The earliest English poem, given here in its original form
This is an edition of the Old English epic poem "Beowulf", offering linguistic and glossarial aids on each page.
Beowulf is the greatest surviving work of literature in Old English, unparalleled in its epic grandeur and scope. It tells the story of the heroic Beowulf and of his battles, first with the monster Grendel, who has laid waste to the great hall of the Danish king Hrothgar, then with Grendel's avenging mother, and finally with a dragon that threatens to devastate his homeland. Through its blend of myth and history, Beowulf vividly evokes a twilight world in which men and supernatural forces live side by side, and celebrates the endurance of the human spirit in a transient world.
Michael Alexander recently retired from the chair of English Literature at the University of St Andrews. For Penguin he has translated, The Earliest English Poems, The Canterbury Tales- The First Fragment, as well as a prose translation of Beowulf. His verse translations of The Earliest English Poems and Beowulf have sold over half a million copies in Penguin, for whom he has also edited Beowulf and The Canterbury Tales- The First Fragment.
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