Old English Poems and Riddles

Including riddles, charms, the major elegies, religious meditations such as The Dream of the Rood, epics such as The Battle of Maldon, and several long sections from Beowulf, this book of translations indicates the variety and attractiveness of pre-Conquest forms of literary composition. Even a specimen passage of rhythmical prose is included; a kind of semi-verse that supports the view that Old English offered many structural possibilities for those wishing to compose memorable and distinctive literary works. Above all, the translator tries to show that Old English verse was not merely crudely alliterative, but a set of stylistic techniques which allowed for great subtlety, thematic pacing, and even tenderness.

Chris McCully is a former English professor at the University of Manchester. He is author of The Country of Perhaps, Not Only I, and Time Signatures.