Old English Religious Poetry

The first fragment of literature is known as Caedmon's Hymn. It dates from the late seventh century (around 670). The Story goes that Caedmon was a lay worker on the estate of the monastery of Whitby, in Northumbria. His hymn is, therefore, the first song of praise in English culture, and the first Christian religious poem in English, Although many Latin hymns were known at the time. It was preserved by monks of Whitby, and it is not certain whether the few lines which have survived through the ages are the complete hymn or not.

Christian monks and nuns were, in effect, the guardians of culture, as they were virtually the only people who could read and write before the fourteenth century. It is interesting therefore the most of the native English culture they preserved is not in Latin, the language of the church, but in old English, the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.

Christian monks and nuns were, in effect, the guardians of culture, as they were virtually the only people who could read and write before the fourteenth century. It is interesting therefore the most of the native English culture they preserved is not in Latin, the language of the church, but in old English, the language of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes.

      Anglo-Saxon religious poems are divided into two groups. The groups are named after famous poets. The two names connected with Christian poetry are these of Caedmon and Cynewulf.

      In 'Ecclesiastical History of English People' Bede tells the story of Caedmon, who by divine inspiration was transformed from a state of tongue-tied ineffectiveness into afterwards sang of many biblical events As Caedmon was divinely inspired he composed only religious poems. Caedmon's best-known poem Genesis exists in two versions. The first Genesis A, tells the story from creation to the fall of the angels and Genesis B thereafter up to the episode of Isaac. The first is, on the whole dull, but the second has some fine passages. Allied to Genesis is the poem Christ and Satan which comprises three poems,' Lament of the fallen angels' and 'Temptation of Christ by Satan'.In Biblical stories, Caedmon introduced vivid dialogue which may be said to be the earliest signs of the dramatic genius of the English people. Among other poems attributed to Caedmon, are Daniel and Exodus, which are based on or are paraphrased from the Vulgate, the Latin version of the Bible. They are more or less colourless. The other poem Judith is a dramatic epic fragment of unequal merit.

          Cynewulf is the other famous poet of Anglo-Saxon religious poetry. Many regard him as the greatest of the Anglo-Saxon poets after the author of Beowulf. Four poems are Christ, Juliana, The fate of the Apostles and Elene. Unsigned poems attributed to him or to his school are Andreas, The Phoenix, The Dream of the Rood and Guthlac. The Dream of the Rood is regarded as the greatest of old English poems because of its unusual lyric, tenderness imagination and piety. It is the earliest dream vision. The Cross tells the poet of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection. Cynewulf was devoted to Christ.

      Cynewulf is more artistic and scholarly than Caedmon. He had great power of expression, surer technique and real descriptive powers. His lines are flowing and melodious, his style is free and easy. The works of Cynewulf and Caedmon are not equal to them is poetic style and feeling, but they had their own historical and literary importance.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction to The Romantic Period

Image
'Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive' (William Wordsworth, The Prelude) The dates of the Romantic period of literature are not precise and the term 'romantic' was itself not widely used until after the period in question. Conventionally, the period begins in 1798, which saw the publication by Wordsworth and Coleridge of their Lyrical Ballads and ends in 1832 a year which saw the death of Sir Walter Scott and the enactment by the parliament of the First Reform Bill. These years link literary and political events. The Romantic period was an era in which a literary revolution took place alongside social and economic revolutions. In some histories of literature, the Romantic period is called the 'Age of Revolutions'. The Period was one of rapid change as the nation was transformed from an agricultural country to an industrial one. The laws of a free market, development by the economist Adam Smith in this book Wealth of Nations (1776), dominated peoples lives. At ...
Read more

Three Major Transition Historians

AGE OF TRANSITION HISTORIANS        David Hume   (1711 - 1776) :   Born  and educated at Edinburgh, Hume first distinguished himself as a philosopher,  publishing A treatise of Human Nature and Essays, Moral and Political. Later he turned historical works, writing The History of England, in six volumes. As a historian, Hume makes no pretence at profound research, so that his work has little permanent value as history. He possesses a clear and logical mind and a swift and brilliant narrative style. In the history of literature, his work is of importance as being first of the popular and literary histories of the country.       William Robertson (1721-1793) :    Robertson also was a Scot, being born in the country of Midlothian. After leaving university, he entered the Scottish church. He had an active and successful career as a historian, producing among other works The History of Scotland during the Reigns of Queen Mary ...
Read more