Beowulf: A Verse Translation

Though this volume does contain notes on Beowulf's probable origin along with a genealogy and a name reference list, the emphasis here is not on scholarship, but on reading the poem for the sheer pleasure of it. Rebsamen reminds us that "Beowulf" is not an old fossil to be analyzed, but a work of art to be enjoyed. To rekindle the poem's original fire, he has attempted to "imitate the Old English poetic form as closely as is practical in Modern English." The result is more difficult reading than the Charles W. Kennedy version students know from the "Oxford Anthology of English Literature," but it is also vibrant and exciting. This spirited translation takes "Beowulf" out of the classroom and puts it back into the barroom where it belongs. Recommended for all large literature collections (Michael Rogers, "Library Journal").