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Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library #27
Old English Poems of Christ and His Saints
Religious piety has rarely been animated as vigorously as in Old English Poems of Christ and His Saints. Ranging from lyrical to dramatic to narrative, the individual poems show great inventiveness in reimagining perennial Christian topics. In different poems, for example, Christ expels Lucifer from heaven, resists the devil's temptation on earth, mounts the cross with zeal to face death, harrows hell at the urging of John the Baptist, appears in disguise to pilot a ship, and presides over the Last Judgment. Satan and the fallen angels lament their plight in a vividly imagined hell and plot against Christ and his saints.
In Andreas the poet relates, in language reminiscent of Beowulf, the tribulations of the apostles Andrew and Matthew in a city of cannibals. In The Vision of the Cross (also known as The Dream of the Rood), the cross speaks as a Germanic warrior intolerably torn between the imperative to protect his Lord and the duty to become his means of execution. In Guthlac A, an Anglo-Saxon warrior abandons his life of violence to do battle as a hermit against demons in the fens of Lincolnshire. As a collection these ten anonymous poems vividly demonstrate the extraordinary hybrid that emerges when traditional Germanic verse adapts itself to Christian themes.
Old English Poems of Christ and His Saints complements the saints' lives found in The Old English Poems of Cynewulf, DOML 23.
In Andreas the poet relates, in language reminiscent of Beowulf, the tribulations of the apostles Andrew and Matthew in a city of cannibals. In The Vision of the Cross (also known as The Dream of the Rood), the cross speaks as a Germanic warrior intolerably torn between the imperative to protect his Lord and the duty to become his means of execution. In Guthlac A, an Anglo-Saxon warrior abandons his life of violence to do battle as a hermit against demons in the fens of Lincolnshire. As a collection these ten anonymous poems vividly demonstrate the extraordinary hybrid that emerges when traditional Germanic verse adapts itself to Christian themes.
Old English Poems of Christ and His Saints complements the saints' lives found in The Old English Poems of Cynewulf, DOML 23.
- GenresMedieval
432 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2013
1 person is currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Mary Clayton
9 booksA lecturer in English lit., University College, Dublin.
Education: Nat. Univ. of Ireland, Univ. College, Cork, B.A., 1975; attended Univ. of Munich, 1975-76; Oxford Univ., D. Phil., 1983.
She is on the Advisory Editorial Board of Anglo-Saxon England and is President of the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists. She is a member of the Royal Irish Academy.
Education: Nat. Univ. of Ireland, Univ. College, Cork, B.A., 1975; attended Univ. of Munich, 1975-76; Oxford Univ., D. Phil., 1983.
She is on the Advisory Editorial Board of Anglo-Saxon England and is President of the International Society of Anglo-Saxonists. She is a member of the Royal Irish Academy.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 13, 2013
These new Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library are by the same publishers that gave us the wonderful little Loeb volumes of Greek and Latin authors, this new Dumbarton series is devoted to the medieval period.
This latest volume is a companion piece to their earlier edition of Cynewulf's poems and contains Christ 1, Christ in Judgement, Guthlac A, Descent to Hell, Vision of the Cross, Ruthwell Cross, Brussels Cross, Andreas, Christ and Satan and the Distich on Kenelm.
While these new editions of Old English texts don't contain anything near the amount of critical apparatus that is between the covers of the ASPR editions, they do come with very useful facing page modern English prose translations of the texts.
This latest volume is a companion piece to their earlier edition of Cynewulf's poems and contains Christ 1, Christ in Judgement, Guthlac A, Descent to Hell, Vision of the Cross, Ruthwell Cross, Brussels Cross, Andreas, Christ and Satan and the Distich on Kenelm.
While these new editions of Old English texts don't contain anything near the amount of critical apparatus that is between the covers of the ASPR editions, they do come with very useful facing page modern English prose translations of the texts.
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October 10, 2024guthlac a made me cry in the wadham college library. oops.
June 19, 2018
This is an outstanding collection of Anglo-Saxon poetry, with the original Old English texts on the left-hand pages and modern English translations facing them on the right-hand pages. The selection of poems is wide-ranging and highly edutaining, giving readers a taste of Old English storytelling at its best and the opportunity to look at the original language and try to grasp its woof and weave.
Some of my all-time favorite poems are here, including "The Dream of the Rood" and "Andreas," along with other, lesser-known poems of equal value -- both aesthetically and spiritually. What appeals to me most here, however, is exploring early English spirituality, as it was influenced by Greek, Roman, Celtic, and native Anglo-Saxon saints and scholars. My extended family has deep roots in English soil, going all the way back to the Reformation and beyond, so this collection resonates with me a great deal. Highly recommended for medievalists, lovers of epic poetry & storytelling, and anyone interested in exploring the Christian history of Britain.
Some of my all-time favorite poems are here, including "The Dream of the Rood" and "Andreas," along with other, lesser-known poems of equal value -- both aesthetically and spiritually. What appeals to me most here, however, is exploring early English spirituality, as it was influenced by Greek, Roman, Celtic, and native Anglo-Saxon saints and scholars. My extended family has deep roots in English soil, going all the way back to the Reformation and beyond, so this collection resonates with me a great deal. Highly recommended for medievalists, lovers of epic poetry & storytelling, and anyone interested in exploring the Christian history of Britain.
July 18, 2023
I just read the “Advent Lyrics” section, which is an Anglo-Saxon adaption of the Advent Antiphons. I wish it was typed up as poetry, not prose. I want to read it again and spend more time lingering on it.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews