p. 87

The Exeter Book940 (copied 975)

Riddles from the Exeter BookSilent is my dress when I step across the earth,reside in my house, or ruffle the waters.Sometimes my adornments and this high windy airlift me over the living of men,the power of the clouds carries me farover all people.  My white pinionsresound very loudly, ring with a melody,sing out clearly, when I sleep not onthe soil or settle on grey waters - a travelling spirit.

A Swan

I keep my snout to the ground; I burrowdeep into the earth, and churn it as I go,guided by the gray foe of the forestand by my lord, my stooping ownerwho steps behind me; he drives meover the field, supports and pushes me,broadcasts in my wake. Brought from the wood,borne on a wagon, then skillfully bound,I travel onward; I have many scars.There's a green on one flank wherever I go,on the other my tracks - black, unmistakable.A sharp weapon, rammed through my spine,hangs beneath me; another, on my head,firm and pointing forward, falls on one sideso I can tear the earth with my teethif my lord, behind me, serves me rightly.

A Plough

Wob is my name, if you work it out;I'm a fair creature fashioned for battle.When I bend, and shoot a deadly shaftfrom my stomach, I'm very eagerto send that evil as far away as I can.When my lord (he thought up this torment)releases my limbs, I become longerand, bent upon slaughter, spit outthat deadly poison I swallowed before.No man's parted easily from the objectI describe; if what flies from my stomachstrikes him, he pays for its poisonwith his strength—speedy atonement for his life.I'll serve no master when unstrung, only whenI'm cunningly notched. Now guess my name.

A Bow

I saw a strange creature,a bright ship of the air subtly adorned,bearing away plunder between her horns,fetching it home from a foray.She wanted to build a bower in the stronghold,construct it with cunning if she could do so.Then a mighty creature appeared over the mountain-- his face is known to all dwellers on earth;he seized the treasure and sent home the wandereragainst her will; she went westward,vowing revenge, hastening forth.Dust lifted to heaven; dew fell on the earth,Night fled hence; and no one knewThereafter, where that creature went.

The Moon and the Sun

This world is adorned in diverse ways,decorated with rare ornaments.I saw a strange contraption, a fine traveler,grind against the grit and move, screaming.The strange creature couldn't see; it hadno shoulders, arms or hands; this oddityhas to move on one foot, travel fastover the salt-fields. It had many ribs,and a mouth in its middle, useful to men.It carries food in plenty, performs a service,each year it yields men a gift usedby rich and poor. Tell me if you can, O man of wise words, what this creature is.

A Ship

ElegyA poem that mourns the death of a person or

laments something lostElegiac (adj.)

What are some things (other than life itself) that can “lost”?In what ways do the opening lines suggest an elegy?

AllegoryA story in which the characters, settings, and events

stand for abstract or moral conceptsHas a literal meaning and a symbolic meaningA popular form of literature in the Middle Ages

Example: Animal Farm (a representation of the rise and effects of socialism after the Russian Revolution)

Example: The Pilgrim’s Progress (recounts the adventures of a character named Christian; the hero’s journey to the Celestial City brings him up against many trials that symbolize the pitfalls facing he Christian traveling through this world and toward the spiritual world)

Focus QuestionA sense of sadness over the harshness and transience of earthly life is evident in the heroic poem Beowulf. As you read this poem, ask yourself: How does “The Seafarer” reflect a similar view of the world?

Transient: passing especially quickly into and out of existence

Preparing to ReadYou may expect a narrative instead of reflections. The poem is not a story but a look at life from the point of view of someone who has known great hardship and suffering. Look at the first two pages and answer the 5 W’s:Who is the main character?What is the poem about?Where does the poem take place?When does it take place?Why does the speaker return to the sea?

Preparing to ReadHave you ever felt torn between a desire to

be safe and a desire for adventure? Which usually calls to you more loudly?

Have you ever loved and hated, desired and dreaded something at the same time?

Lines 1-26What imagery is used to describe the sea and

the land?Land Sea

Lines 27-64How does the speaker reveal his complex

attitude toward the sea?

He feels __________________ and/but __________________________

Response Questions1. How does the poem shift on line 64?

2. What does the speaker believe about life (p. 89)?

3. What does he believe about wealth (p. 89)?

4. What are the three threats of Fate (p. 89)?

5. Identify elements of Anglo-Saxon and Christian influence on p. 89.

6. How does the poem show elements of an elegy starting on line 80?

7. What is being mourned? Provide specific lines to describe what is lost.

8. What does the speaker mean when he says, “All glory is tarnished” (p. 90)?

9. How does the speaker contrast past and present?

10.What is the speaker saying about gold on p. 90?

11.What might the speaker mean about he “who lives humbly,” and how does this connect to the first section of the poem (p. 90)?

12.Where are Anglo-Saxon and Christian elements connected on p. 91?

13.What are two possible meanings for the speaker’s “home” (p. 91)?