LECTURE 4LECTURE 4

Old English:Old English:literatureliterature

Lei ZHUShanghai International Studies

University

ISTORY OF ENGLISHISTORY OF ENGLISH

1 Introduction• Teaching and learning (Latin literacy and medical

knowledge) • Keeping a record (lawcodes and histories)• Spreading the word (the Bible)• Example and exhortation (religious writings)• Telling tales (stories)• Reflection and lament (observations on life)

1 Introduction

1 Introduction

1 Introduction

1 Introduction

1 Introduction

1 Introduction

2 Verse• Rhythm ( 节奏 )• Meter ( 格律 )• Scansion / scanning ( 格律分析 )

Foot ( 音步 ) number on each line

monometer ( 一步 )dimeter ( 二步 ) trimeter ( 三步 ) tetrameter ( 四步 ) pentameter ( 五步 ) hexameter ( 六步 ) heptameter ( 七步 ) octameter ( 八步 )

| | | I wandered lonely as a cloud | | |That floats on high o’er vales and

hills, | | |When all at once I saw a crowd, | | |A host, of golden daffodils;

tetrameter ( 四步 )

2 Verse• Rhythm ( 节奏 )• Meter ( 格律 )• Scansion / scanning ( 格律分析 )

Foot ( 音步 ) number on each line

monometer ( 一步 )dimeter ( 二步 ) trimeter ( 三步 ) tetrameter ( 四步 ) pentameter ( 五步 ) hexameter ( 六步 ) heptameter ( 七步 ) octameter ( 八步 )

typeiamb ( 抑扬 )trochee ( 扬抑 )pyrrhic ( 抑抑 )spondee ( 扬扬 )anapaest ( 抑抑扬 )dactyl ( 扬抑抑 )……

x _ | x _ |x _|x _I wandered lonely as a cloud x _ | x _ | x _ | x

_That floats on high o’er vales and

hills, x _ | x _ | x _ | x _When all at once I saw a crowd,x _ | x _ | x _ | x _A host, of golden daffodils;

iambic tetrameter ( 四步

抑扬格 )

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? 能否把你比作夏日的璀璨？Thou art more lovely and more temperate: 你却比炎夏更可爱温存；Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, 狂风摧残五月花蕊娇妍，And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. 夏天匆匆离去毫不停顿。Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 苍天明眸有时过于灼热，And often is his gold complexion dimmed; 金色脸容往往蒙上阴翳；And every fair from fair sometime declines, 一切优美形象不免褪色，By chance, or natures changing course untrimmed: 偶然摧残或自然地

老去。But thy eternal summer shall not fade, 而你如仲夏繁茂不凋谢，Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; 秀雅风姿将永远翩翩；Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, 死神无法逼你气息奄

奄，When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st, 你将永生于不朽诗篇。So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, 只要人能呼吸眼不盲，So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. 这诗和你将千秋流芳。iambic pentameter ( 五步抑扬

格 )

_ ××|_ × ×| _ × ×| _ ××| _ ××| _ _

_ _ | _ _ | _ ××|_ _|_ × × | _ _

_ × × | _ × ×| _ × ×| _ ×× | _ × × | _ _

_ × ×|_ × ×|_ ××| _ ××| _ × × | _ _

_ _ | _ × ×|_ _ | _ × × |_ × × |_ _

—— The Iliad (6:145-149)

提丢斯的勇猛的儿子，你何必问我的家世？ 正如树叶荣枯，人类的世代也如此。 秋风将枯叶撒落一地，春天来到 林中又会萌发许多新的绿叶， 人类也是如此，一代出生一代凋零。

dactylic hexameter (heroic hexameter)

( 六步长短短格，即六步英雄格 ) _ ××| _ ××| _ ××| _ ××| _ ××| _ _

( “_ ××” 可由 “ _ _” 替代 )

Old English meter

rād and rǣNdde, rincum tǣNchterode and counselled, soldiers taught

The Battle of Maldon, l. 18

hrēran mid hondum hrīmcealde sǣN, stir with hands ice-cold sea

The Wanderer, l. 4

Every line has 2 half-lines / verses, separated by a pause / caesura.

Every verse has 2 accented syllables called “beats” or “lifts”. The other syllables are unaccented or have secondary accents.

caesura

caesura

Old English meter

5 types

a half-line / verse

A: / X ( X X X X ) / X

B: ( X X X X ) X / X ( X ) /

C: ( X X X X X ) X / / X

D: / ( X X X ) / \ X

/ ( X X X ) / X \

E: / \ X ( X ) /

Falling-falling: Anna angry

Rising-rising: And Byrhtnoth bold

Clashing: In keen conflict

Falling by stages: Ding down strongly

Broken fall: Deal death to all

Fall and rise: Each one with edge

2 Verse• Rhythm ( 节奏 )• Meter ( 格律 )• Scansion / scanning ( 格律分析 )

Foot ( 音步 ) Rhyme ( 尾韵 )

x _ | x _ |x _|x _I wandered lonely as a cloud x _ | x _ | x _ | x

_That floats on high o’er vales and

hills, x _ | x _ | x _ | x _When all at once I saw a crowd,x _ | x _ | x _ | x _A host, of golden daffodils;

A

B

A

B

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? 能否把你比作夏日的璀璨？Thou art more lovely and more temperate: 你却比炎夏更可爱温存；Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, 狂风摧残五月花蕊娇妍，And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. 夏天匆匆离去毫不停顿。Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 苍天明眸有时过于灼热，And often is his gold complexion dimmed; 金色脸容往往蒙上阴翳；And every fair from fair sometime declines, 一切优美形象不免褪色，By chance, or natures changing course untrimmed: 偶然摧残或自然地老

去。But thy eternal summer shall not fade, 而你如仲夏繁茂不凋谢，Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; 秀雅风姿将永远翩翩；Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, 死神无法逼你气息奄奄，When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st, 你将永生于不朽诗篇。So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, 只要人能呼吸眼不盲，So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. 这诗和你将千秋流芳。

A

B

A

B

C

D

C

D

E

F

E

F

G

G

2 Verse• Rhythm ( 节奏 )• Meter ( 格律 )• Scansion / scanning ( 格律分析 )

Foot ( 音步 ) Rhyme ( 尾韵 ) Alliteration ( 头韵 ) pride and prejudice sense and sensibility Les Maures et la mer montent jusques au port

Old English meter

rād and rǣNdde, rincum tǣNchterode and counselled, soldiers taught

The Battle of Maldon, l. 18

hrēran mid hondum hrīmcealde sǣN, stir with hands ice-cold sea

The Wanderer, l. 4

One of the 2 accented syllables in the 1st verse must alliterate with the 1st accented syllable of the 2nd verse.

Old English meter

Sende ðā se sǣNrinc sūðerne gār, sent then the warrior southern spear

The Battle of Maldon, l. 134

Stōdon stǣdefǣste; stihte hī Byrhtnōð, stood steadfast urged them Birhtnoth

The Battle of Maldon, l. 127

ēce dryhten ōr onstealdeeternal Lord beginning established

Cǣdmon’s Hymn, l. 4

2 Verse

Beowulf• Earliest epic poem in English• Story setting: Denmark and Geatland (southern Sweden) 6th- 10th centuries• Authorship: probably started orally after c.520 modified by later generations after conversion written down in the early 700’s surviving copy made in c.1000• Language: West Saxon, with Anglian/Mercian characteristics

Hwǣt! We Gardena in geardagum, þeodcyninga, þrym gefrunon, hu ða ǣþelingas ellen fremedon.

Hwǣt! Wē Gār-Dena in gēardagum, spear-Danes’ year-days (days of yore)þēodcyninga, þrym gefrūnon, nation-kings’ glory heardhū ðā ǣþelingas ellen fremedon. how then princes valour performedOft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum,Often Shield Sheaf’s-son enemy’s crowd monegum mǣNgþum, meodosetla oftēah,

5 many nations mead-benches deprivedegsode eorlas. Syððan ǣNrest wearð terrified warriors After first becamefēasceaft funden, hē þǣs frōfre gebād, destitute found for-that consolation experiencedwēox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þāh, grew clouds honours thoughoðþǣt him ǣNghwylc þāra ymbsittendra until each of-those neighbouring(-nations)ofer hronrāde hyNran scolde, 10over whale-road hear (=obey) should (=must)gomban gyldan. þǣt wǣs gōd cyning! tribute yield

So. The Spear-Danes in days gone by

and the kings who ruled them had courage and greatness.

We have heard of those princes’ heroic campaigns.

There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,

a wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.

This terror of the hall-troops had come far.

A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on

as his powers waxed and his worth was proved.

In the end each clan on the outlying coasts

beyond the whale-road had to yield to him

and begin to pay tribute. That was one good king.

Translated by Seamus Heaney

Hwǣt! Wē Gār-Dena in gēardagum, spear-Danes’ year-days (days of yore)þēodcyninga, þrym gefrūnon, nation-kings’ glory heardhū ðā ǣþelingas ellen fremedon. how then princes valour performedOft Scyld Scēfing sceaþena þrēatum,Often Shield Sheaf’s-son enemy’s crowd monegum mǣNgþum, meodosetla oftēah,

5 many nations mead-benches deprivedegsode eorlas. Syððan ǣNrest wearð terrified warriors After first becamefēasceaft funden, hē þǣs frōfre gebād, destitute found for-that consolation experiencedwēox under wolcnum, weorðmyndum þāh, grew clouds honours thoughoðþǣt him ǣNghwylc þāra ymbsittendra until each of-those neighbouring(-nations)ofer hronrāde hyNran scolde, 10over whale-road hear (=obey) should (=must)gomban gyldan. þǣt wǣs gōd cyning! tribute yield

听哪，

谁不知丹麦王公当年的荣耀，

首领们如何各逞英豪！

多少次，向敌军丛中

“ 麦束之子”希尔德夺来酒宴的宝座。

威镇众酋，他本是孤苦零丁

一个弃婴，自己蠃来的后福。

飞云渺渺，他

一天天长大，受人敬重，

直至鲸鱼之路四邻的部族

纷纷向他俯首纳贡：

　　　　　　　　　好一个大王！

（冯象译）

Kennings (metaphoric expressions)• Sea hronrād (whale-road) segÎl-rād (sail-road) hwǣl-wegÎ (whale-way) swan-rād (swan-road)• Sun heofon-candel (sky-candle) heofones gÎim (sky’s jewel)

Hie dygel lond warigeað, wulfhleoþu, windige nǣssas, frecne fengelad, ðǣr fyrgenstream under nǣssa genipu niþer gewiteð,

flod under foldan. Nis þǣt feor heonon milgemearces þǣt se mere standeð; ofer þæm hongiað hrinde

bearwas, wudu wyrtum fæst wæter

oferhelmað. þær mæg nihta gehwæm

niðwundor seon,

fyr on flode. No þǣs frod leofað gumena bearna, þæt þone grund

wite;

ðeah þe hæðstapa hundum geswenced,

heorot hornum trum, holtwudu sece,

feorran geflymed, ǣr he feorh seleð,

aldor on ofre, ǣr he in wille hafelan hydan. Nis þæt heoru

stow!

þonon yðgeblond up astigeð

won to wolcnum, þonne wind styreþ, lað gewidru, oðþǣt lyft drysmaþ,

roderas reotað.

ll. 1357-1376

Hie dygel lond secret landwarigeað, wulfhleoþu, windige nǣssas, occupy wolf-shelter windy headlandsfrecne fengelad, ðǣr fyrgenstreamdangerous marsh-paths mountain-streamunder nǣssa genipu niþer gewiteð, headlands mists downwards departsflod under foldan. Nis þǣt feor heononflood ground not-is far from-heremilgemearces þǣt se mere standeð;measure-by-milesofer þæm hongiað hrinde bearwas, hang frosty groveswudu wyrtum fæst wæter

oferhelmað.wood roots steady

overshadowþær mæg nihta gehwæm

niðwundor seon, may night every earful-wonder seefyr on flode. No þǣs frod leofaðfire wise livesgumena bearna, þæt þone grund

wite; men’s sons ground

know

They inhabit uncharted country, the retreat of wolves: windy cliffs and dangerous fen paths, where a mountain stream goes down under the misty bluffs and the flood runs under the earth. It is not many miles from here that the mere stands. Over it hang frosty groves, the firmly rooted wood shadowing the water. Every night a fearful wonder can be seen there: fire on the water. There is no man alive who knows the bottom of that mere.

他们居住在神秘的处所，狼的老巢，那里是招风的绝域，险恶的沼泽地，山涧流水在雾霭中向下奔泻，进入地下，形成一股洪流。论路程那里并不遥远，不久即见一个小湖出现眼前；湖边长着经霜的灌木、树丛，扎根坚固而向水面延伸。每到夜晚，湖上就冒出火光，那景象真让人胆颤心惊。芸芸众生中没有任何智者，能将黑湖深处的奥秘探明。

ðeah þe hæðstapa hundum geswenced,

though heath-walker(=stag) hounds harassed

heorot hornum trum, holtwudu sece,

stag horns strong forest-trees seek

feorran geflymed, ǣr he feorh seleð,from-afar put-to-flight before life givesaldor on ofre, ǣr he in wille life river-bank rather-thanhafelan hydan. Nis þæt heoru

stow! head hide safe placeþonon yðgeblond up astigeð from-there surge ascendwon to wolcnum, þonne wind styreþ,dark clouds when stirs lað gewidru, oðþǣt lyft drysmaþ, hateful storms until air become-gloo

myroderas reotað. skies weep

Although the antlered hart, when pursued by hounds and driven far over the heath, may seek out the forest, still he will sooner give up his life on the bank than jump in to save his head. That is not a safe place. There surging water rises up dark towards the clouds when wind stirs up hateful storms, until the air becomes gloomy and the heavens weep.

任何野兽或长角的雄鹿，既便被猎狗追赶，跑进这片灌木，也会远远逃走，宁可让性命丧失在沙洲，也不愿投入湖中寻求庇护。这里的确不是一个好处所！湖中浊浪翻腾，黑雾直升云端，天空变得朦胧阴沉，整个世界为之恸哭失声！

The Sutton Hoo ship burial

Great buckle

Shoulder clasp

Purse lid

3 Prose• Religious Translations of the Bible Homilies, sermons, hagiographies

• Secular Laws Histories Stories etc.

Þyslic me is gesewen, þu cyning, þis andwearde lif manna on eorðan to wiðmetenesse þǣre tide, þe us uncuð is: swylc swa þu ǣt swǣsendum sitte mid þinum ealdormannum & þegnum on wintertide, & sie fyr onǣlǣd & þin heall gewyrmed, & hit rine & sniwe & styrme ute; cume an spearwa & hrǣdlice þǣt hus þurhfleo, cume þurh oþre duru in þurh oþre ut gewite.

O king, this present life of men on earth, in comparison with the time that is unknown to us, seems to me as if you were sitting feasting with your chief men and followers in wintertime and a fire was kindled and your hall warmed and it rained and it snowed and it stormed outside; and there came a sparrow and swiftly flew through the house, and it came in through one door and out through another.

Now during the time that it is inside, it is not touched with the storm of winter, but that is for a twinkling of an eye and the smallest moment of time, but it immediately goes from winter into winter again. So then this life of man appears for but a little while; what goes before or what comes after, we know not. So, if this new doctrine reports anything more certain or apt, it deserves to be followed.

Hwǣt, he on þa tid, þe he inne bið, ne bið hrinen mid þy storme þǣs wintres; ac þǣt bið an eagan bryhtm & þǣt lǣsste fǣc, ac he sona of wintra on þone winter eft cymeð. Swa þonne þis monna lif to medmiclum fǣce ǣtyweð; hwǣt þǣr foregange, oððe hwǣt þǣr ǣfterfylige, we ne cunnun. For ðon gif þeos lar owiht cuðlicre & gerisenlicre brenge, þǣs weorþe is þǣt we þǣre fylgen.

Bede: Ecclesiastical History of the English People