Beowulf: A Dual-Language Edition

by Howell D. Chickering

The first major poem in English literature, Beowulf tells the story of the life and death of the legendary hero Beowulf in his three great battles with supernatural monsters. The ideal Anglo-Saxon warrior-aristocrat, Beowulf is an example of the heroic spirit at its finest.

Leading Beowulf scholar Howell D. Chickering, Jr.’s, fresh and lively translation, featuring the Old English on facing pages, allows the reader to encounter Beowulf as poetry. This edition incorporates recent scholarship and provides historical and literary context for the modern reader. It includes the

an introduction
a guide to reading aloud
a chart of royal genealogies
notes on the background of the poem
critical commentary
glosses on the eight most famous passages, for the student who wishes to translate from the original
an extensive bibliography

Genres: Classics, Fiction

932 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 24, 2022

Reviews

[Zea]

fun reread... idk if im the first person ever to say it but beowulf good!!!! really wish modern english were better capable of reflecting its poetry... even tho i think this translation is pretty capable

[Jonah Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Odysseus laps this chump

[Liam Wurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally a text good enough to warrant me getting on this site. Also would like to make clear that I did NOT read the kindle edition. I just can't figure out how to change that or delete the rating after giving it five stars. If I had read this on a kindle I probably would have hated it. The last thing I have to get out of the way is that I'm afraid that I won't be backlogging reviews on here for things that I've read in the past, because, on my soul, I cannot remember a single other book off the top of my head as I'm typing this, and I'm not going to cheat by looking at my library history online or turning around to look at the bookshelf in my room.

Anyway, I love this book because it's the first epic poem I've read that didn't leave me feeling like a dumbass for not being able to dissect the lines without an english teacher holding my hand. The verses are forceful and direct without losing any of their elegance while gaining much clarity. The narrative flows in such a linear and sensible way stanza to stanza that, even when there are elongated flashbacks that really only seem to try to convince you of how much strength and war-fame each character has, or when Beowulf spends the majority of the last 300 lines of Part 1 doing a very factual and reiterative recap of what you just read upon arriving home, I am still here just eating it up.

The dual language edition is definitely the way to go. I'm doing this off a borrowed copy, so I mostly just looked over at the goofy þ's and ð's (both of those symbols represent a slightly different "th" sound, one of many nuances we've lost since those times) for amusement every once and a while and moved ahead so I could get through this thing and enjoy it fully before I have to return the book soon. I think Chickering does a good job on the translation based on my rudimentary but probably at least above average knowledge of Old English. When I do another dive I may amend this statement.

Hedged within a tale that is so rich and eternal it sucks you into its world and perspectives effortlessly, this modern translation provided me with many a juicy morsel to sate my appetite for weird honorable men saying funny and cool things. Had I known there was this much literary cum in real-world historical works of legend, I would have probably been a lot less dazzled by plenty of the modern Fantasy I read growing up.

I am also left lamenting all that has been left behind in the long journey from Old through Middle to Modern English. Don't mistake this to mean that I am one of the prescriptivist pedants harkening back to "proper" english. Modern English has made a slight comeback of late with stuff like "Cottagecore" and "Boner", but ever since the French got involved I honestly don't think even a second great vowel shift could bring us back to when we peaked in the 7th century with shit like "unlocked his word-hoard" and "foamy-necked floater, winging on waves". I implore anyone reading this to jump ship and invest in another language asap!

[Erbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was awesome. The first half was a bit of a slog sometimes and I admit I dozed off a little when everything got all "you're the best" "no no you're the best" with the Danes and Beowulf, but the last battle with Beowulf and the dragon was epic and really grabbed my attention and held it. I liked Beowulf, he was a really cool guy, especially in that he was so far from perfect and yet he did the right thing and was a real drengr, super brave. Wiglaf is babygirl, his whole loyalty and bravery act at the end was super touching. Overall, great poem, super proud that our language has such a gem as its first surviving testament, fuck you Henry VIII and peace

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The greatest, most influential book of my life, in many ways for the sole reason that it offers a side by side, dual language presentation that is fairly literal in translation of Beowulf. The same reason many of the more literal translations are so invaluable for those learning both the works as well as the language, this is the go to standard for Old English and Beowulf. And of course, the dragon arriving is still as terrifying today! In OE or modern!

[Gracelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once you get past the different sounding language, understand the culture of that time and look up some definitions, it really is an interesting read. Very middle ages, mythical, reminded me of Lord of the Rings. Beowulf fights a demon named Grendel and a dragon guarding a large hoard of gold, too.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it for school, and I means it’s an old english poem. Was it okay? Yes. Would I recommend to others? unfortunately yes because it’s a pretty okay story and a corner stone in english literature. But I like my books with spice and a side of plot so…..

[Carter Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was wonderful! Very much enjoyed being able to fully grasp the play in a way I couldn’t have before. This book gives insight not only on the actual play, but also on the language inside of it, which I found uniquely interesting.

[Kefka Von Streusel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this for class and boy do I enjoy beowulf

[Daniel Massett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stands with The Iliad as one of the all-time great heroic poems. Puts every superhero movie to shame.

[bella · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 had to read for my beowulf writing class; but honestly a slay story. i can say i've read beowulf and that makes me a cool girl!