Beowulf: A Verse Translation from the Anglo-Saxon

by Andrew Carnabuci

Gæð a wyrd swa hio scel!  Beowulf is the classic Old English heroic-elegiac poem, presented here in a new verse translation. The poem follows the rise and fall of its titular hero on adventures in Denmark in his youth, and facing a dragon as the King of Geatland in his old age. This edition is fully annotated throughout, and includes a translator's preface and introduction, pedigree diagrams for the major royal houses, and a full bibliography. If you have never experienced the Anglo-Saxon world of savage violence, stark beauty, and deeply-felt sorrow--or if you are looking for a fresh new alliterative verse translation--you will find here one of the finest foundational epic poems of the English-speaking world.

Genres: Poetry

225 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 15, 2021

Reviews

[lark benobi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely indie-published Beowulf is the fourth translation I've read in the last few years (the others are translations by Chickering, Heaney, and bro-loving Maria Dahvana Headley) and wow, I loved it. The author is unabashedly, unapologetically erudite in his preface, quoting Aristotle in the original Greek and introducing me to a lovely new word, "sphalm," which I've since learned "is an archaic and largely obsolete word that refers to a 'bad idea', most often a misinterpretation of a religious text." Yeah. What a great word. So let me get to the poem itself and why I loved this translation. It's completely clear. It follows the story and yet it somehow keeps a great deal of the art of the original poem, with its kennings and its alliterative flourishes. It gripped me and reminded me that this is a great story. It's not as fussily self-important as Heaney or as flashy as Headley or as stodgily precise as Chickering and as far as I'm concerned that's all to the good. I enjoyed reading this version a great deal--it was like visiting with an old friend and seeing new qualities I hadn't seen before.

It's clear on every page that Carnabuci loves the language of the poem, and loves the story of the poem, in a way that I'll never have access to, unless I spend the next many years of my life learning old English. I'm grateful to feel the translator's enthusiasm for the poem through these pages. The preface alone is worth reading a few times.

[Burt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always liked Beowulf, ever since Mrs Muldoon introduced me to him in my senior year of high school. I’ve read many versions, but my favorites were Heaney and Tolkien. I liked Heaney because of his tone and I liked Tolkien (though not as much) for his Old English scholar’s approach to the material. Heaney also had a head up because the OE was on the facing page and I liked to see how so many OE words had morphed into Modern English.

But Carnabuci’s Beowulf is of an entirely different order. In his notes (which I initially found too high-falutin’) he explains a bit about the culture of the Anglo-Saxons, their straddling of pagan and Christian beliefs and, most significantly, how and why he translated Beowulf the way he did. I discovered in the process of reading his introduction that Carnabuci is a very methodical and careful scholar and that, while his writing sometimes seems over-formal and specific, he always uses the just right words he needs. I really appreciate his introduction and his text notes.

But Carnabuci’s translation! Just marvelous. He carries the rhythm and the internal assonance better than any other translation I have encountered. And his word choice is informed by his choice to avoid Latin-derived words. He views Heaney’s translation as being too conversational and would view Tolkien’s word choice as too Latinate. What Carnabuci has delivered is a weighty, rhythmic epic. I find it my new favorite.

[Ann Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Go ahead—make me enjoy and appreciate Beowulf even more!

I read Beowulf back in school and I certainly enjoyed and appreciated it so much more this time through. Andrew Carnabuci’s translation serves the book very well. For instance, in an 8th-century work, I’d much rather read “whence” instead of “where” and so on, throughout the piece. I was struck by his comment that the poem could’ve been a post-traumatic response to the forced conversion of an entire nation, as well as by many other interesting revelations of that nature.

An earlier reviewer remarked on the translator’s “deep reverence for the original text,” and that is very apparent throughout. Steering away from “Latinisms” to have the earthier, rugged, perhaps more guttural original feeling makes it a better, more authentic read. This is a wonderful translation and one that I hope will endure like the work itself.

[T.N. Traynor · Rating 5 out of 5]

An epic poem in old English text

I thoroughly enjoyed this.
I need to start by saying if you buy the ebook make sure you turn your reader on its size. I only turned mine by accident half way through and I had been grumbling to myself before that at the poor formatting! It’s not poor if you read it on its side 😊
The poem itself is the adventures of the fearlessly heroic Beowulf. Full of bravery, monsters, a dragon and a lot of courage the poem is both epic and thrilling.
I love old English speak, with words such as cometh ye boldly I was caught up in my love of words that inspire stories.
I’ve not read any other translations to compare this to, but this was very easy to read, and in my opinion extremely well translated. I thought it a great read.

[Alicia Marsland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it

This is probably the easiest translation of Beowulf I have ever read. Very easy to understand as well. I would recommend it especially for high school students because they won’t have to labor to get through it and understand what they’re reading.

[Gregory Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well worth reading if you are interested in Beowulf at all, along with Seamus Heaney's translation and others. The introduction is enlightening. The translation is intentionally archaic in its English, as the translator (an Anglo-Saxon scholar) explains and justifies in his introduction.