The Cambridge Old English ReaderThis reader remains the only major new reader of Old English prose and verse in the past forty years. The second edition is extensively revised throughout, with the addition of a new 'Beginning Old English' section for newcomers to the Old English language, along with a new extract from Beowulf. The fifty-seven individual texts include established favourites such as The Battle of Maldon and Wulfstan's Sermon of the Wolf, as well as others not otherwise readily available, such as an extract from Apollonius of Tyre. Modern English glosses for every prose-passage and poem are provided on the same page as the text, along with extensive notes. A succinct reference grammar is appended, along with guides to pronunciation and to grammatical terminology. A comprehensive glossary lists and analyses all the Old English words that occur in the book. Headnotes to each of the six text sections, and to every individual text, establish their literary and historical contexts, and illustrate the rich cultural variety of Anglo-Saxon England. This second edition is an accessible and scholarly introduction to Old English. |
Contents
BEGINNING OLD ENGLISH | 1 |
Practice texts | 23 |
THE TEXTS | 35 |
Keeping a record | 79 |
Spreading the word | 139 |
Example and exhortation | 201 |
Bedes Death Song | 203 |
a Northumbrian version | 205 |
The Battle of Maldon | 287 |
Beowulf | 306 |
a Grendels Last Attack Beowulf lines 702924 | 309 |
b The Tragedy of Hildeburh Beowulf lines 10631159 | 321 |
c The Slaying of Grendels Mother Beowulf lines 14921590 | 327 |
The Fight at Finnsburh | 334 |
Reflection and lament | 341 |
Truth is Trickiest Maxims II | 344 |
Two Holy Women | 206 |
a Saint Æthelthryth from Ælfrics Lives of Saints | 207 |
b Saint Eugenia from the Old English Martyrology | 214 |
A Homily for Easter Sunday from Ælfrics Sermones catholicae | 217 |
The Dream of the Rood | 228 |
On False Gods Wulfstans De falsis deis | 239 |
The Sermon of the Wolf Wulfstans Sermo Lupi | 245 |
The Seafarer | 257 |
Telling tales | 267 |
Falling in Love from Apollonius of Tyre | 269 |
The Trees of the Sun and the Moon from the Letter of Alexander | 275 |
annal | 281 |
The Durham Proverbs | 350 |
Five AngloSaxon Riddles | 358 |
a Shield | 360 |
b Swan | 361 |
d Bible | 362 |
e Bookworm | 364 |
Deor | 365 |
Wulf and Eadwacer | 383 |
The writing and pronunciation of Old English | 403 |
Glossary | 451 |
Guide to terms | 571 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
adjectives aefter Ælfric àer Æthelthryth Anglo-Saxon Anglo-Saxon England baet baet hé battle Battle of Maldon beornas Beowulf biö bonne burh Byrhtnoth Christ Christian comp conj cwaeó Cyneheard Cynewulf cyning daeg éac ealdorman ealle eallum eoróan faeder fela folc God’s Godes Grendel haefde Hengest héo heora hine hwaet inflection instr king Latin maeg mannum manuscript masc mihte ModE ModF noun Öā Öaet Öām ofer Old English paes paet påm pår påre poem pr1p pr3p pr3s prls pron pronoun pt3p pt3s sbjpr3s sceal séo subj swā swā swā texts trans translation verb vowel waron warrior wið wolde word Wulf and Eadwacer