Anglo‐SaxonLiterature

1

Caedmon’sHymn(c.670)

Caedmon’sHymn(composedaroundAD670)istheearliestextantpoem,secularorreligious,wepossessinEnglish.ThestoryofthiscowherdturnedpoetistoldbytheVenerableBede(672/73–735)inhisEcclesiasticalHistoryoftheEnglishPeople,(AD632),whichremainsanimportantwitnesstotheeventsoftheAnglo‐Saxonperiod.Instyle,theHymnconformstotheoraltraditionofOldEnglishpoeticcomposition,whichrequiresthateach“half‐line”(e.g.Nusculonherigean)alliterateswiththeother(i.e.heofonricesweard).Inmoderneditions,thedivisionbetweenhalf‐linesisindicatedbyseveralspaces,thoughmedievalscribes,duetothecostandeffortinvolvedinpreparingparchment(madeofanimalskin),tendedtowriteoutpoetryasifitwereprose(asinthems.facsimilebelow).Thissavedspaceand‘money.’You’llalsonoticethatcapitalizationwaskepttoaminimum,aswith‘heofon’inthefirstlinebelow(lastword).Otherwise,apartfromitsliterarycharacter,Caedmon’sHymnisremarkableforthenumberofmanuscriptcopiesthatsurvive—nolessthantwenty‐one.Thisnumbermaynotseemlikealot,butwhenyouconsiderthatmostpoems(includingBeowulf)surviveinonlyonemanuscript,thenumberisgreat,indeed.Butwhysomany?BecausethepoemisrecordedinBede’sEcclesiasticalHistory,whichcirculatedwidelythroughoutandaftertheAnglo‐Saxonperiod.

ms.CorpusChristiCollege279b(early11thcentury),fol.112v.

Anglo‐SaxonLiterature

2

Literal,Inter­LinearTranslationofCaedmon’sHymn

Nusculonherigeanheofonricesweard,Nowshouldwepraise theguardianofthekingdomofheaven,

meotodesmeahteandhismodgeþanc,themightofthemeasurer andhismind­plans,weorcwuldorfæder,swahewundragehwæs,theworkoftheglory­father howhe,foreachwonder,ecedrihten,oronstealde.theeternallord, establishedabeginning.

Heærestsceopeorðanbearnum 5hefirstcreated forthesonsofmenheofontohrofe,haligscyppend;heavenasaroof, holycreator;þamiddangeardmoncynnesweard,thenmiddle­earth mankind’sguardianecedrihten,æfterteodetheeternallordafterwardsmadefirumfoldan,freaælmihtig.

forthemenoftheearth lordalmighty

AppendixI:TheStoryofCaedmoninBookFour(Ch.29)

ofBede’sEcclesiasticalHistory1

Therewasinthisabbess’smonastery[i.e.Hild’smonasteryatWhitby/Streanaeshalch]acertainbrother,particularlyremarkableforthegraceofGod,whowaswonttomakepiousandreligiousverses,sothatwhateverwasinterpretedtohimoutofScripture,hesoonafterwardputthesameintopoeticalexpressionsofmuchsweetnessandhumility,inEnglish,whichwashisnativelanguage.Byhisversesthemindsofmanywereoftenexcitedtodespisetheworld,andtoaspiretoheaven.Othersafterhimattempted,intheEnglishnation,tocomposereligiouspoems,butnonecouldevercomparewithhim,forhedidnotlearntheartofpoetryfrommen,butfromGod;forwhichreasonhenevercouldcomposeanytrivialorvainpoem,butonlythosewhichrelatetoreligionsuitedhisreligioustongue;forhavinglivedinasecularhabittillhewaswelladvancedinyears,hehadneverlearnedanythingofversifying;forwhichreasonbeingsometimesatentertainments,whenitwasagreedforthesakeofmirththatallpresentshouldsingintheirturns,whenhesawtheinstrumentcometowardshim,heroseupfromtableandreturnedhome.

1 Translation taken from http://www.csun.edu/~sk36711/WWW/Common%20Files/bede.htm

Anglo‐SaxonLiterature

3

Havingdonesoatacertaintime,andgoneoutofthehousewheretheentertainmentwas,tothestable,wherehehadtotakecareofthehorsesthatnight,hetherecomposedhimselftorestatthepropertime;apersonappearedtohiminhissleep,andsalutinghimbyhisname,said,“Caedmon,singsomesongtome.”Heanswered,“Icannotsing;forthatwasthereasonwhyIlefttheentertainment,andretiredtothisplacebecauseIcouldnotsing.”Theotherwhotalkedtohim,replied,“However,youshallsing.”“WhatshallIsing?”rejoinedhe.“Singthebeginningofcreatedbeings,”saidtheother.HereuponhepresentlybegantosingversestothepraiseofGod,whichhehadneverheard,thepurportwhereofwasthus:

WearenowtopraisetheMakeroftheheavenlykingdom,thepoweroftheCreatorandhiscounsel,thedeedsoftheFatherofglory.HowHe,beingtheeternalGod,becametheauthorofallmiracles,whofirst,asalmightypreserverofthehumanrace,createdheavenforthesonsofmenastheroofofthehouse,andnexttheearth.

Thisisthesense,butnotthewordsinorderashesangtheminhissleep;forverses,thoughneversowellcomposed,cannotbeliterallytranslatedoutofonelanguageintoanother,withoutlosingmuchoftheirbeautyandloftiness.Awakingfromhissleep,herememberedallthathehadsunginhisdream,andsoonaddedmuchmoretothesameeffectinverseworthyoftheDeity.Inthemorninghecametothesteward,hissuperior,andhavingacquaintedhimwiththegifthehadreceived,wasconductedtotheabbess,bywhomhewasordered,inthepresenceofmanylearnedmen,totellhisdream,andrepeattheverses,thattheymightallgivetheirjudgmentwhatitwas,andwhencehisverseproceeded.Theyallconcluded,thatheavenlygracehadbeenconferredonhimbyourLord.Theyexpoundedtohimapassageinholywrit,eitherhistorical,ordoctrinal,orderinghim,ifhecould,toputthesameintoverse.Havingundertakenit,hewentaway,andreturningthenextmorning,gaveittothemcomposedinmostexcellentverse;whereupontheabbess,embracingthegraceofGodintheman,instructedhimtoquitthesecularhabit,andtakeuponhimthemonasticlife;whichbeingaccordinglydone,sheassociatedhimtotherestofthebrethreninhermonastery,andorderedthatheshouldbetaughtthewholeseriesofsacredhistory.ThusCaedmon,keepinginmindallheheard,andasitwerechewingthecud,convertedthesameintomostharmoniousverse;andsweetlyrepeatingthesame,madehismastersintheirturnhishearers.Hesangthecreationoftheworld,theoriginofman,andallthehistoryofGenesis:andmademanyversesonthedepartureofthechildrenofIsraeloutofEgypt,andtheirenteringintothelandofpromise,withmanyotherhistoriesfromholywrit;theincarnation,passion,resurrectionofourLord,andhisascensionintoheaven;thecomingoftheHolyGhost,andthepreachingoftheapostles;alsotheterroroffuturejudgment,thehorrorofthepainsofhell,andthedelightsofheaven;besidesmanymoreabouttheDivinebenefitsandjudgments,bywhichheendeavouredtoturnawayallmenfromtheloveofvice,andtoexciteinthemtheloveof,andapplicationto,goodactions;forhewasaveryreligiousman,humblysubmissivetoregulardiscipline,butfullofzealagainstthosewhobehavedthemselvesotherwise;forwhichreasonheendedhislifehappily.