What is the role of a translator?
3 translations
Because Beowulf is written in Old English, we read the work in translation. As we evaluate different translations, consider the
author’s/translator’s choice regarding the following: imagery, style, emphasized themes, poetry or prose, use of kennings and alliteration,
tone. Make connections to words in other languages that you have studied.
Beowulf, my friend,
your fame has gone far and wide,
you are known everywhere.
Beowulf (1703-1705) translated by Seamus Heaney
When these words were first written down, sometime between the 8th
and 11th centuries, the writer had no idea how prophetic they would
be. Even though Anglo-Saxon is today an archaic language, millions
throughout the world are familiar with this great poem largely because
of the many translations -- in scores of languages -- that have been
made through the past few centuries.
Beowulf, the great Anglo-Saxon epic poem by an unknown author, was composed sometime
between the 8th and the 11th centuries. The text exists in only one manuscript which dates from
about the year 1000. The poem was largely unknown until the first printed versions of the poem
were published at the end of the eighteenth century. Soon, short English translations of various
parts of the poem began to appear, and within a few decades, in 1833, the first full-length English translation was published. There is only one
existing manuscript copy of the original text of Beowulf. This image is a reproduction of the manuscript's opening words -- Hwaet We Gardena. (The
last letters of Gardena are missing because the manuscript was damaged in a fire.)
Since Beowulf is written in Old English, the earliest known form of the English language, one might assume that it would be easy to translate, at least
easier than works printed in languages more substantially different from modern English. Yet looking at the many translations of Beowulf that are
available in bookstores and libraries, it's apparent that they have important differences in language, form, and style. This immediately raises the
questions: Why are these translations so different? How can I decide which, if any, is the "best" to read?
One of the complex problems involved in translating Beowulf is that the grammatical structure of Old English -- the language in which the poem is
written -- is considerably different from Modern English.
Old English is an inflected language; this means that its word forms can express relationships which in modern English require the use of added
words. Consequently, even a literal (word-for-word) translation of the poem must include words that are not actually separate words in the original
text.
To begin answering these questions, let's look at the opening lines of the poem. The boxes below contain the original Old English version and a
literal (word-for-word) translation.
ORIGINAL
LITERAL
Hwæt. We Gardena in gear-dagum,
þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon,
hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon.
What. We of the Spear-Danes in old days
of the people-kings, power heard,
how the princes brave deeds did.
Next, in the following boxes, look at how four modern translators have rendered these lines.
1. R. M. LIUZZA
Listen!
We have heard of the glory in bygone days
of the folk-kings of the spear-Danes,
how those noble lords did lofty deeds.
3. SEAMUS HEANEY
So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by
and the kings who ruled them had
courage and greatness.
We have heard of these princes' heroic
campaigns.
2. BURTON RAFFEL
Hear me! We've heard of Danish heroes,
Ancient kings and the glory they cut
For themselves, swinging mighty swords!
4. MICHAEL ALEXANDER
Attend!
We have heard of the thriving of the
throne of Denmark,
how the folk-kings flourished in former
days,
how those royal athelings earned that glory.
Hwaet: In Old English, when stories were told orally by a storyteller, this word was used to get the audience's attention in the way that a phrase like
Listen to this! might be used today.
Why change the opening word in these four translations?
Gardena: the name of the people who are the subjects of the poem. Literally the word is translated as Spear (Gar) -- Dane (dana).
What do the translators use for this word (Gardena)?
æþelingas -- literally translated as princes. What do the four translators use for this word?
In the boxes below you'll see four translations of lines 620-624 of Beowulf -- by Howell Chickering, R.M. Liuzza, Ruth P.M. Lehmann, and Michael
Alexander. This passage describes the actions of the Queen of the Danes during the royal feast that takes place before Beowulf's encounter with
the monster Grendel.
1. HOWELL D. CHICKERING
2. R. M. LIUZZA
The lady of the Helmings walked through
the hall,
offered the jeweled cup to veterans and
youths,
until the time came that the courteous queen,
splendid in rings, excellent in virtues,
came to Beowulf, brought him the mead.
The lady of the Helmings then went about
to young and old, gave each his portion
of the precious cup, until the moment came
when the ring-adorned queen, of excellent
heart,
bore the mead-cup to Beowulf....
3. RUTH P. M. LEHMANN
4. MICHAEL ALEXANDER
Princess of Helmings passed through the hall.
In every quarter she offered the goblet
to tried and untried, until the time arrived
that the ring-decked queen, royal in spirit,
brought the beaker to Beowulf the Geat.
The Helming princess then passed about among
the old and the young men in each part of the hall,
bringing the treasure-cup, until the time came
when the flashing-armed queen, complete in all virtues,
carried out to Beowulf the brimming vessel....
The boxes below list five groups of words from the Chickering translation of lines 620-624 of Beowulf. Next to them, write in the words used
by translators Liuzza, Lehmann, and Alexander to express the same ideas. The corresponding words may occur on different lines of the
translations. I've done the first one for you so you can see how it should be done.
1.CHICKERING
The lady of the Helmings
offered the jeweled cup
to veterans and youths
the courteous queen,/
splendid in rings
2.LIUZZA
The lady of the Helmings
3.LEHMANN
Princess of Helmings
4.ALEXANDER
The Helming princess
Each translator had to determine relationships among words because many of the connecting words used in modern English are not present in the
Anglo-Saxon language. Consequently, it's essentially impossible to translate Beowulf word-for-word if the translation is to make sense to a modern
reader. Most translators are forced to add words and change sentence structures -- which is one main reason why translations of the poem often
differ.
Look at translations of another passage, lines 720-727, where Grendel's entrance into the hall of the Spear-Danes is described.
ORIGINAL
Com þa to recede rinc siðian,
dreamum bedæled. Duru sona onarn,
fyrbendum fæst, syþðan he hire folmum
æthran;
onbræd þa bealohydig, ða he gebolgen
wæs,
recedes muþan. Raþe æfter þon
on fagne flor
feond treddode,
eode yrremod; him of eagum stod
ligge gelicost
leoht unfæger.
(3 sentences, 45 words)
LITERAL TRANSLATION
Came then to the building warrior traveling,
dream deprived. Door soon pushed back,
forged bar fast,
since his hand touched it;
threw open the creature, then he swollen
[enraged] was,
building's mouth. Right after that
on paved floor fiend trod,
going angry; of his eyes came
like flame light terrible.
(3 sentences, 49 words)
You can see that the
literal translation, even
with a few words added,
really doesn't make much
sense. Now look at how
four translators have
rendered the same
passage. Beneath each
one, I've indicated the
number of words and
sentences used by the
translator.
BURTON RAFFEL
(2 sentences, 46 words)
He journeyed, forever joyless,
Straight to the door, then snapped it open,
Tore its iron fasteners with a touch
And rushed angrily over the threshold.
He strode quickly across the inlaid
Floor, snarling and fierce; his eyes
Gleamed in the darkness, burned with a
gruesome Light.
RUTH P.M. LEHMANN
(5 sentences, 58 words)
Then to the building came the brute wandering,
deprived of pleasure. Yet the portal gaped,
though fast with forged bands, as he first
touched it.
Angry he opened the entrance to the building
with hateful purpose. Hurriedly crossing
the patterned pavement the oppressor came
in fuming fury. From the fiend's eyes shot
lurid light flashing like lightning glare.
SEAMUS HEANEY
(3 sentences, 64 words)
Spurned and joyless, he journeyed on ahead
and arrived at the bawn. The iron-braced door
turned on its hinge when his hands touched it.
Then his rage boiled over, he ripped open
the mouth of the building, maddening for blood,
pacing the length of the patterned floor
with his loathsome tread, while a baleful
light,
flame more than light, flared from his eyes....
R. M. LIUZZA
(2 sentences, 59 words)
To the hall came that warrior on his journey,
bereft of joys. The door burst open,
fast in its forged bands, when his fingers touched it;
bloody-minded, swollen with rage, he
swung open
the hall's mouth, and immediately afterwards
the fiend strode across the paved floor,
went angrily; in his eyes stood
a light not fair, glowing like fire.
Whose translation is closest to the original text in the number of words used?
How does this translation differ from the original (in addition to number of words)?
Whose is the next closest to number of words used?
How does Seamus Heaney's translation differ from the original text (other than the number of words)?
If Beowulf has an overarching message it is not about the hero’s bravery or virtue, but rather the collective imperative to sustain culture in the face of
human and supernatural forces of disintegration. The three monsters may be the most terrifying, but the poem also warns of the less fantastic dangers
of feuds, dynastic struggles, greed, pride, and unchecked anger.
As “a traditional singer deeply schooled/in the lore of the past,” the Beowulf-poet creates a verbal world that idealizes a heroic life that was already
ancient in the eighth century. Yet by the end the idealization gives way to a harder reality. After Beowulf has died of the wounds received in killing
the dragon, his tribe anticipates its own annihilation at the hands of enemies. In spite of Beowulf’s exemplary status, the poem refuses to end with
reassuring optimism and instead casts a cold eye on the capacity of humans to live according to their ideals. Today its message of human limitations
resonates as much as it ever has.
For Seamus Heaney, Beowulf is not merely an opportunity to showcase his prodigious talents as a poet. What he chose to translate also matters a
great deal. It shows that he is “deeply schooled” in many things beyond the art of poetry.
Assignment: Write a tribute to someone whom you wish to honor as a great person. It can be someone well known, living or dead, or
just someone you know. Describe this person so your reader will know why you feel he or she should be known and remembered. You
can write this either as poetry or as prose. If you choose to write a poem, you might want to include some alliteration as you've seen in
the examples from Beowulf with this exercise.
Optional homework: View Beowulf cartoon review: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0MrPNVj9qw&feature=related
Common Core Standards addressed: ELACC12RL3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements ELACC12RL4: Determine the meaning of words and
phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or
language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful. ELACC12RL5: Analyze how an author’s choices concerning how to structure specific parts of a text contribute to its overall structure and
meaning as well as its aesthetic impact. ELACC12RL7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a poem, evaluating how each version interprets the source text.
Assignment: Using the previous translation exercises, compare/contrast the following versions of Beowulf. Consider: number of words/sentences,
style, alliteration, imagery, tone, kennings, etc.
1. Heaney
2. Alfred
Time went by, the boat was on water, in close under the cliffs.
The time allotted passed day by day.
Men climbed eagerly up the gangplank,
The vessel was launched on the
sand churned in surf, warriors loaded
waves, that boat, in the lee of the bluff.
a cargo of weapons, shining war-gear
Fully equipped, the men boarded
in the vessel’s hold, then heaved out,
her by the prow.
away with a will in their wood-wreathed ship.
The tides turned, the sea churned
Over the waves, with the wind behind her
against the sand.
and foam at her neck, she flew like a bird
Fighting men were carrying their
until her curved prow had covered the distance
bright, handsome trappings into
and on the following day, at the due hour,
the hull of the ship, their splendid
those seafarers sighted land,
war-gear; soldiers were shoving
sunlit cliffs, sheer crags
off, men on a voyage to their
and looming headlands, the landfall they sought.
liking, shoving the lasted timbers off.
Then, across the wave’s swell, very
Comparison/contrast:
like a bird, sped by the wind, the
boat went sailing, collared with
foam, till on schedule, on the
second day, its well-lashed prow
had reached the point where those
sailors caught sight of land, seacliffs shimmering, towering bluffs,
3. Longfellow
…And first went forth.
The ship was on the waves,
boat under the cliffs.
The barons ready
To the prow mounted
The streams they whirled
The sea against the sands
The chieftans bore
On the naked breast
Bright ornaments,
War-gear, Goth-like
The men shoved off,
Men on their willing way,
The bounden wood.
Then went over the sea-waves,
Hurried by the wind,
The ship with a foamy neck,
Most like a sea-fowl,
Till about one hour
Of the second day
The curved prow
Had passed onward
So that the sailors
The land saw,
The shore-cliffs shining,
Mountains steep,
And broad sea-noses.
spits nosing far out to sea.
Harrison High School * British Literature * Common Core Standards addressed: ELACC12RL7: Analyze multiple interpretations of a poem, evaluating how each version interprets the source text. ELACC12RL10: Read
and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems.