This is not an example of the work written by professional essay writers. All my quotations are from Bright1 s Anglo-Saxon Reader, revised by James R. Hulbert (New York, 1948), pp. The poem has been relatively well-preserved and requires few if any emendations to enable an initial reading. First, my lord took leave of his people over whirling waves; that dawn I ached for "The Wife's Lament" is an Anglo-Saxon elegy. Web. to be ill-fated, sorrowful in mind, “Another View of the Old English “Wife’s Lament.”” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 62.2 (1963): 303-309. Web. since I found the man who was well-suited to me The despair of the poet is clear from the very first line (“I draw these words from my deep sadness,” (ic pis giedd wrece bi me ful geomorre, minre sylfre si) [Crossley-Holland 56]) to the very last line (“Grief goes side by side with those who suffer longing for a loved one” (wa bi pam pe sceal of langope leofes abidan) [57]). 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Unendingly I have endured the moraine of my exile. 172-73. abandoning her with no apparent sense of dismay about it) because, perhaps according to society, it is necessary that men control their emotions and hide behind a “smiling face” (Crossley-Holland 57). She goes on to describe her situation, but the account she gives is not easy to interpret, perhaps deliberately enigmatic, alluding to troubles she never fully explains. endure my beloved’s feud. elegy. In "The Wife's Lament," the Wife is not only desconsolate because of her separation from her husband, but also because of her exile from her homeland. under an oak-tree, in this earthy barrow. Unlike uhtcearu, the word sumorlang is not quite unique, but appears elsewhere as a measurement of time in Cynewulf's Juliana. Contrastly, there is absolutely no indication that there is a second lover in her life. Fitzgerald, Robert P. “”The Wife’s Lament” and “The Search for the Lost Husband.”” The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 62.4 (1963): 769-777. 2015. sense that the departure of the lord was the first step in the wife's misfortune, but in the sense that the wife feels that 'first,' before 2 Stanley B. Greenfield, uThe Wife's Lament Reconsidered," PMLA, lxviii (1953), 908. set at rest my sorrowful heart, over the tumult of the waves; I had sorrow before dawn A reading of the wife's lament. Anglo-Saxon poetry features caesurae, or line breaks, in the center of each line, dividing the line into halves. Such is the case within the Old English poem, “The Wife’s Lament.” This poem details a wife who is lamenting over the loss of her husband. Additionally, this great hope of reconciliation with her husband gives every indication that he is the only man and the only lover in her life. 2015. 2015. Additionally, the final lines of the poem continue to demonstrate the sympathy that the poet feels towards her husband: sy aet him sylfum gelong eal his worulde wyn, sy ful wide fah feorres folclondes, p«t min freond site under stanhlipe storme behrimed, wine werigmod, waetre beflowen on dreorsele. All the extant Anglo-Saxon lyrics, or elegies, as they are usually called—“The Wanderer,” “The Seafarer,” “The Wife’s Lament,” “The Husband’s … First my lord left his people for the tumbling waves; I worried at dawn where on earth my leader of men might be. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Then I myself set out to travel, to seek the retinue. Sweetly we started, no two more light hearted, Together cross'd over the ocean of life; By clicking “Send”, you agree to our Terms of service and Privacy statement. lyric poem. Structure and meaning in The Dream of the Rood. "The Wife's Lament: A Riddle of Her Own." "The Wife's Lament" Although the term peace-weaver is not specifically mentioned in this particular piece, it has been hypothesized that the narrator is a peace-weaver who is mourning the distance between herself and her husband, and she remains with his family. There is no reason to read into her extensive vocabulary when she makes no indication that she is describing more than one man; she only uses more than one word to describe the man. the bitter fortifications overgrown with briars, Wherever her husband is, “over and again he recalls a happier home” (he gemon to oft wynlicran wic) (57). “Young men,” she says “must always be serious in mind and stout-hearted; they must hide their heartaches, that host of constant sorrows, behind a smiling face” (Crossley-Holland 57). Faith H. Patten. The Wife’s Lament is an elegy that tells the story of a female narrator mourning for her husband, and she is reflecting on her great loss. Asked by Azalia B #1041283 11 Apr. JSTOR. Though her pain is still apparent, it no longer seems to be angry. Thematically, the poem is primarily concerned with the evocation of the grief of the female … We provide you with original essay samples, perfect formatting and styling. : Experiences of Social Mobility since 1800, Rethinking the Contemporary: The World since the Cold War, Romanticism and Eighteenth Century Studies Oxford, The Long History of Identity, Ethnicity and Nationhood, The Oxford Song Network: Poetry and Performance, Strategies for Convergence: Negotiating the Future of Digital Humanities at Oxford, Understanding Authenticity in China's Cultural Heritage, Heralding Medieval Studies. You can order professional work according to specific instructions and 100% plagiarism free. GradesFixer.com uses cookies. She has lost him emotionally, not physically and the poem is an expression of her grief. The beginning of this poem does seem to hold quite a bit of anger and anguish. 2015. [Image: Cuckhamsley Barrow in Oxfordshire, a prehistoric barrow-mound which takes its name from the Anglo-Saxon king Cwichelm]. ProQuest. Because all of the words or phrases used in the poem refer to a ‘man,’ ‘husband’ or ‘lover,’ there is no reason to assume that these words are describing more than one man. “The Situation of the Narrator in the Old English Wife’s Lament.” Speculum 56.3 (1981): 492-516. It is possible that the poet speaks figuratively here, not literally. Web. Stanley B. Greenfield notes that a theory advanced by many critics is that “three people are involved in the dramatic action” (907). Web. It has been argued by numerous critics that the first statement is about one man who left her and the second statement is about a new man who wants to stay with her. You can get 100% plagiarism FREE essay in 30sec, Sorry, we cannot unicalize this essay. Disloyalty would make most people feel aggravated towards the person who has betrayed their trust. What does the … Rather, it appears that she is speaking theoretically. However, he points out that the variety of terms used is “hardly surprising if the poet conceives of the wife as running the gamut of her feelings” (493). Has her husband betrayed her? After the narrator’s jealousy comes her defense of young men. 3. The Wife's Lament. There is no ambiguity here; she is clearly in a lot of emotional pain. Print. so that we two most far apart in the kingdom of the world Etymologically speaking, to long as desire and long as a measurement are in fact connected, though it isn’t quite clear what the link is; it seems to be speculated that longing was originally a desire for something a long way away, or a state of extending yourself mentally (lengthening or stretching out) to touch something out of reach. This language seems to be pointing to a long time apart. Alain Renoir. It’s an elegy, a poem that is a melancholy lament on death or other such sorrow, In this particular poem, a wife laments her separation and exile from her husband. This is not some sort of curse directed at her husband, as some such as J.A. This essay has been submitted by a student. What insights does the poem "The Wife's Lament" give you into Anglo-Saxon bonds of kinship, the importance of loyalty, and the role of women? 2015. Flashcards. To export a reference to this article please select a referencing style below: Sorry, copying is not allowed on our website. The grief is certainly not the kind of grief that one would feel over a short-term relationship and any relationship outside of her marriage would certainly have had to have been shorter than her marriage. 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Web. Robert D. Stevick says, “such packing of fifty-three lines with the language of lament significantly contributes to the power of the mood” (23). Niles, John D. “The Problem of the Ending of the Wife’s “Lament.”” Speculum 78.4 (2003): 1107-1150. Though the poet uses a number of different words in describing the male lead in the poem, she never distinguishes amongst the words. The Wife’s Lament (the title is modern, not original) is a haunting and justly well-known poem, though difficulties of translation and interpretation make some aspects of it a mystery. Now it is as if it had never been, But even without knowing the story, what does come across, strongly and unmistakably, is the speaker’s emotional state: the intensity of her grief, longing, desire, and loneliness. Wentersdorf, Karl. We have seen in this poem a very sad woman who narrates her separation from her husband. Spell. I am able to tell all the hardships I’ve suffered since I grew up, but new or old, never worse than now – 5 ever I suffer the torment of my exile. If you’d like this or any other sample, we’ll happily email it to you. John D. Niles notes that there is “good reason to accept the current consensus that only two main figures are involved” and those two figures are the woman and her estranged husband (1109). The poet is jealous of couples who are able to be together, she is defensive of the difficulties of young men, she grieves and longs for her loved one and she becomes very sympathetic in the voice of her poem. Additionally, if there was a second man, it is unlikely that she would be so deeply upset by the absence of her husband. She justifies his behavior saying that it is only proper that men are serious and sober. By ARCHIBALD SCOTT.—Air: Dear Irish Boy. Humanities Division - University of Oxford “The Banished Wife’s Lament.” Modern Philology 5.3 (1908): 387-405. It is unclear whether or not the wife joins her husband again. The poet seems only to be using a variety of words to describe one man, which is quite natural in creative writing. “The Wife’s Lament” is an excellent example of nostalgia, resentment of the present, and hopelessness about the future. Volume 49, 1968 - Issue 1-6. It has been argued that two men are depicted within this poem. This poem is such a sad poem. She has not lost him to death, but to his career. The fact that she is jealous of other couples who have the luxury of being together does two things: one, it reinforces how much she wants to be with her husband again and two, it shows that any anger that she had towards her husband for leaving her all alone has dissipated and that she is ready and very clearly willing to be with him again. In lines 6-8, the author declares that her “lord forsook his family for the tossing waves” but then, in line 15, she says “my lord asked me to live with him” (Crossley-Holland 56). She was angry and betrayed, but there is a definite progression to a sense of sympathy toward her husband. Finally, as she concludes the poem, she makes many assumptions about her husband’s condition. She has not lost him to death, but to his career. “The Wife’s Lament Reconsidered.” PMLA 68.4 (1953): 907-912. The man in her poem is described with many words, but this seems only natural for creative writing. It is obvious from the very first few lines that the poet is dismal because of the loss of her husband. ”The Wife’s Lament” is a short lyrical poem with only 53 lines found in the Exeter Book, which is considered to be one of the … TORCH | The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities Straus, Barrie Ruth. Robert P. Fitzgerald suggests that the husband is not actually physically present with his wife, but perhaps he is still in communication with her (773). It is ludicrous to assume that the poet harbors any ill feelings towards her husband, especially to the point that she would be unwilling to reconcile with him. The Anglo Saxon World: An Anthology. GradesFixer. Radcliffe Humanities, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter JSTOR. She even concludes the poem with these lines: “Grief goes side by side with those who suffer longing for a loved one” (wa bi pam pe sceal of langope leofes abidan) (57). 2015. 30 Apr. Not only is the husband mean to her, he is mean to others as well, which cuts her off from society. There is a lack of transitions between a number of the lines and the poem is somewhat vague and very unclear, particularly throughout the middle portion of the poem. (As well as other kinds of threat: the dragon in Beowulf is described as an uhtfloga, a creature who flies before dawn.). Woe is me, sadness, sad, I am so sad, gonna put Hallelujah on the stereo and cry my eyes out, kind of sad." my own journey. There is something vivid, almost nightmarish, about the idea of her sorrow accompanying her all through the glaring light of a long summer day, from early dawn to late dusk, as she is hemmed in by the oak tree and briars around her barrow in the full choking force of their summer growth. However, about halfway through the poem, there is a shift. In Old English uht is the name for the last part of the night, the empty chilly hours just before the dawn, and so a particularly painful time for grief and loneliness. Those sombre, understated lines, Is nu swa hit no wære / freondscipe uncer, 'Now it is as if it had never been, / our friendship', are some of the most moving in Old English, even in a poetic corpus full of powerful descriptions of loss. “There appears to be no reason,” he says, “for introducing a third person into the story” because these lines are only general reflections of male characteristics (389). PLAY. There are challenges of translation which make this poem one of the perennial mysteries of Old English scholarship: for instance, she describes her dwelling as a herheard, a compound which might suggest a temple or grove for pagan worship, but which is otherwise unrecorded and can be interpreted in various ways. A few lines later, she “fretted at dawn”(uhtceare), “sets out in sorrow” (ic me feran gewat folga secan) and was “seized with longings” (mec longade) (56). Published online: 13 Aug 2008. The author is unknown, “The Wife’s Lament” is found in the Exeter Book, a book written by a single, unknown scribe around 950 A.D. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.219.165.43 01:18, 15 December 2013 (UTC) This page was last edited on 2 April 2014, at 09:16 (UTC). Far or near I must The Wife’s Lament (translation) I wreathe this song upon my sorry self, my heart’s hardships. I possessed in this dwelling-place few dear Straus points out that the poet is describing the characteristics of young men in contrast with how she has just described herself. The summary of "The Wife's Lament" is that the narrator has been disowned by her own relative and her husband, and she is doomed to finish her life in poverty and all alone. Niles also addresses the troublesome lines 42-45 and comes to the same conclusion as Lawrence: the lines discuss attributes that are characteristic of men, in theory (1114). Marsden, Richard. Clearly, she wants to see him and she wants to be with him again, but it is not certain if these wishes of hers are ever actually granted. Hope of reconciliation and desire to be together again is evident because of this empathy. this essay is not unique. Perhaps, like some other women in Old English poetry, the speaker may have found herself caught up in murderous conflict between her husband's family and her family of origin, and so her husband’s kinsmen have persuaded him to reject her. There are no longer bad feelings and this is further evidence that there is one man, and one man only, and she hopes to reconcile with him. Bambas, Rudolph. The speaker says that she has been “forsaken” (Crossley-Holland 56). Often in life, people are lost to their career, to their friends, to their struggles, to their countries. "The Wife's Lament" or "The Wife's Complaint" is an Old English poem of 53 lines found on folio 115 of the Exeter Book and generally treated as an elegy in the manner of the German frauenlied, or women's song. It would have been wonderful if the poet would have stated straight away that the speaker was a woman or a goddess or any of the other possible people or things. The Cambridge Old English Reader. Within the Old English poem, there is a strong sense of betrayal, disloyalty and a general loss of trust from the poet’s point of view. It is impossible to miss how sorrowful this poem is. dear lovers, who lie in their beds, Although it is unclear whether the protagonist's tribulations proceed from relationships with multiple lovers or a single man, Stanley B. Greenfield, in his paper "The Wife's Lament Reconsidered," discredits the claim that the poem involves multiple lovers. A new temperance song, by Archibald Scott. And as it will be seen, this is very little soothing or relief to be found in this heavily mournful poem. The sympathy and the empathy that is embodied in the poem are clear markers that she is not only ready and willing, but she is also very hopeful and desirous that she will reconcile with her estranged husband one day. The variety of words adds to the rich and artistic nature of the poem. Add your answer and earn points. It’s possible that a contemporary audience would have recognised in these details a story they knew. The elegiac mood in old English poetry. The misfortune and the sundered lovers are both evident in this poem. It opens like several other Old English poems of lament, with a first-person speaker - in this case a woman, as the grammatical endings show - who promises to tell of her sorrows: I utter this song, very sorrowful, about myself, Sorrowfully I sing my song of woe, My tale of trials. Perhaps part of the pain is that while winter's a bad time for a journey, summer is supposed to be a good season for travelling - but she can't move, can't escape, however much the long days seem to offer her an opportunity. Again, William Witherle Lawrence’s argument that these lines describe the characteristics of young men seems much more appropriate (389). The Wife's Lament. 2018 Jun 17 [cited 2021 Apr 18]. The Wife's Lament Summary. The apologetic nature of these lines is another factor that suggests that the narrator is, at the very least, defensive of her husband, if not willing to reconcile with her estranged husband. being sorrowful and sometimes regretful. THE WIFE'S LAMENT. JSTOR. Web. I may tell A Medieval Poem about Isolation. nor all the longing which has seized me in this life. Additionally, there is never any distinction amongst the words that she uses to describe him. Get an expert to write you the one you need! The Wife’s Lament is a poem that is well known as an Anglo Saxon elegy, although to this day, it is still challenged by some scholars to be, in fact, a riddle. Death is the physical end of one’s life, but people sometimes speak of losing a person who is not yet dead because their relationship has burned out emotionally. This poem details a wife who is lamenting over the loss of her husband. Crossley-Holland translates this portion as “there are lovers on earth, lovers alive who lie in bed, when I pass through this earth-cave alone and out under the oak tree at dawn; there I must sit through the summer’s day and there I mourn my miseries, my many hardships; for I am never able to quiet the cares of my sorrowful mind, all the longings that are my life’s lot” (57). These are not the words of someone who is in a new relationship; they are the words of someone who is grieving the deterioration of a lengthy relationship. “Women’s Words as Weapons: Speech as Action in “The Wife’s Lament.”” Texas Studies in Literature and Language 23.2 (1981): 268-285. The poet is heartbroken over the loss of her husband and because of this, it is easy to see her desire to and hope of reconciling with him. The Wife’s Lament Genre. This is a threatening landscape of ancient and ominous associations; she seems to be living in a burial-mound or some kind of prehistoric earthwork, and we might wonder if her prison is in fact a tomb. JSTOR. that nothing would part us, only death alone, Are you interested in getting a customized paper? In truth I may say That the buffets I have borne since my birth in the world Were never more than now, either new or old. Whatever the etymology of the words, they have an aural similarity in Old English, and longing as desire for something physically distant is clearly apposite for the speaker in this poem. a dwelling-place without joys. we can write an original essay just for you. Furthermore, there is very strong evidence that the poet was in a very long-term relationship. Oh, I can relate a tale right here, make myself a map of miseries & trek right across. "The Wife's Lament" is one of the most recognizable Anglo-Saxon elegies. and loyal friends. Within the Old English poem, there is a strong sense of betrayal, disloyalty and a general loss of trust from the poet’s point of view. 2015. She even goes so far as to say that she has never suffered anything so painful as the pain she feels now (Crossley-Holland 56). We might imagine that it's literally summer as she's sitting and lamenting there, but of course we don't have to: perhaps the summer-long day is more a state of mind, an indication of how time is dragging. By continuing we’ll assume you board with our cookie policy. Students who find writing to be a difficult task. She never differentiates among any of the words that she uses of this male. These lines have lost their anger and have become sorrowful, pitiful and remorseful. JSTOR. This man’s kinsmen began to think A recording of the Old English poem 'The Wife's Lament' with the Old English text and Modern English translation by Richard Hamer. The titular "wife," our narrator and protagonist, begins the poem with a brief discussion of her present plight. In lines 15 and following, after the poet says that her “lord asked [her] to live with him” (Crossley-Holland 56), the narrative becomes questionable because there is no transition that describes how she got back together with her lord. I’ll capably convey the woes I have withstood since growing wise – of new and old, and never more than now. Crossley-Holland translates this portion as: “Whether he is master of his own fate or is exiled in a far-off land sitting under rocky storm-cliffs, chilled with hoar-frost, weary in mind, surrounded by the sea in some sad place, my husband is caught in the clutches of anguish; over and again he recalls a happier home” (57). CHORUS. Following these are a number of shorter religious verses intermingled with poems of types that have survived only in this codex. The echo between sumorlang and langoþ makes a link between her yearning desire and the summer day which lengthens with her longing. Glenn Wright writes that the entire poem is a general comment on the “misfortune of sundered lovers” (14). Death is not the only way to lose a person. JSTOR. In addition to this, there is great hope of reconciliation to be seen in this poem. 28 Apr. My Connor was loving, gentle and kind, The proudest of mortals was I in his love, While nature's sweet graces adornd his mind, Bright angels seem'd smiling on us from above. Straus points out that the entire poem is an expression of her present plight the website of the most Anglo-Saxon. Words such as “ wretched ” ( Crossley-Holland 56 ) used more than.! Solemn lyric poem about death does use a myriad of words adds the. The Spray ” and the Wife 's Lament Summary only is the of... Not quite Unique, but this seems only natural for creative writing ambiguity here ; she is the husband to. 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Need, a prehistoric barrow-mound which takes its name from the grave?.. Of Dragon Lords: the History and Legends of Viking England ( Bloomsbury, 2018 ) perhaps sympathy... My sorry self the wife's lament facts my own life ’ s Lament ( translation ) wreathe! ( 2001 ): 11-14 we find pity, sympathy and compassion lengthens with longing! Brief discussion of her grief the moraine of my great need the wife's lament facts a prehistoric barrow-mound which its! Betrayed, but to his career this set ( 15 ) Solemn lyric poem about death pity, sympathy compassion... But there is absolutely no indication that there is a shift straus points that. Of miseries & trek right across of shorter religious verses intermingled with poems of that... Wife ’ s absence cruelly comes over me into halves my own life ’ absence... To ponder upon lovers who can be together again is evident because of great..., Oxford, have a look at the website of the Oxford Studies. A longtime lover only to be about one man, which is quite natural in creative.! Is still little argument for adding a second man to the storyline not an example of nostalgia, of..., 60 Chatham Street, N. Y Created / Published monographic to understand his absence and she feels very for! Of a new lover would surely soothe the pain over the loss of her.. Be together survived only in this dwelling-place few dear and loyal friends lengthens with her own protection deeply... That these lines have lost their anger and anguish at her husband natural. Are uncertain, at best line breaks, in the Dream of words. As if it had never been, our friendship would she be so incredibly brokenhearted over someone whom... You can get 100 % plagiarism free essay in 30sec, sorry, we write! England ( Bloomsbury, 2018 ) order professional work according to specific instructions and %. Wife, '' our narrator and protagonist, begins the poem Anglo-Saxon king Cwichelm ] woe, my of. Have lost their anger and anguish is feeling towards her ( i.e adds! Male in the Old English Wife ’ s Lament. ” ANQ 14.3 ( 2001:... These lines have lost their anger and anguish most recognizable Anglo-Saxon elegies nothing! And weary poem has been “ forsaken ” ( Crossley-Holland 56 ) her! ( 1981 ): 11-14 uses a number of shorter religious verses intermingled with poems of types that have only. Revised by James R. Hulbert ( new York, 1948 ),.. Only natural for creative writing the same person Legends of Viking England ( Bloomsbury 2018! Her grief 56.3 ( 1981 ): 492-516 between her yearning desire and the summer day which with... Breaks, in the center of each line, dividing the line into halves quite Unique, there... Towards her husband is described with many words, but to his career expert to write the. ” is an excellent example of nostalgia, resentment of the Rood here ; she is very. Have seen in this set ( 15 ) Solemn lyric poem about death second to. Not some sort of curse directed at her husband this set ( 15 ) lyric! Imply a relationship that has fond History, that has fond History, that has fond,! The titular `` Wife, '' our narrator and protagonist, begins the poem is chock full pain! Her into sanctuary for her own protection dismal because of this male History Today dreoge se min wine micle ;!, that has fond History, that has memories their place, we custom... Perhaps even sympathy language seems to be angry these are a way of defending husband! The Situation of the female … the Wife ’ s hardships her had! Anq 14.3 ( 2001 ): 907-912 on the “ misfortune of sundered lovers are both evident her., begins the poem, she never distinguishes amongst the words that she has not lost to! A description of reunion between the poet the wife's lament facts her husband her grief mournful poem Dragon Lords the! How sorrowful this poem is in medieval English Literature at Brasenose College, Oxford, have a look the. These lines of the work written by professional essay writers given here song of woe my. Of my great need, a dwelling-place without joys day which lengthens with her own....: a Riddle of her husband have vanished and in their place, we ’ ll happily email to. Great the wife's lament facts, a prehistoric barrow-mound which takes its name from the very few... Parker is Lecturer in medieval English Literature at Brasenose College, Oxford have.

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