Chapter VI: Appendix: I

INCOMPLETE TRANSLATIONS, AND PARAPHRASES

LEO’S DIGEST

Bëówulf, dasz[1] älteste deutsche in angelsächsischer mundart erhaltene heldengedicht nach seinem inhalte, und nach seinen historischen und mythologischen beziehungen betrachtet. Ein beitrag zur geschichte alter deutscher geisteszustände. Von H. Leo. Halle, bei Eduard Anton, 1839. 8vo, pp. xx, 120.

Selections Translated into German Prose.

_Contents of the Volume, and Nature of the Translation._

This was the first German book to give any extended account of the poem.

The titles of the chapters are: I. Historische Anlehnung; II. Mythischer Inhalt; III. Die geographischen Angaben; IV. Genealogische Verhältnisse der in dem Liede vorkommenden Helden; V. Uebersicht des Inhalts des Gedichtes von Bëówulf. In this fifth chapter are found the extracts from _Beowulf_. It will be seen that the chapter is somewhat subordinate to the others, its chief purpose being to furnish a kind of digest of the poem, to be used principally as a work of reference. A desire to condense leads the translator to omit lines that he does not deem essential to an understanding of the events and characters of the poem. Unfortunately his omissions are often the most poetical lines of the _Beowulf_. For example, he omits the description of Beowulf’s sea-voyage; Hrothgar’s account of the haunt of Grendel and his dam is curtailed; the dying words of Beowulf, perhaps the most beautiful lines in the poem, are clipped. Further examples may be found in the extract given below. This insufficiency is excused by the fact that Leo’s main object in preparing the book was to prove certain theories that he held respecting the origin and date of the poem.

The text from which he translates is Kemble’s[2].

EXTRACT.

ACHTER GESANG.

Hûnferð Ecglâfs sohn, der zu des scildingenfürsten füssen sasz,
began da ein streiterregendesz gespräch; denn er wird eifersüchtig
auf den rum, den Bëówulf sich zu erwerben geht. Er selbst wil der
berümteste sein unter den wolken. Er sagte: ‘Bistu der Bëówulf,
der mit Brëcca ein wetschwimmen hielt sieben tage und nächte lang,
bis er dich in schwimmen besigte, der kräftigere man; dann am
achten morgen stig er auf Heáðorämes ansz land und gieng heim zu
den Brondingen, wo er eine burg und edlesz gefolge und reichtum
hatte? Bëánstânes sohn hat dir allesz geleistet, wasz er gewettet
hatte.’

_Omissions_:--

Line 502, mōdges mere-faran.
„ 507-517 _entire_.
„ 520, swǣsne ēðel, lēof his lēodum.

_Criticism of the Extract._

As an analysis this is good enough; as a translation of the passage it is of course utterly inadequate--it omits the very best lines in the original. The book served, however, as a running digest of the story, and as such gave an excellent idea of the contents of the poem. But Ettmüller was justified in calling the translation which he published the next year, ‘the first German translation[3].’

[Footnote 1: Leo was a spelling reformer.]

[Footnote 2: See supra, p. 33.] [[Kemble]]

[Footnote 3: See supra, p. 37.] [[Ettmüller]]

SANDRAS’S ACCOUNT

De carminibus anglo-saxonicis Cædmoni adjudicatis Disquisitio. Has theses Parisiensi Litterarum Facultati proponebat S. G. Sandras in Lycaeo Claromontensi Professor. Parisiis, Apud A. Durand, Bibliopolam, 1859. 8vo, pp. 87. Beowulf described _Cap. Primum_, § 2, De Profana Poesi, pp. 10-19.

Extracts Translated into Latin Prose.

The only significance of this book is that it contained the first information about _Beowulf_ given to the French public. About ten lines are literally translated in Cap. I, § 1, all under the general title, De Poesi Saxonica. In § 2 the poem is rather carefully sketched, much after the manner of Leo[1], from Beowulf’s arrival in the Danish land to the fight with Grendel.

[Footnote 1: See supra, p. 122.] [[Leo]]

E. H. JONES’S PARAPHRASE

Popular Romances of the Middle Ages. By George W. Cox, M.A., and Eustace Hinton Jones. London: Longmans, Green, & Co., 1871. 8vo, _Beowulf_ (by E. H. Jones), pp. 382-398.

*Second edition, in one volume (containing, in addition to the romances in the first edition, those formerly published under the title ‘Tales of the Teutonic Lands’). C. Kegan Paul & Company: London, 1880 (1879).

A Paraphrase for General Readers.

_Aim of the Volume._

‘The thought that these old romances may be presented to
Englishmen of the present day in a form which shall retain their
real vigour without the repulsive characteristics impressed on
them by a comparatively rude and ignorant age may not, perhaps, be
regarded as inexcusably presumptuous. With greater confidence it
may be affirmed that, if we turn to these old legends or romances
at all, it should be for the purpose of learning what they really
were, and not with any wish of seeing them through a glass which
shall reflect chiefly our own thoughts about them and throw over
them a colouring borrowed from the sentiment of the nineteenth
century.

‘These two conditions have, it is hoped, been strictly observed in
the versions here given of some of the great romances of mediæval
Europe. While special care has been taken to guard against the
introduction even of phrases not in harmony with the original
narratives, not less pains have been bestowed on the task of
preserving all that is essential in the narrative; and thus it may
perhaps be safely said that the readers of this volume will obtain
from it an adequate knowledge of these time-honoured stories,
without having their attention and their patience overtaxed by a
multiplicity of superfluous and therefore utterly irksome
details.’ --Preface, pp. vi, vii.

_Nature of the Paraphrase._

The poem is relieved of all the episodes except the prolog and King Hrothgar’s discourse. Sometimes these omissions seem unnecessary. It is certainly a mistake to sacrifice the swimming-match, lively in its narrative, dramatic in setting.

On the other hand, the author makes an attempt to preserve as much as possible of the original style. So anxious is he to save every picturesque word of the original, that he sometimes transfers expressions from the passages which he is obliged to drop and inserts them in other parts of the story.

EXTRACT[1].

‘Away to the westward among the people of the Geáts lived a man,
strongest of his race, tall, mighty-handed, and clean made. He was
a thane, kinsman to Hygelác the Geátish chief, and nobly born,
being son of Ecgtheow the Wægmunding, a war-prince who wedded with
the daughter of Hrethel the Geát. This man heard of Grendel’s
deeds, of Hrothgár’s sorrow, and the sore distress of the Danes,
and having sought out fifteen warriors, he entered into a
new-pitched ship to seek the war-king across the sea. Bird-like
the vessel’s swan-necked prow breasted the white sea-foam till the
warriors reached the windy walls of cliff and the steep mountains
of the Danish shores. They thanked God because the wave-ways had
been easy to them; then, sea-wearied, lashed their wide-bosomed
ship to an anchorage, donned their war-weeds, and came to Heorot,
the gold and jewelled house. Brightly gleamed their armour and
merrily sang the ring-iron of their trappings as they marched into
the palace.’ --Pages 384-5.

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

The object of a paraphrase is to present all the essential matter of the original, in a style materially simpler than, though not unrelated to, the original.

The matter of Mr. Jones’s paraphrase is not above criticism. It is full of minor errors. In the extract, for example, the original does not say that the heroes ‘donned their war-weeds,’ nor that there were mountains on the shores of Denmark.

The style of the work is much better. It is throughout strong and clear, not over-sentimental. It is, perhaps, too intimate; it savors slightly of the _Märchen_. This absence of vigor and remoteness may be due to the nature of the volume of which this paraphrase is only a part.

[Footnote 1: Swimming-match omitted.]

ZINSSER’S SELECTION

Jahresbericht über die Realschule zu Forbach (Lothringen) für das Schuljahr 1880 bis 1881, mit welchem zu der öffentlichen Prüfung am Freitag den 12. August 1881 ergebenst einladet der Director A. Knitterscheid.

Voran geht eine Abhandlung des ordentlichen Lehrers G. Zinsser: Der ‘Kampf Beowulfs mit Grendel,’ als Probe einer metrischen Uebersetzung des angelsächsischen Epos ‘Beóvulf.’ Saarbrücken. Druck von Gebrüder Hofer. 1881. 4to, pp. 18, double columns, Schulnachrichten 6.

The First 836 Lines translated in Iambic Pentameter.

_Aim, Contents, and Method of Translation._

‘Gleichwol wird das Gedicht in deutscher Sprache noch wenig
gelesen; und es mag darum gerechtfertigt sein, wenn auch ein
weniger Berufener ein Schärflein zum weiteren Bekanntwerden dieses
altehrwürdigen Erzeugnisses germanischen Geistes beitragen will.
Derselbe hat in seiner Uebersetzung, von welcher im Folgenden von
3184 Versen nur die ersten 826[1], nämlich der Kampf Beowulfs mit
Grendel mit vorausgehender Genealogie der dänischen Könige,
vorgeführt werden, alles vermieden, was dem Laien das Verständnis
erschweren könnte. Die am Schluss beigefügten mythologischen,
historischen und geographischen Erläuterungen können auch denen
willkommen sein, welche sich eingehender mit dem Gedicht
beschäftigen wollen.’ --Einleitung, 4.

_Text Used._

The text used is Heyne’s edition of 1873 (see Einleitung, 4).

EXTRACT.

9.

Doch Hunferd, Ecglafs Sohn, der beim Gelage
Zu Füssen Hrodgars, seines Herren, sass,
War voll Verdruss, der Ruhm des Beowulf
Erregte bittren Neid im Busen ihm.
Er konnte nicht ertragen, wenn beim Volke
Ein andrer mehr gepriesen ward, als er.
Voll Aerger sucht’ er Händel, also sprechend:
‘Du bist gewiss der Beowulf, der einst
Im Meer mit Breca um die Wette schwamm?
Ihr masset damals euch in kühnem Wagen!
Das mühevolle Werk euch auszureden
Vermochte niemand, tollkühn setztet ihr
Das Leben ein und schwammt ins Meer hinaus.
Zerteiltet mit den Armen kraftgemut
Des Meeres Wogen, glittet rasch dahin
In kalter Flut. Ihr mühtet sieben Nächte
Euch ab, und endlich siegte Brecas Stärke,
Er war dir doch voran an Heldenkraft.
Ihn trug die Flut zur Morgenzeit hinauf
Zum Hadorämenstrand. Von dort gelangt’
Er dann zu seiner Burg in Brondingland,
Die, starkbefestigt, funkelndes Geschmied,
Der Spangen und Juwelen viele birgt.
Es jubelte sein Volk dem Herren zu,
Der kühn sein Wort gelöst, nachdem er so
Im Wettkampf glänzend hatte obgesiegt!’

_Criticism of the Extract._

The translation is very free. Lines that are obscure in the original are not allowed to be obscure in the translation, even if they have to have a meaning read into them. For example, in the extract quoted above, _beadu-runen onband_ of the original is rendered ‘sucht’ er Händel,’ thoroughly intelligible, but not accurate. There is at times a tendency to paraphrase, or even to introduce an original sentence into the poem. An example of this may be seen at the close of the first canto:--

‘unerforschlich sind
Und dunkel oft die Wege des Geschickes[2].’ --Page 5, l. 54.

Words are occasionally omitted. In the extract above _ne lēof nē lāð_ (l. 511) and _sunu Bēanstānes_ (l. 524) are omitted in translation. There are no lines in the original which correspond to the last line and a half of the extract.

Of course by adopting this method of translation the writer attains his purpose. His poem is readable, but readable at the expense of accuracy. As a paraphrase, the version is commendable; but it is hardly of importance in any other way.

[Footnote 1: According to the Old English text, 836.]

[Footnote 2: The Old English reads:--

Men ne cunnon
secgan tō sōðe, sele-rǣdende
hæleð under heofenum, hwā þǣm hlæste onfēng. --Lines 50-52.]

GIBB’S PARAPHRASE

*Gudrun and other Stories, from the Epics of the Middle Ages, by John Gibb. M. Japp & Company: London: Edinburgh (printed), 1881.

Gudrun, Beowulf, and Roland, with other mediaeval tales by John Gibb, with twenty illustrations. Second edition. London: T. Fisher Unwin, 1884 (1883).

8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 135-168, with three illustrations[1].

A Paraphrase in English Prose.

_Aim of the Volume._

‘I have not translated them (the poems) literally, but have told
their stories faithfully in simple language, with the special
design of interesting young people, although I am not without hope
that they will be read by some who can no longer be called young.’
--Prefatory Note.

_Nature of the Paraphrase._

The following parts are omitted: (1) All episodes except the Prolog; (2) All lines that do not have to do directly with the story; (3) All the descriptive adjectives and kennings of the poem.

Gibb seems to care nothing for the beauties of the style. How much he has sacrificed may be seen by noting his rendering of the celebrated description of Grendel’s haunt:--

‘I know not their home. It is in a dark lake overshadowed by
trees. Into that lake the stag will not plunge, even although the
hounds are close upon it, so fearful and unholy is the place.’

An illustration of the same thing may be seen by noting the omission of phrases from the swimming-match.

EXTRACT.

But Hunferth, the son of Ecglaf, who sat at the feet of King
Hrothgar, was displeased. He was grieved that any hero should come
to the land boasting that he could do what no one among the Danes
could do. He said scornfully to Beowulf--

‘Tell me, art thou the Beowulf whom Breca overcame in a swimming
match? I heard the tale. You both ventured out like foolish men
among the waves in the days of winter. For seven nights you swam
together, but Breca was the stronger. Thou wilt have a worse
defeat shouldst thou venture to meet Grendel in the darkness of
the night.’ --Page 144.

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

In comparison with the work of Mr. Jones[2], it may be said that Mr. Gibb’s paraphrase is fuller, reproduces more events, and follows more faithfully the original order. He supplies fewer explanatory words and sentences. But, on the other hand, Mr. Gibb’s work, unlike Mr. Jones’s, has no merits of style--it is all on a dead level of prose. Thus it sins against one of the laws of paraphrase: that the writer, in relieving himself of the exacting duties of translator, must present the story in a more literary and more truly adequate medium. Mr. Gibb’s is one of the poorer paraphrases.

_Indebtedness to Arnold._

At page 280 of the concluding chapter, the author speaks of the history and character of the poem. It will be found on reference to this section that the author is a follower of the views set forth in the edition of Mr. Thomas Arnold[3]. It is probable that Mr. Gibb was indebted to this book for much of his paraphrase, but the free character of the version prevents any decision on this point.

[Footnote 1: Woodcuts; two of them are identical with the ones
given in the Wägner-MacDowall paraphrase: see infra, p. 130.]

[Footnote 2: See supra, p. 123.] [[Sandras]]

[Footnote 3: See supra, p. 71.] [[Arnold]]

THE WÄGNER-MACDOWALL PARAPHRASE

Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages. Adapted from the Work of Dr. W. Wägner by M. W. MacDowall, and edited by W. S. W. Anson. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., London: W. Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1883. 8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 347-364, with two illustrations[1].

Second Edition, Oct. 1883.

Sixth Edition, 1890.

Eighth Edition, 1896.

_Beowulf_ Retold, with Changes and Additions.

The paraphrase is adapted from _Deutsche Heldensagen für Schule und Haus_, by Dr. W. Wägner (Leipzig, 1881).

_Aim of the Book._

From the nature of the changes made in the story, it is evident that an appeal is made to younger readers. This is borne out by the statement on p. 9 of the Introduction.

_Changes in the Story._

The story does not pretend to do more than follow the most general outlines of the original. The most important changes are in the first division of the poem, where it would seem that no changes whatever were needed. The principal additions are the following:--

(1) A minstrel flees from plague-stricken Heorot, sails to the Geatish land, and sings the terror wrought by Grendel, urging Beowulf to come and save the people.

(2) The swimming-match is introduced into the action of the story, with the _motif_ radically altered. Breca is represented as winning the match.

(3) The incident of Beowulf’s refusal of the crown is amplified and introduced into the story at the opening of the third part.

(4) The story differs from the original in a number of minor details.

EXTRACT.

The minstrel tuned his harp and sang of Beowulf’s heroic deeds,
and prophesied that he would conquer and slay the monster of the
morass. This praise made Hunford, one of the courtiers, angry and
jealous. He said it was Breka, not Beowulf, that had won the
golden chain[2]; that the Gothic hero was undertaking an
enterprise that would very likely lead him to his death; and he
advised him to think twice before attacking Grendel. Upon this,
Beowulf exclaimed indignantly that he had won a good sword instead
of the golden chain, and that it was sharp enough both to pierce
the hide of the monster and to cut out a slanderous tongue.

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

The extract gives a good idea of the author’s sins of omission and commission. It will be seen, for example, that the tone of the entire passage is altered. The bit of repartee in the last sentence is wholly foreign to the Beowulf manner, which is outright and downright--the very opposite of subtilty. The false manner is evident at once when we compare the reply of the hero in the original, ‘Thou art the murderer of thine own brethren, and thou shalt be damned in Hell. Wait till to-night, and thou shalt see which of us is the stronger.’

The story is, if possible, more garbled than the style. The mission of the minstrel and the mangled account of the swimming-match have no essential or artistic relation to the context. They are merely inserted to add to the action of the piece.

The popularity of the book is attested by the number of editions through which it has passed. The volume contains also paraphrases of the legends about Arthur, Charlemagne, and Tannhäuser, as well as the story of the Nibelungs. These must account for its enduring success; but it is unfortunate that this, the poorest of the Beowulf paraphrases, should thus have found an audience which it did not deserve and could never have commanded for itself.

[Footnote 1: Woodcuts; inaccurate.]

[Footnote 2: A prize offered by King Hygelak for the victor in
the match.]

THERESE DAHN’S PARAPHRASE

Walhall. Germanische Götter- und Heldensagen. Für Alt und Jung am deutschen Herd erzählt von Felix Dahn und Therese Dahn, geb. Freiin von Droste-Hülshoff. Mit neunundfünfzig Bildertafeln, Textbildern, Kopfleisten und Schlussstücken nach Federzeichnungen von Johannes Gehrts. Kreuznach, Verlag von R. Voigtländer, 1883.

Seventh Edition, 1885.

Eleventh Edition, 1891.

Twelfth Edition (Leipzig), 1898.

8vo, _Beowulf_ (by Therese Dahn[1]), pp. 361-405, with two illustrations.

A Paraphrase in German Prose for General Readers.

_Therese Dahn._

Therese Dahn, born Freiin von Droste-Hülshoff, was born in 1845, and married Felix Dahn in 1873. With him she published in 1873 at Leipzig a volume of poems (_Gedichte_). For certain of her verses in this volume she received high praise. She has since continued creative work. She resides at Breslau, where Felix Dahn is professor in the University. Of the stories in the present volume she wrote, beside _Beowulf_, _Die Wölsungen_, _Kudrun_, the story of König Wilkinus, &c., _Wieland der Schmied_, _Walther und Hildgund_, and the stories from the _Dietrich_ saga and the _Nibelungen_ saga.

_Nature of the Paraphrase._

The following parts of the story are omitted entirely: the account of the first King Beowulf in the Prolog; the Sigemund episode, Hrothgar’s Discourse; the Thrytho episode; the Freawaru episode; Beowulf’s account of his Fight with Grendel as told to King Hygelac; the Battle of Ravenswood.

Other changes in the story are as follows: the sorrows of the Danes as told in the Prolog are attributed to the reign of King Heremod; in a separate Kapitel (III) are gathered the Sorrows of King Hrethel, the account of Ongentheow, the Fall of Hygelac, and the Death of Heardred. The Fight at Finnsburg is added and an original beginning provided for it.

Obscure words, phrases, and lines are omitted; and explanatory words are inserted from time to time.

_Indebtedness to Simrock._

The translation was evidently made with Simrock’s translation[2] in hand; possibly it may have been made directly from that version. Evidence of the dependence upon Simrock may be found at every step. The forms of the proper names invented by Simrock are repeated here (e.g., Aeskhere, Hädkynn, Ochthere). His renderings of the unique words in the poem (sometimes in a slightly simplified form) are used in the paraphrase. Often the original word used by Simrock is added in parentheses (cf., e.g., Simrock, p. 72.6 with Dahn, p. 382, and p. 73.44 with Dahn, p. 383). Further evidence may be found by comparing the extracts given in this work.

EXTRACT.

_Hunferd_, des Königs erster Sänger, hub da ein Streitlied an; ihm
war Beowulfs Ankunft leid: denn er liebte es nicht, dass ein ihn
anderer an Ruhm übertreffe.

‘Bist du der Beowulf, der einst im Wettkampf mit _Breka_ durch die
See schwamm? Wo ihr tollkühn in vermessenem Mut euer Leben in den
tiefen Wassern wagtet? Weder Freund noch Feind konnten euch
abhalten. Da rudertet ihr in den Sund, masset die Meeresstrassen,
schlugt die Wasser mit den Händen, über die Tiefen gleitend. Die
winterkalte See stürmte und brauste: sieben Nächte schwammt ihr im
Wasser. Breka besiegte dich: er hatte mehr Kraft. Die Hochflut
warf ihn am nächsten Morgen ans Land, von we er in seine Heimat
eilte, in das Land der _Brondinge_, wo er über Burg und Volk
gebietet.’ --Page 370.

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

In many places the work is practically a translation, so closely has the original been followed. The style is agreeable and simple; but most of what is beautiful in the diction belongs to Simrock rather than to Frau Dahn.

The omissions are the most sensible that I have found in a paraphrase. Nothing of first importance has been lost.

[Footnote 1: See p. 662.]

[Footnote 2: See supra, p. 59.] [[Simrock]]

STOPFORD BROOKE’S SELECTIONS

The History of Early English Literature, being the History of English Poetry from its Beginnings to the Accession of King Ælfred. By Stopford A. Brooke. New York and London: The Macmillan Co., 1892. 8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 12-92.

English Literature from the Beginning to the Norman Conquest. By Stopford A. Brooke. New York and London: The Macmillan Co., 1898. 8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 58-83.

Digest, Running Comment, and Translation of Copious Extracts into Imitative Measures.

_Reasons for including this Book._

This volume is included here because of the great influence it has had in forming popular notions regarding the _Beowulf_. The eminence of Mr. Brooke as a critic and as a poet has given him the attention of an audience hardly commanded by any other writer included in this paper.

Again, the number of lines actually translated by Mr. Brooke is equal to that in many of the volumes described in this section.

_Difference between the two Editions._

The account in the second volume is much shorter than that in the first; only twelve pages are given to the story of Beowulf, while the first volume gives forty-three. The later book omits all discussion of the episodes, and, although parts of the older volume are retained, the matter is, in general, re-written.

_Method of Translation._

Translated extracts accompany the story as told by Mr. Brooke.

In his Preface (p. ix), the author speaks of the futility of prose translations of poetry, and of the inadequacy of modern English media for translating the spirit of the poetry. Finally he adopts a line which he hopes will ‘fulfil the needs and follow closely the peculiarities’ of Old English.

‘I chose after many experiments, the trochaic movement used in
this book, each half-line consisting of trochees following one
another, with a syllable at the end, chiefly a long one, to mark
the division of the line. I varied the line as much as I could,
introducing, often rashly, metrical changes; for the fault of this
movement is its monotony. I have sometimes tried an iambic
movement, but rarely; for this trochaic line with a beat at the
end of each half-verse seemed to me to get the nearest to the
sound of the Anglo-Saxon line, even though it is frequently
un-similar to that line itself. I used alliteration whenever I
could, and stressed as much as possible the alliterated words, and
I changed the length of the line with the changes of the original.
But when I could not easily alliterate my line or stress the
alliterated word, I did not try to do so.’

The author adopts an archaic diction. The word-order of the Old English is followed whenever possible.

_Text Used._

The text appears to be that of Grein-Wülker (1883).

EXTRACT[1].

There at haven stood, hung with rings the ship,
Ice-bright, for the outpath eager, craft of Aethelings.
So their lord, the well-beloved, all at length they laid
In the bosom of the bark, him the bracelet-giver,--
By the mast the mighty king. Many gifts were there
Fretted things of fairness brought from far-off ways.--
Never heard I of a keel hung more comelily about
With the weeds of war, with the weapons of the battle,
With the bills and byrnies. On his breast there lay
A great heap of gems that should go with him,
Far to fare away in the Flood’s possession[2]. --Page 26.

[Footnote 1: The swimming-match is not available for illustration
here.]

[Footnote 2: In the second edition, the penultimate line reads,
‘Jewels great and heaped,’ &c.]

_Criticism of the Translation._

While the extracts cannot always be praised for their accuracy, they are, perhaps, sufficiently faithful for a popular work. When the author undertakes to emend the text for himself, or offers an original interpretation, his work is not always trustworthy. Emendations in his Beowulf selections, however, are rare.

The style of the extracts seems needlessly obscure. This is due in part to following too closely the original word-order (see lines 4 and 5 of the extract), and in part to the free use of archaic language. Mr. Brooke does not hesitate to employ such forms as, ‘house-carles,’ ‘grit-wall,’ ‘ness-slopes,’ ‘host-shafts,’ ‘war-wood,’ ‘gold-flakèd shields,’ ‘grinning-masked helms,’ which it would seem must be quite unintelligible to the majority of Mr. Brooke’s readers.

The verse, which has been fully discussed above, is, perhaps, the most satisfactory feature of Mr. Brooke’s work. Of course it is not strictly imitative, as he himself explains, but it gives a fairly good impression of the movement of the Old English verse.

MISS RAGOZIN’S PARAPHRASE

Tales of the Heroic Ages. Siegfried, the Hero of the North, and Beowulf, the Hero of the Anglo-Saxons, by Zenaïde A. Ragozin. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, New York and London, 1898. 8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 211-323, with Note at p. 323, and with four illustrations by George T. Tobin.

School Edition, New York, W. B. Harison, 1900.

A Paraphrase in English Prose.

_The Author, and the Aim of her Book._

Miss Zenaïde Alexeievna Ragozin, a Russian by birth, an American by adoption, has devoted herself to the popularization of history and mythology. In the series _Stories of the Nations_, she has published, _The Story of Chaldea_, _The Story of Assyria_, _The Story of Media, Babylon, and Persia_, _The Story of Vedic India_. Of late she has turned her attention to the mythology of the various European nations, and has written of Siegfried, Frithjof, and Roland.

The object of her work may be given in her own words:--

‘(The series is) intended as parallel reading to history, and
planned to illustrate history.... Great changes are coming over
the schools, ... changes in the right direction, which may shortly
amount to a revolution, when there will be no reason why these
_Tales of the Heroic Ages_ should not, although addressed to young
people at large, find a place, if not in the school curriculum, at
least in the wide margin of so-called ‘Supplementary Reading.’ May
they prove acceptable, not alone to the young, to whom they are
specially addressed, but also, as has been felicitously said, to
“the old with young tastes.”’ --Pages xx, xxii.

_Method of Paraphrase._

‘(The style) should be simple and epical; faithfully following the
main lines, bringing out also the characteristic details--the
poetical beauties, picturesque traits, and original dialogue,
as much as may be consistent with necessary condensation and,
frequently, elimination. It should be a consecutive, lively
narrative, with the necessary elucidating explanations
incorporated in the text and with the fewest and briefest possible
footnotes, while it should contain no critical or mythological
digressions.... What we want in telling it to the young, is to
take the epic just as it is, condensing and expurgating, but not
changing; rendering the characters, scenes and situations with the
faithfulness and reverence due to the masterpiece of a race; using
as much as possible, especially in the dialogue, the words of the
original.... (The language) should be simple, though not untinged
with quaintness, and even in places a certain degree of archaism.’
--Pages xvi, xix, xxi.

_Indebtedness to Earle._

‘Professor Earle’s[1] version has been fully utilized in the
present volume, even to the extent of frequently making use of its
wording, where it is not too archaic or literal for ordinary
purposes.’ --Page 330, footnote.

Some notion of the extent of this borrowing may be had by examining the extract printed below and the criticism that follows.

EXTRACT.

Yet there was one eye that gleamed not with merriment and
goodwill, one head that hatched no friendly thoughts, because the
heart swelled with malice and envy. Unferth it was, the king’s own
story-teller, who sat at his feet, to be ready at all times to
amuse him. He broached a quarrelsome theme--an adventure in
Beowulf’s youth, the only contest in his record the issue of
which, though hard fought, might be called doubtful. For this
Unferth was an envious wight, whose soul grudged that any man
should achieve greater things than himself.

‘Art thou not,’ he began tauntingly, ‘that same Beowulf who strove
with Breca on open sea in a swimming-match, in which ye both
wantonly exposed your lives, and no man, either friend or foe,
could turn you from the foolish venture? A se’nnight ye twain
toiled in the realm of the waters, and, if I err not, he outdid
thee in swimming, for he had greater strength. Wherefore I fear me
much that thou mayest meet with sorry luck if thou darest to bide
here for Grendel for the space of a whole night.’

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

It may be inferred from the dependence upon the work of Earle that Miss Ragozin’s knowledge of Old English is of the slightest. This inference is borne out by frequent misapprehension of the original sense, due in large measure to the use of a single translation. Thus on page 245, Grendel is called ‘the God-sent scourge,’ and, again, on p. 322, Beowulf is described as having been ‘most genial to his nobles.’ Both of these errors are due to misapprehension of Professor Earle’s translation. The list of proper names on p. 331 reveals an ignorance of some fundamental facts of Old English pronunciation. Of course, an intimate knowledge of the Beowulf style and diction is not indispensable to the writer of a paraphrase, but the writer who has it will naturally be superior to the writer without it. For illustration, Miss Thomson[2] never misinterprets a passage as does Miss Ragozin on page 264, where nearly every sentence is false to the Beowulf manner.

The paraphrase is slightly disfigured by the distinctively Romance words which disfigure Earle’s translation.

But these slight defects need not blind us to the service done by Miss Ragozin in making Beowulf accessible to school children. The style is, in general, strong and effective, not without some of the beauty and dignity of the Old English, but relieved of the more obscure and recondite features of that style.

[Footnote 1: See supra, p. 91.] [[Earle]]

[Footnote 2: See infra, p. 143.] [[Thomson]]

MR. CHURCH’S PARAPHRASE

Heroes of Chivalry and Romance. By the Rev. A. J. Church, M.A. London: Seeley and Company, 1898. 8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 3-60. With two illustrations in colours by George Morrow.

Beowulf Retold.

_Contents of the Volume._

‘The Story of Beowulf,’ ‘King Arthur and the Round Table,’ ‘The Treasure of the Nibelungs.’

_Indebtedness to Kemble and Earle._

‘In writing the story of Beowulf I have been helped by Kemble’s
translation and notes[1], and still more by Professor Earle’s[2]
admirable edition.’ --Author’s Note.

_Nature of the Paraphrase._

All obscure words (especially kennings) and lines are dropped. Many explanatory remarks are inserted to elucidate the story. All speeches are greatly shortened. Beowulf’s tale of the fight is omitted entirely. The episodes are omitted, with the exception of the Sigemund episode, one-half of which is translated into heroic couplets, and the Finn episode, which is referred to in a single stanza which paraphrases the story.

_Concerning the Author._

The Rev. Alfred John Church (born 1829) is known chiefly for his popularizations of the classics. His best-known works are _Stories from Homer_ and _Stories from Virgil_. The present volume is an attempt to do for some of the Germanic legends what had already been done for Homer and Virgil.

EXTRACT.

But while they feasted envy stirred in the heart of Unferth, son
of Ecglaf. He was the King’s orator, and he took it ill that
Beowulf should have come to the land of the Danes on this great
enterprise, for he was one who could not endure that any man under
heaven should do greater deeds than himself. Therefore he stood up
in the hall and spake: ‘Art thou that Beowulf who contended with
Breca in swimming on the open sea? ‘Twas, indeed, a foolhardy
thing so to put your lives in jeopardy, yet no man could turn you
from your adventure. Seven days and nights ye toiled, one against
the other, but he in the end prevailed, for he had the greater
strength. And on the eighth morning the waves cast him ashore on
the land of the Heathoram, whence he journeyed back to the city of
the Bronding, of which he was lord. So did Breca, son of Beanstan,
make good his boast against thee.’

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

The extract is so much fuller than the other parts of the paraphrase that it hardly gives a fair notion of the nature of the work. The author has appreciated the dramatic quality of the swimming episode and preserved it nearly entire. Other parts of the story are much less fortunate.

A little knowledge of Old English would have done the author no harm, and would have saved him from some errors. His most evident mistakes are in the forms of the proper names. Such forms as these occur in his book: Veleda, Hugon, Weopstan (sic), Hrethin, Hrethet.

The diction is unfortunate. The coast-warden becomes a ‘squire’ (p. 7); Heorot is a ‘banqueting hall’ (p. 4, showing the influence of Kemble’s translation); Beowulf and Breca were ‘pages at the King’s court’ (p. 13, showing the influence of Earle’s translation).

Petty inaccuracies occur throughout, such as, ‘I counsel that thou refuse not’ (p. 9); ‘A faithful squire must needs know the troubles of his lord’ (p. 7). In point of accuracy this version is quite inferior to the work of Miss Thomson[3]; and in point of style and atmosphere to that of Mr. Jones[4], Miss Ragozin[5], or Miss Thomson. The book, however, is readable, and the author’s name will doubtless serve to give it a certain success.

[Footnote 1: See supra, p. 33.] [[Kemble]]

[Footnote 2: See supra, p. 91.] [[Earle]]

[Footnote 3: See infra, p. 143.] [[Thomson]]

[Footnote 4: See supra, p. 123.] [[Sandras]]

[Footnote 5: See supra, p. 138.] [[Ragozin]]

MISS THOMSON’S PARAPHRASE

The Adventures of Beowulf, translated from the Old English and adapted to the Use of Schools by Clara Thomson[1]. London: Horace Marshall and Son, 1899. 8vo, pp. 95. In the ‘New English Series,’ edited by E. E. Speight.

A Paraphrase in English Prose.

_Aim of the Volume._

‘It is meant mainly to arouse in children an interest in the
beginnings of our literature--a subject that is still terribly
neglected in schools. It makes no pretension to being an adequate
or satisfactory version for grown-up readers.’ --Page 6.

_Method of Paraphrase._

‘[Discrepancies in the poem] I have endeavoured to smooth over by
omission or by very slight additions; and whenever of two readings
of a doubtful passage, one is more easily comprehensible than the
other, I have always adhered to this, even if on philological
grounds it seems less probable.’...

‘Many of the episodes in the story have been greatly shortened or
altogether omitted, since they interrupt the course of the
narrative, or divert the interest from the main theme.’
--Pages 5, 6.

This statement is more modest than need be. It will be found that only two of the episodes are passed without mention--the Prolog and the Tale of Thrytho. The Legend of Sigemund and the Tale of Finn are rather fully treated, and the Story of Freawaru and the Battle of Ravenswood are both referred to. In each case the episodes are carefully woven into the story, and that without superfluous words.

The words and sentences which are supplied are very carefully chosen, and most of them have a prototype somewhere in the poem.

EXTRACT.

Now, though most of Hrothgar’s men rejoiced to see Beowulf, and
honoured him for his generous thought in coming to their help,
there was one who looked on him with dislike and envy, and was
jealous of the favour shown him by the king. This was Hunferth,
who was sitting on the daïs at Hrothgar’s feet. And when he heard
what this visitor intended to do, he grew angry and moody, because
he could not bear that any other man on earth should obtain
greater honour than he himself. So he began to rake up old tales
that he had heard of Beowulf, and tried to turn them to his hurt,
saying scornfully:

‘Art thou that Beowulf who once strove on the wide sea in a
swimming-match with Breca, when ye two in boasting dared to breast
the wave, and for vainglory risked your lives in the deep water?
There was no man, friend nor foe, who could dissuade you from that
sorrowful journey; but ye swam in the surf, stretching out your
arms over the waves, and stirring up the surge with your hands. So
did ye glide across the ocean, while the waves weltered in wintry
storms, and for seven nights ye laboured in the tumult of the
seas. But in the end the victory was with Breca, for his might was
the greater. Then on the morning of the eighth day the tide bore
him to the shore of Norway, whence he visited his beloved home,
the fair city of safety, where he ruled over many people, over
towns and treasure. Truly he did perform all his boast against
thee.’

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

In the opinion of the present writer, no better paraphrase of _Beowulf_ exists.

It is perhaps unfortunate that the word ‘translated’ is used on the title-page, for this is misleading. The proper form is that used on the cover of the book, ‘Beowulf, told by Miss Clara Thomson.’

It were sufficient praise to point out that the author has contrived to retain practically all of the poem, without ever falsifying its spirit by introducing a superabundance of explanatory phrases[2]. She is always true to the story (as Miss Ragozin[3] is not, for example, in the first section of her work); she is equally true to the spirit of the poem (as Mr. Gibb[4] is not). The style is both vigorous and simple, not unworthy of the story it tells.

It will be surprising if Miss Thomson’s work is not popular in England, and the book should be known and used in this country.

[Footnote 1: Miss Thomson is better known as the biographer of
Samuel Richardson. See _Samuel Richardson, a Biographical and
Critical Study_. London, 1900.]

[Footnote 2: The author’s argument against inserting the Prolog
is sound enough; but the omission of any part of the poem in a
paraphrase so good as Miss Thomson’s is to be regretted.]

[Footnote 3: See supra, p. 138.] [[Ragozin]]

[Footnote 4: See supra, p. 128.] [[Gibb]]

APPENDIX II

A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF WORKS WHICH CONTAIN SELECTIONS FROM BEOWULF TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH

(_Only works which translate at least thirty lines are noted._)

TEN BRINK, BERNHARD, AND KENNEDY, HORACE, in Early English Literature (to Wiclif). London and New York, 1883. Verse.

BROWN, ANNA R., in Poet Lore, II, 133, 185. Verse, ll. 26-53, and 1493-1571.

GUMMERE, F. B., in the American Journal of Philology, VII, 77, ll. 1-52. Verse.

---- in Germanic Origins (New York, 1892), pp. 109 ff. Verse.

LONGFELLOW, HENRY WADSWORTH, in Poets and Poetry of Europe, lines 18-40; 53-83; 189-257; 1789-1803; 2455-2462. Verse.

MORLEY, HENRY, in English Writers, I, pp. 287 ff. (second edition, London, 1887). Verse.

ROBINSON, W. CLARKE, in Introduction to our Early English Literature (London, 1885). Lines 87-98 (verse), and 1-52 (prose).

SMITH, C. SPRAGUE, in the New Englander, IV, p. 49. Lines 711-838;