Hello and welcome to the Discourse. The Wanderer is one of the few surviving Anglo-Saxon poems written in Old English that was written by an anonymous author about whom, nothing substantial is known. The poem is an elegy in which a soldier mourns the loss of his chief the lord, and his nation. The poem offers details on the Norman Conquest and how the Normans had ravaged the land of the Anglo-Saxons and captured it. The poem was entered in the Exter Book, also known as Codex Exoniensis. While the Exter Book was written in the 10th century, it is believed that the poem The Wanderer itself is much older than the book. It is believed that "The Wanderer" first appeared as a piece of oral poetry during the 5th or 6th century, a time when the Germanic Pagan culture of Anglo-Saxon England was undergoing a conversion to Christianity. Being an elegiac, the poem's theme is loss and sorrow with spiritual seeking of solace. The narrator (the Wanderer) vividly describes his loneliness and yearning for the bright days past, and concludes with an admonition to put faith in God, "in whom all stability dwells". It is believed that this admonition at the end of the poem is a later addition as an effort to convert this otherwise, secular, irreligious, or Heathen poem into a Christian poem.
Structure of The Wanderer:
The original poem is written in Old English. It is a long poem with 153 alliterative lines. However, the translated poem The Wanderer is reduced to 116 lines. Some other translations have 115 or 117 lines. Like all other Anglo-Saxon poems, all lines of The Wanderer are alliterative which means that the rhythm of the poem is based on the repetition of the consonant sound at the beginning of words. The meter of the poem is of four stress lines, divided between the second and third stresses by a caesura. Each caesura is indicated in the manuscript by a subtle increase in character spacing and with full stops, but modern print editions render them in a more obvious fashion. The poem fluctuates between personal experience and general advice hence, there could be more than one narrator. The first seven lines are narrated by the Wanderer who introduces himself. Then begins a monologue by a wiseman from line 9 which continues till line 91. From Line 92, a new monologue begins which is narrated by the Wanderer himself who has now become the Wiseman.
The anonymous poet of The Wanderer used alliteration, enjambment, and caesura in the poem.
Summary of The Wanderer:
Lines 1-9
“Often the solitary one experiences mercy for himself,
the mercy of the Measurer, although he, troubled in spirit,
over the ocean must long
stir with his hands the rime-cold sea,
travel the paths of exile – Fate is inexorable.”
So said the wanderer, mindful of hardships,
of cruel deadly combats, the fall of dear kinsmen –“
Often alone each morning I must
Bewail my sorrow; there is now none living”
In the first five lines, the speaker talks about how ‘the ‘lone-dweller’, referring to the ‘wanderer’, was solitarily alone, receiving limited love and God’s grace. He suffers for a long time in exile, fate never showing kindness to him. The speaker uses ‘Measurer’ to refer to God, suggesting the power that will ultimately judge the acts or deeds of the Wanderer and the narrator who too is a lonely dweller like the wanderer, and of everybody else. The other four lines are spoken by the Wanderer himself. The wanderer tells his tale of woe, how his clan and his chieftain had been killed. There was no one left for him to share his sorrows with. The Measurer could also be the lord of the ‘lone-dweller’ for whom he works and submits his allegiance.
Lines 10-23
“to whom I dare tell clearly my inmost thoughts.
I know indeed
that it is a noble custom in a man
to bind fast his thoughts with restraint,
hold his treasure-chest, think what he will.
The man weary in spirit cannot withstand fate,
nor may the troubled mind offer help.
Therefore those eager for praise often bind a sad mind
in their breast-coffer with restraint.
So I, miserably sad, separated from homeland,
far from my noble kin, had to bind my thoughts with fetters,
since that long ago the darkness of the earth
covered my gold-friend, and I, abject,
proceeded thence, winter-sad, over the binding of the waves.”
The ‘lone-dweller’ states how a man who is courageous locks his sorrow in his heart and does not allow sorrowful thoughts to enter his mind. The wanderer however was a weak man and hence, he could neither control fate nor could he not harbour bitter feelings for his loss. The wanderer offers this speech while thinking about hardships, specifically, the "slaughter" of his relatives. All his relatives have been killed in battle, and he is on the run from your enemies and thus there is nobody to talk to. The wanderer says that a man should control his sad thoughts and keep them in his ‘treasure-chest’. These thoughts are priceless and precious, to be guarded carefully and only revealed to those you trust. However, the wanderer is lonely, there is no one to whom he may share his sorrow. Even his ‘gold-friend’ or the Chieftan or the Lord is dead and thus the Anglo-Saxon warrior had no source of protection or income.
Lines 24-33
“Sad, I sought the hall of a giver of treasure,
Where I might find, far or near,
one who in the meadhall might know about my people,
or might wish to comfort me, friendless,
entertain with delights. He knows who experiences it
how cruel care is as a companion,
to him who has few beloved protectors.
The path of exile awaits him, not twisted gold,
frozen feelings, not earth’s glory.
he remembers retainers and the receiving of treasure,”
Since the ‘gold-friend’ of the wanderer is no more, he seeks a new lord to get a job and protection. He describes how he sought out “a giver of treasure,” or a new lord, everywhere he went. He thought there might be someone who “might wish” to comfort him and remedy his friendlessness. The wanderer is looking for a new lord who knows ‘about my people’, that is, he is looking for a lord from his own kinship group. He knows that if he can’t find a new situation for himself he’s going to end up on a “path of exile” where there’s no “twisted gold” but “frozen feelings” and no glory.
Lines 34-43
“how in youth his gold-friend
accustomed him to the feast. But all pleasure has failed.
Indeed he knows who must for a long time do without
the counsels of his beloved lord
when sorrow and sleep together
often bind the wretched solitary man–
he thinks in his heart that he
embraces and kisses his lord, and lays
hands and head on his knee, just as he once at times
in former days, enjoyed the gift-giving.”
In these lines, the wanderer remembers how he enjoyed the favors of his previous lord in the past, and how happy and content he was with him. But with his death, there is no pleasure for him left anymore. He now bemoans and wishes to bow his head again for his old lord but he is no more. The wanderer contrasts the life he used to live with what he’s experiencing now. He once woke to happiness and contentment, but now he’s a “wretched solitary man.” He’d like to return to the life he had and dreams of what it would be like.
Lines 44-53
“Then the friendless man awakes again,
sees before him the dusky waves,
the seabirds bathing, spreading their wings,
frost and snow fall, mingled with hail.
Then are his heart’s wounds the heavier because of that,
sore with longing for a loved one. Sorrow is renewed
when the memory of kinsmen passes through his mind;
he greets with signs of joy, eagerly surveys
his companions, warriors. They swim away again.
The spirit of the floating ones never brings there many”
In these lines, the narrator describes the ‘friendless man’ as he wakes up from his dreams in which he is enjoying the cozy feeling of being close to his old lord. Unfortunately, he is all alone in the real world. He’s still on the sea with the “dusky waves” in front of him. The poet offered deeper imagery of the nature and surroundings of the ‘lone-dweller’ in these lines. The seabirds have the freedom to fly away that the wanderer does not. The wanderer is constantly reminded of his situation as soon as he starts to take comfort in what’s around him. The poet brings the Heathen idea of the ‘external soul.’ The seabirds are interchangeable with the Wanderer's fallen comrades.
Lines 54-68
“familiar utterances. Care is renewed
for the one who must very often send
his weary spirit over the binding of the waves,
Therefore I cannot think why throughout the world
my mind should not grow dark
when I contemplate all the life of men,
how they suddenly left the hall floor,
brave young retainers. So this middle-earth
fails and falls each day;
therefore a man may not become wise before he owns
a share of winters in the kingdom of this world. A wise man must be patient,
nor must he ever be too hot tempered, nor too hasty of speech
nor too weak in battles, nor too heedless,
nor too fearful, nor too cheerful, nor too greedy for wealth
nor ever too eager for boasting before he knows for certain.”
The narrator says that though the Wanderer feels as if he witnessed his lost kinsmen visiting him in the form of seabirds and other creatures, did not bring him the joy that he would’ve liked. They bring no relief to his exile. Memories and dreams of better times bring no relief for the exile. Instead, they make things worse. The narrator says that no one on the earth has suffered the same loss and sorrow of losing close ones as the wanderer does, but this sorrow and loss doesn’t make anyone wise. The speaker further says that it is also true that no one can become wise before he suffers ‘a share of winters or loss, death, and sorrow, in ‘the kingdom of this world.’ However, only such a man becomes wise and is patient and not too hot-tempered. He should not be too "quick-tongued," meaning that he thinks before he speaks. The important traits of a warrior overlap somewhat with those of a wise man. A warrior needs to be strong, of course, but he must also avoid foolhardiness, a similar trait to hot-heartedness. The wise man must not be fearful, nor too cheerful. He must not be greedy for wealth or praise. He must not be too quick-tongued: he must not speak a boast too eagerly.
Lines 69-88
“A man must wait, when he speaks a boast,
until, stout-hearted, he knows for certain
whither the thought of the heart may wish to turn.
The prudent man must realize how ghastly it will be
when all the wealth of this world stands waste,
as now variously throughout this middle-earth
walls stand beaten by the wind,
covered with rime, snow-covered the dwellings.
The wine-halls go to ruin, the rulers lie
deprived of joy, the host has all perished
proud by the wall. Some war took,
carried on the way forth; one a bird carried off
over the high sea; one the gray wolf shared
with Death; one a sad-faced nobleman
buried in an earth-pit.
So the Creator of men laid waste this region,
until the ancient world of giants, lacking the noises
of the citizens, stood idle.
He who deeply contemplates this wall-stead,
and this dark life with wise thought,”
In these lines, the narrator continues to explain how a wise man should be. The speaker expresses the wisdom that the wanderers and elderly wisemen often possess. He says that men have to be patient and thoughtful, not too quick to speak, or too eager to boast over one’s accomplishments. The wanderer also learns that existence is not permanent. Life, human creation, and memories collapse. The narator explains that this is how the Creator has made the world. The old buildings that the wanderer loved so much and bemoans now were meant to fall. They were the work of “old giants.” Even great, gigantic creations still eventually fail. The narrator says that a wise man contemplated this dark life with a deeper consciousness.
Lines 89-93
“old in spirit, often remembers long ago,
a multitude of battles, and speaks these words:
“Where is the horse? Where is the young warrior? Where is the giver of treasure?
Where are the seats of the banquets? Where are the joys in the hall?
Alas the bright cup! Alas the mailed warrior!”
These lines suggest a transition in the wanderer. He is no longer a sad man but is gradually becoming a Wiseman. He describes what he’s learned from his various contemplations. His words are emotional and repetitive as he wonders over the loss of things that have disappeared over time. The speaker is concentrated on the things one might see in a great hall, such as that of his deceased lord.
Lines 94-108
“Alas, the glory of the prince! How the time has gone,
vanished under night’s helm, as if it never were!
Now in place of a beloved host stands
a wall wondrously high, decorated with the likenesses of serpents.
The powers of spears took the noblemen,
weapons greedy for slaughter; fate the renowned,
and storms beat against these rocky slopes,
falling snowstorm binds the earth,
the noise of winter, then the dark comes.
The shadow of night grows dark, sends from the north
a rough shower of hail in enmity to the warriors.
All the kingdom of earth is full of trouble,
the operation of the fates changes the world under the heavens.
Here wealth is transitory, here friend is transitory,
here man is transitory, here woman is transitory,”
Unlike the previous time, the wanderer does not express his sadness for his exile or loneliness. He remembers the past again and draws attention to the things that were surrounding a great hall with a lord at its center have all passed away. There are no bright cups or feast seats, the prince is no more, nor his lord. The wall against which soldiers have fallen is “wondrously high” and is covered in depictions of serpents. The area has been destroyed and plundered, as have the warriors from their lives. The attackers were hungry for slaughter, and their fate was solidified.
The wanderer describes the wall as a ‘rocky-slope’ and suggests that the wall, in fact, is a part of nature, a part of humankind’s creation. He expresses the effect of harsh winds on this wall.
Darkness falls, and the “kingdom of earth is full of trouble.” The wanderer says that what happens is fated and no man or woman is ever important here, they are all transitory, momentary, all fated to vanish. People struggle for wealth, fame, and friends, but all is transitory.
Lines 109-116
“this whole foundation of the earth becomes empty.
So spoke the wise in spirit, sat by himself in private meditation.
He who is good keeps his pledge, nor shall the man ever manifest
the anger of his breast too quickly, unless he, the man,
should know beforehand how to accomplish the remedy with courage.
It will be well for him who seeks grace,
comfort from the Father in the heavens, where a fastnessstands for us all.”
In these closing lines, the wanderer expresses is wisdom that he gained through all his turmoils and suffering during his exile. The wise man sits apart from others. Even in company, he is as isolated as he was in exile. Perhaps, his separateness derives from his experience of exile, which gives him knowledge that only other exiles share. This knowledge might be the "secret contemplation." He says that life is complicated, hard, and ultimately depressing and lonely. Fate, he decides, governs everything and everyone. The wanderer then says that the only solution for the sadness, sorrow, and desolation, the only balm against the pain of the inevitability of death is the memory of God.
So this is it for today. We will continue to discuss the history of English literature. Please stay connected with the Discourse. Thanks and Regards!
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