Beowulf: A Verse Translation [Import] [Paperback]

Frederick Rebsamen (Translator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 111 pages
• Publisher: Icon Editions/HarperCollins; 1st edition (1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064302121
• ISBN-13: 978-0064302128
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,159,209 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful representation of a grand poem., October 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Beowulf: A Verse Translation (Paperback)

Frederick Rebsamen has created a translation that holds true to the alliterative nature of Old English poetry. His verse translation captures the feel of the ancient poem, and Rebsamen presents his modern audince with a lively and artful portrayal of Beowulf's adventures. This translation's verse form takes its readers back to the days of scops and bards. Frederick Rebsamen's internal commentary provides readers with insight into the tradition and history behind the myth. Rebswamen's translation is perfect for students and readers who cannot read Old English, yet want to experience Beowulf as it was meant to be experience.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Alliterative Translation, February 16, 2003

By 

Jonathan S. Mark "marjo_wycam" (Alexandria, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beowulf: A Verse Translation (Paperback)

This translation attempts to reproduce the alliterative and metric structure of the original Old English work.

Each line in this version is divided into half-lines, which are separated by whitespace. Each half-line contains two beats. The first beat in the second half-line must alliterate with at least one of the two beats in the first half-line. The two beats in the second half-line cannot alliterate.

Reading this translation I enjoyed picking out the alliterations and the beats. Eventually the poem appeared to flow into a rhythm, unlike prose translations and unlike my reading of Heaney's Beowulf.

I would say that this translation is not a good one for understanding the meaning of the poem. But once one has read one or two other translations and understands what is going on in the poem, this is a great version to read. It enabled me to experience a Beowulf whose sounds are based upon alliteration and meter, much like the poem sounded to its original audience in those mead-halls a millenia ago.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Enjoyable, December 24, 2004

By 

J. W. Kennedy "in statu uiae et meriti" (Richmond, VA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beowulf: A Verse Translation (Paperback)

I remember reading Beowulf in school, and although the story was cool, the translation came across as dull as dishwater. Now that my tastes have matured somewhat I've gotten interested in Medeival legendry and epic poems. The Rebsamen translation is a good choice - it has an authentic rythm to it and begs to be read aloud. The translator has made up odd compound words to convey the meaning and the flavor of the Old English original ("woodsong" for the sound of a harp is a good example.) Following the form of Old English poetry, lines are divided into somewhat disjointed phrases presenting a series of vivid, tersely described images rather than a coherent narrative flow. Nevertheless, the poem rolls right along and I was delighted by the aptness of the language at times: wierd off-kilter phrases that somehow perfectly convey the action in tiny glimpses. This is powerful epic poetry.
Beowulf purists will be upset because Rebsamen drifts quite a bit from the Old English original (he admits in the Introduction that he had to move phrases around, sometimes placing a half-line 4 or 6 lines away from where it was, and swapping pieces here and there in order to accomplish the proper alliteration and still retain some logical sense.) He has taken liberties with the poem, but I think that's forgivable considering the results. This translation is not for academics and Beowulf scholars. It's for everyday shmoes like you and me who want something exciting to read.