 11th century ad the original manuscript was possibly. Seamus heaneys new translation of beowulf is a work that is both true to the original poem and an expression of something fundamental to heaneys own creative gift one of the great. Beowulf by benedict flynn and crawford logan audiobook. I have loved beowulf since elementary and i finaly own a copy. Hear the epic battle between the hero beowulf and the monster grendel, and then grendels mother. This audio book is the translated by irish poet and nobel laureate seamus heaney and he also narrates the audio book which runs 2 hrs. If you want to have some idea of the power of beowulf in its original language. Beowulf first rescues the royal house of denmark from two marauding monsters, then returns to rule his people for 50 years, ultimately losing his life in a battle to defend the geats from a dragons rampage.
One of the great classics of english literature, it tells the story of a hero who wins glory and learns wisdom and is then called upon to face a final test against the monstrous. This is a short but beautiful book, and the gummere translation really captures the feel of the. Beowulf is commonly known as the oldest surviving long poem in old english, consisting of an impressive 3182 alliterative lines. A performance translation this is a dynamic performance by sebastian lockwood of the great poem using a new translation by clark and lockwood. I cant even put into coherent words what this story did for me. Beowulf performed in old english the sole surviving manuscript of britains national epic, about a dark ages hero, is now maintained at the british library. The main character, beowulf, proves himself a hero as he battles against supernatural demons and beasts. The poem is a subtle blending of themesthe conflict of good and evil, and an examination of heroism. It tells the story of the heroic beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster. No selfrespecting college professor will want his students to be without itrenditions in mo. This book made me fall in love with the english language when i was, and it does so again every time i open it. Mar 29, 2010 beowulf is our only native english heroic epic.
The old english epic poem beowulf has been recorded in its original saxon dialect for the first time and fans have margaret atwood to thank. Old english, the english of beowulf, is almost a foreign tongue. This man is beowulf, whose heroic dragonslaying deeds were sung in the courts of anglosaxon england more than a thousand years ago. The oldest long poem in old english, written about a. Reading a literary work doesnt mean that you immediately grasp the major themes and devices used by the author. This is only normal when the translator is a great poet, the author anonymous and the original language.
Beowulf old english version by anonymous poetry foundation. Naxos audiobooks beowulf unabridged crawford logan. Mar 08, 2005 written ten centuries ago, it celebrates the character and exploits of beowulf, a young nobleman of the geats, a people of southern sweden. Seamus heaney reads his exquisite translation of beowulf. Nobel laureate seamus heaneys new translation of beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. A reading of beowulf with an explanation of what it means. The acclaimed verse translation of the timeless epic tale of bravery and battlethe enduring saga of the hero beowulf and the monster grendelthe first true masterpiece of english literature. Hear beowulf as if you were a saxon in new audiobook news the. Listen to beowulf by seamus heaney for free with a 30 day free trial.
The christian and ancient pagan roots in the characters are felt fully. New york times best seller and whitebread book of the year, nobel laureate seamus heaneys new translation of beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Beowulf is the longest epic poem in old english, the language spoken in anglosaxon england before the norman conquest. Having studied this one in the original, i know that heaney takes a lot of liberty with the text, but what he turns out is magnificent. Listen to these wonderful recordings by blackstone audiobooks as you cook, clean, exercise, or drive. Book of the year, nobel laureate seamus heaneys new translation of beowulf comes to life in this gripping audio. Each audio recording is a direct reading from the unabridged book. I could live in this poem for weeks and write many essays exalting different aspects of its contents. More than 3,000 lines long, beowulf relates the exploits of its eponymous hero, and his successive battles with a monster named grendel, with grendels revengeful mother, and with a dragon which was guarding a hoard of treasure. Ian serraillier has retold in verse the story of the hero beowulf and his three memorable. Kevin stroud presents the story of beowulf by deconstructing the poem and examining the original old english language, as well as the history behind the poem. Listen to unlimited audiobooks on the web, ipad, iphone and android. Beowulf sets the standard for epic poetry in the english language, and seamus heaneys translation from the original anglosaxon aka.
When sleep was at its deepest, night at its blackest, up from the mistfilled marsh came grendel stalking. Oct 24, 2017 beowulf audiobook written by stephen mitchell. The service works on any major device including computers, smartphones, music players, ereaders, and tablets. A new york times bestseller and whitbread book of the year. Download as many audiobooks, ebooks, language audio courses, and language eworkbooks as you want during the free trial and its all yours to keep even if you cancel during the free trial. Beowulf unabridged cd blackstone audiobooks 9781433200144. Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. Fitzgeralds supple verse is ideally suited for audio, recounting the story of odysseus long journey back to his wife and home after the trojan war. In the figure of beowulf, the scandinavian warrior, and his struggles against monsters, the unknown author depicts the life and outlook of a pagan age.
We find the free courses and audio books you need, the language. Brodie provided his class with anglosaxononly versions of beowulf, and we worked arduously through the text, as anglosaxon is an entirely different language. Silvie 5172011 if youre going to read beowulf, this is the version youll want. Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era. Oodles has free english classics and english audiobooks. Language and poetics quick reference sheet language english is divided into three periods. The old english of beowulf explores the language and story of the ancient anglosaxon poem. Nov 15, 2010 a reading of beowulf with an explanation of what it means.
281 506 242 1390 744 1128 1351 895 1129 1248 624 1148 1044 347 1055 527 1356 1198 992 809 856 50 1454 1161 928 1420 1041 1499 1032 623 653 250 692 1484 1245 534 736 65