Elegy Oxford English Dictionary: A mournful poem A song of lamentation, esp. a funeral song or lament for the dead

Greek elegy Latin elegy Themes: fleeting youth horror for the oncoming old age passing of time and of love Lament for a lost past Latin elegy Themes: love – celebration of the poet’s love, which is everlasting; suffering for love – the woman is unfaithful

Old English Elegy Themes: exile loss of loved ones desolation of the world transience of worldly joys

Elegy Introduction An elegy is a lament for someone or something that has been lost, often to death. The Anglo-Saxons often used the elegiac mood in their writings; these poems are mournful, haunting, and plangent. "The Wife's Lament" shares with "The Seafarer" and "The Wanderer" several characteristics, such as having a solitary narrator speaking of exile, hostile forces, and the sea,

Translated by Burton Raffel Composed by an unknown poet The Seafarer Translated by Burton Raffel Composed by an unknown poet

The Seafarer Part of The Exeter Book- was given to Exeter Cathedral in the 11th century. It contained a collection of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. Anonymous poem of uncertain date Lyrical Expresses a speaker’s personal thoughts or feelings Elegiac Poem of mourning, usually over the death of an individual

The Seafarer Can be considered an elegy, or mournful, contemplative poem. Can also be considered a planctus, or “complaint.” This would involve a fictional speaker and a subject that may be loss other than death. Regardless, the expression of strong emotion is the key.

The Seafarer A wraecca tells his tale; he is at sea. (A “wraecca” was a person who had been exiled from his community.) Poem highlights the balance between the Anglo-Saxon belief in fate, where everything is grim and overpowering, and the Christian believer’s reliance on God.

The Seafarer What the poem has that most Anglo-Saxon poems also have: Caesuras – pause in a line Alliteration joins the 2 parts of the line Kennings – metaphorical phrases

Kennings Compound (more than one word) metaphors Two word descriptions that substitute for a noun . Create striking, unexpected comparisons

The Seafarer Point of View First Person The Seafarer-An old sailor

The Seafarer Characterization Courageous Fearful Thoughtful Reflective Religious Proud

The Seafarer Literary Structure Caesura and alliteration in action “The only sound / was the roaring sea” Kennings “coldest seeds” = hail “givers of gold” = Anglo-Saxon kings

The Wife’s Lament Translated by Ann Stanford Composed by an unknown poet

The Wife’s Lament Introduction "The Wife's Lament" is one of the most important Anglo-Saxon elegies. This rather short poem of 53 lines is another addition from the Exter book. This Anglo-Saxon poem is an Old English frauenlied, or woman's song, is mainly concerned with the expression of grief from the female speaker. Our female speaker has just recently lost his husband, and mourns his death. She is also the protagonist of the poem.

The Wife’s Lament Point of View First person- the Wife Setting The Woods

The End

“The Wife’s Lament” and “Yesterday” Comparison

Yesterday, the Beatles Yesterday, All my troubles seemed so far away, Now it looks as though they're here to stay, Oh, I believe in yesterday. Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be, There's a shadow hanging over me, Oh, yesterday came suddenly. Why she Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said, Something wrong, now I long for yesterday. Yesterday, Love was such an easy game to play, Now I need a place to hide away, Oh, I believe in yesterday. Why she Had to go I don't know, she wouldn't say. I said, Something wrong, now I long for yesterday. Yesterday, Love was such an easy game to play, Now I need a place to hide away, Oh, I believe in yesterday. Mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm-mm.

Mood In “Yesterday,” the mood is sad and regretful. This is evident in the following line, “There's a shadow hanging over me.” Here, the speaker shows how gloomy and dark his situation is and how he truly feels inside. The mood in “The Wife’s Lament” is also dark and sad. These lines show the sadness of her lost: “The valleys are dark the hills high/ the yard overgrown bitter with briars / joyless dwelling.” In these lines, the details about the setting and the imagery paints a picture of her sorrow in the poem.

Theme of Empathy The theme of “Yesterday” is a man’s loss of the love from his wife and his suffering from their break up. He expresses how he is not the same without her. He still has hope, however, for what once was yesterday to be once again. The pain he is feeling is universal. Even though many people experience this, it doesn’t lessen the pain felt by a person when this happens. In “The Wife’s Lament,” We empathy towards the wife because of the separation that has been forced upon her by her husband’s family. It would be incredibly hard to feel so alone in the world.

Why are they elegies? “The Wife’s Lament” is a reflection of how this woman misses her relationship with her husband. She expresses the pain of loss for what once was and is grieving about the fact that it is gone. “Yesterday” is a testimony of a breakup that he wishes never happened. In this testimony, he expresses how he misses his woman’s love and their relationship. He regrets what happened and wants it back the way it was before they split up.

Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen I had a friend was a big baseball player back in high school He could throw that speedball by you Make you look like a fool boy Saw him the other night at this roadside bar I was walking in, he was walking out We went back inside sat down had a few drinks but all he kept talking about was Well there's a girl that lives up the block back in school she could turn all the boy's heads Sometimes on a Friday I'll stop by and have a few drinks after she put her kids to bed Her and her husband Bobby well they split up I guess it's two years gone by now We just sit around talking about the old times, she says when she feels like crying she starts laughing thinking about Glory days well they'll pass you by Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye Glory days, glory days

Glory Days, Bruce Springsteen My old man worked 20 years on the line and they let him go Now everywhere he goes out looking for work they just tell him that he's too old I was 9 nine years old and he was working at the Metuchen Ford plant assembly line Now he just sits on a stool down at the Legion hall but I can tell what's on his mind Now I think I'm going down to the well tonight and I'm going to drink till I get my fill And I hope when I get old I don't sit around thinking about it but I probably will Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of, well time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister but boring stories of glory days Glory days well they'll pass you by Glory days in the wink of a young girl's eye Glory days, glory days

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning, Alan Jackson Where were you when the world stopped turnin' That September day? Out in the yard with your wife and children Or workin' on some stage in L.A.? Did you stand there in shock at the sight of that black smoke Risin' against that blue sky? Did you shout out in anger, in fear for your neighbor, Or did you just sit down and cry? Did you weep for the children, they lost their dear loved ones, Pray for the ones who don't know? Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble And sob for the ones left below? Did you burst out in pride for the red, white, and blue And heroes who died just doin' what they do? Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer And look at yourself and what really matters?

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning, Alan Jackson Where were you when the world stopped turnin' That September day? Teachin' a class full of innocent children Or drivin' on some cold interstate? Did you feel guilty 'cause you're a survivor? In a crowded room did you feel alone? Did you call up your mother and tell her you love her? Did you dust off that Bible at home? Did you open your eyes and hope it never happened, Close your eyes and not go to sleep? Did you notice the sunset for the first time in ages And speak to some stranger on the street? Did you lay down at night and think of tomorrow, Go out and buy you a gun? Did you turn off that violent old movie you're watchin' And turn on ""I Love Lucy"" reruns? Did you go to a church and hold hands with some stranger, Stand in line to give your own blood? Did you just stay home and cling tight to your fam'ly, Thank God you had somebody to love?

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning, Alan Jackson I'm just a singer of simple songs. I'm not a real political man. I watch CNN, but I'm not sure I can tell you The diff'rence in Iraq and Iran. But I know Jesus and I talk to God, And I remember this from when I was young: Faith, hope, and love are some good things He gave us And the greatest is love. And the greatest is love, And the greatest is love. Where were you when the world stopped turnin' That September day?

Translated by Charles W. Kennedy The Wanderer Translated by Charles W. Kennedy

The Wanderer This work is considered the most nearly perfect in form and feeling of all the surviving Old English poems.

The Wanderer Dates back to 700 AD when Scandinavia was in upheaval. Immigrants used songs and poems to keep their homelands “alive.”

Exile = separation from one’s home or native country For an Anglo-Saxon warrior this meant losing his Lord and his mead hall.

a word meaning “wretch, stranger, unhappy man, and wanderer” Wraecca a word meaning “wretch, stranger, unhappy man, and wanderer”

Literary Terms you need to know Stoicism Tone Litotes Motif

Stoicism a state where a human does not show or feel any emotion – completely indifferent, not just hiding feelings

Tone the attitude of a literary work toward its subject and the audience (formal vs. informal, humorous vs. serious)

Litotes a characteristic figure of speech in Old English poetry – a form of understatement in which a thing is affirmed by stating the negative of its opposite (think double negative) (ie. She was not unkind = She was kind)

Motif a recurring literary element that serves as the basis for expanding the narrative (music – When it is heard, the couple falls in love.)

First motif found in The Wanderer Ubi sunt que ante nos fuerunt? (Latin for – Where are they who before us went?) Lines 90 – 94 They are nostalgic or seeking the past.

Second motif found in The Wanderer Mutability = the inevitability of change. Things are going to change. This is at odds with the concept of nostalgia. As a result, this poem has 2 conflicting motifs in action.

The Wanderer in a nutshell A stoic wraecca is at sea remembering the mead hall and his lost life.

Reading Poetry Don’t stop at the end of a line, stop at the punctuation mark. The end of the line has to do with the “beat” of the line; it has nothing to do with the “meaning” of the line. Reading to the punctuation mark is called enjambment.

The Seafarer The land represents safety and security. The sea represents hardship and struggle, but the man is drawn to it because it brings him closer to God. The sea represents the power of God. “Home” represents heaven or being closer to God.

The Seafarer Imagery The Sea Initially, the sea is portrayed as something that causes pain and suffering “smashing surf” (6)

The Seafarer Imagery “…swept me back And forth in sorrow and fear and pain Showed me suffering in a hundred ships In a thousand ports, and in me” (2-5)

The Seafarer Imagery The negative aspects of the sea result in loneliness

The Seafarer Imagery “…drifting through winter On an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow, Alone in a world blown clear of love, Hung with icicles.” (14-17)

The Seafarer Imagery “The song of the swan Might serve for pleasure, the cry of the sea-fowl, The death-noise of birds instead of laughter, The mewing of gulls instead of mead.” (19-22) Replacements of human companionship

The Seafarer Imagery “No kinsman could offer comfort there, To a soul left drowning in desolation.” (25-26) Religious allusion Conflict between the rigors of religious life (sea) and the delights of worldly life (shore)

The Seafarer Imagery Although a negative description has been presented, the speaker longs for the sea in the second stanza. “I put myself back on the paths of the sea.” (30)

The Seafarer Imagery “And how my heart Would begin to beat, knowing once more The salt waves tossing the towering sea!” (33-35)

The Seafarer Imagery “The time for journeys would come and my soul Called me eagerly out, sent me over The horizon, seeking foreigner’s homes.” (36-38) The sea calls his soul Another religious reference?

The Seafarer Final Stanza: Theme “Fate is stronger And God mightier than any man’s mind. Our thoughts should turn to where our home is, Consider the ways of coming there, Then strive for sure permission for us To rise to that eternal joy, That life born in the love of God And the hope of Heaven. Praise the Holy Grace of Him who honored us, Eternal, unchanging creator of earth. Amen.” (115-124)

The Seafarer Final Stanza: Theme Metaphor Ocean=Heaven Way is difficult, but worth while Shore/Land=Earthly Desires & Temptations Easy, relaxing, but ultimately unfulfilling

The Seafarer Final Stanza: Theme Diction “home” Land/shore? Heaven?