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Old English Poems and Riddles

Translated by Chris McCully

Old English Poems and Riddles
10% off
Categories: Old English / Anglo Saxon
Imprint: Fyfield Books
Publisher: Carcanet Press
Available as:
Paperback (104 pages)
(Pub. Apr 2008)
9781857549256
£9.95 £8.96
  • Description
  • Excerpt
  • Translator
  • Reviews
  • …driven by cloud-strength,            borne into distance
    over nations, dwelling-places.         And now melody
    sings from my war-shirt;             wind-song’s lexicon
    glitters, pinioned,                  when I grace neither
    flood-plain nor furrow, but am firmament’s guest.

                                                     from a riddle in the Exeter Book

    Chris McCully brings Old English poetry to life with exhilarating immediacy. Here is the earliest surviving English poem, ‘Caedmon’s Hymn’, as well as one of the last poems to be written in the classical Old English alliterative style; some of the great elegies and epics, and a generous selection from ‘Beowulf’. Other dimensions of Anglo-Saxon culture are represented in religious meditations, riddles, charms and rhythmical prose, all translated into metrical half-lines that capture the subtlety and pace of the originals.

    The introduction explores the fascination this poetry has held for Chris McCully over many years, as a poet and a scholar. The translations are referenced to manuscripts and critical editions, making them a valuable resource for students and for all those keen to read more of the earliest English poetry. A bibliography and reading list, with a note on Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and material in libraries and on the Internet, complete the book.

    Cover image Anglo-Saxon plaque from Sutton Hoo (bronze with enamels), 7th century. British Museum, London, UK/ The Bridgeman Art Library Cover design StephenRaw.com

    Chris McCully, born in Bradford, Yorkshire in 1958, worked as a full-time academic, specialising in the history of the English language and on English sound-structure as well as on verse and verse-form, at the University of Manchester (1985–2003). From 2003–13 he worked part-time at various universities in the Netherlands (Vrije ... read more
    Praise for Chris McCully 'His verse is crisp and propulsive... At its best, McCully's translation is clear and readable, hitting the beats of Old English metre, and offering punchy phrases'

    Caroline Batten and Charles Tolkien-Gillet, Translation and Literature

    'This is a commendable and exhilarating book, McCully admirably bringing to life the world of honour, weirdness and creatures beyond our ken.' 

    Anthony Clay, Chase  

     'McCully gets the life of words, their swing and weight, resonance and cadence. The poems spark with great lines and phrases...'
    Literary Review
     'This is a singular collection from a singular voice in English poetry, and I highly commend it.'
    Phillip Quinlan, Angle
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