**"The Seafarer" & "The Wanderer"**

Exeter Book No Biography

The Exeter Book is the largest extant collection of Old English poetry. Copied c. 975, the manuscript was given to Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric (died 1072). It begins with some long religious poems: the Christ, in three parts; two poems on St. Guthlac; the fragmentary "Azarius"; and the allegorical Phoenix. Following these are a number of shorter religious verses intermingled with poems of types that have survived only in this codex. All the extant Anglo-Saxon lyrics, or elegies, as they are usually called--"The Wanderer," "The Seafarer," "The Wife's Lament," "The Husband's Message," and "The Ruin"--are found here. These are secular poems evoking a poignant sense of desolation and loneliness in their descriptions of the separation of lovers, the sorrows of exile, or the terrors and attractions of the sea, although some of them--e.g., "The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer"--also carry the weight of religious allegory. In addition, the Exeter Book preserves 95 riddles, a genre that would otherwise have been represented by a solitary example.
The remaining part of the Exeter Book includes "The Rhyming Poem," which is the only example of its kind; the gnomic verses; "Widsith," the heroic narrative of a fictitious bard; and the two refrain poems, "Deor" and "Wulf and Eadwacer." The arrangement of the poems appears to be haphazard, and thebook is believed to be copied from an earlier collection.

**Exeter Book No Biography**
The Exeter Book is the largest extant collection of Old English poetry. Copied c. 975, the manuscript was given to Exeter Cathedral by Bishop Leofric (died 1072). It begins with some long religious poems: the Christ, in three parts; two poems on St. Guthlac; the fragmentary "Azarius"; and the allegorical Phoenix. Following these are a number of shorter religious verses intermingled with poems of types that have survived only in this codex. All the extant Anglo-Saxon lyrics, or elegies, as they are usually called--"The Wanderer," "The Seafarer," "The Wife's Lament," "The Husband's Message," and "The Ruin"--are found here. These are secular poems evoking a poignant sense of desolation and loneliness in their descriptions of the separation of lovers, the sorrows of exile, or the terrors and attractions of the sea, although some of them--e.g., "The Wanderer" and "The Seafarer"--also carry the weight of religious allegory. In addition, the Exeter Book preserves 95 riddles, a genre that would otherwise have been represented by a solitary example. The remaining part of the Exeter Book includes "The Rhyming Poem," which is the only example of its kind; the gnomic verses; "Widsith," the heroic narrative of a fictitious bard; and the two refrain poems, "Deor" and "Wulf and Eadwacer." The arrangement of the poems appears to be haphazard, and thebook is believed to be copied from an earlier collection.

"The Seafarer"

This tale is true, and mine. It tells
How the sea took me, 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. It tells (5)
Of smashing surf when I sweated in the cold
Of an anxious watch, perched in the bow
As it dashed under cliffs. My feet were cast
In icy bands, bound with frost,
With frozen chains, and hardship groaned (10)
Around my heart. Hunger tore
At my sea-weary soul. No man sheltered
On the quiet fairness of earth can feel
How wretched I was, drifting through winter
On an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow, (15)
Alone in a world blown clear of love,
Hung with icicles. The hailstorms flew.
The only sound was the roaring sea,
The freezing waves. The song of the swan
Might serve for pleasure, the cry of the sea-fowl, (20)
The death-noise of birds instead of laughter,
The mewing of gulls instead of mead.
Storms beat on the rocky cliffs and were echoed
By icy-feathered terns and the eagle's screams;
No kinsman could offer comfort there, (25)
To a soul left drowning in desolation.

And who could believe, knowing but
The passion of cities, swelled proud with wine
And no taste of misfortune, how often, how wearily,
I put myself back on the paths of the sea. (30)
Night would blacken; It would snow from the north;
Frost bound the earth and hail would fall,
The coldest seeds. And how my heart
Would begin to beat, knowing once more
The salt waves tossing and the towering sea! (35)
The time for journeys would come and my soul
Called me eagerly out, sent me over
The horizon, seeking foreigners' homes.
But there isn't a man on earth so proud,
So born to greatness, so bold with his youth, (40)
Grown so brave, or so graced by God,
That he feels no fear as the sails unfurl,
Wondering what Fate has willed and will do.
No harps ring in his heart, no rewards,
No passion for women, no worldly pleasures, (45)
Nothing, only the ocean's heave;
But longing wraps itself around him.
Orchards blossom, the towns bloom,
Fields grow lovely as the world springs fresh,
And all these admonish that willing mind (50)
Leaping to journeys, always set
In thoughts traveling on a quickening tide.
So summer's sentinel, the cuckoo, sings
In his murmuring voice, and our hearts mourn
As he urges. Who could understand, (55)
In ignorant ease, what we others suffer
As the paths of exile stretch endlessly on?
And yet my heart wanders away,
My soul roams with the sea, the whales'
Home, wandering to the widest corners (60)
Of the world, returning ravenous with desire,
Flying solitary, screaming, exciting me
To the open ocean, breaking oaths
On the curve of a wave.
Thus the joys of God
Are fervent with life, where life itself (65)
Fades quickly into the earth. The wealth
Of the world neither reaches to Heaven nor remains.
No man has ever faced the dawn
Certain which of Fate's three threats
Would fall: illness, or age, or an enemy's (70)
Sword, snatching the life from his soul.
The praise the living pour on the dead
Flowers from reputation: plant
An earthly life of profit reaped
Even from hatred and rancor, of bravery (75)
Flung in the devil's face, and death
Can only bring you earthly praise
And a song to celebrate a place
With the angels, life eternally blessed
In the hosts of Heaven.
The days are gone (80)
When the kingdoms of earth flourished in glory;
Now there are no rulers, no emperors,
No givers of gold, as once there were,
When wonderful things were worked among them
And they lived in lordly magnificence. (85)
Those powers have vanished, those pleasures are dead.
The weakest survives and the world continues,
Kept spinning by toil. All glory is tarnished.
The world's honor ages and shrinks,
Bent like the men who mold it. Their faces (90)
Blanch as time advances, their beards
Wither and they mourn the memory of friends.
The sons of princes, sown in the dust.
The soul stripped of Its flesh knows nothing
Of sweetness or sour, feels no pain, (95)
Bends neither its hand nor Its brain. A brother
Opens his palms and pours down gold
On his kinsman's grave, strewing his coffin
With treasures intended for Heaven, but nothing
Golden shakes the wrath of God (100)
For a soul overflowing with sin, and nothing
Hidden on earth rises to Heaven.
We all fear God. He turns the earth,
He set it swinging firmly in space,
Gave life to the world and light to the sky. (105)
Death leaps at the fools who forget their God.
He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven
To carry him courage and strength and belief.
A man must conquer pride, not kill It,
Be firm with his fellows, chaste for himself, (110)
Treat all the world as the world deserves,
With love or with hate but never with harm,
Though an enemy seek to scorch him in hell,
Or set the flames of a funeral pyre
Under his lord. Fate Is stronger (115)
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, (120)
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.

**"The Seafarer"**
This tale is true, and mine. It tells How the sea took me, 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. It tells (5) Of smashing surf when I sweated in the cold Of an anxious watch, perched in the bow As it dashed under cliffs. My feet were cast In icy bands, bound with frost, With frozen chains, and hardship groaned (10) Around my heart. Hunger tore At my sea-weary soul. No man sheltered On the quiet fairness of earth can feel How wretched I was, drifting through winter On an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow, (15) Alone in a world blown clear of love, Hung with icicles. The hailstorms flew. The only sound was the roaring sea, The freezing waves. The song of the swan Might serve for pleasure, the cry of the sea-fowl, (20) The death-noise of birds instead of laughter, The mewing of gulls instead of mead. Storms beat on the rocky cliffs and were echoed By icy-feathered terns and the eagle's screams; No kinsman could offer comfort there, (25) To a soul left drowning in desolation. And who could believe, knowing but The passion of cities, swelled proud with wine And no taste of misfortune, how often, how wearily, I put myself back on the paths of the sea. (30) Night would blacken; It would snow from the north; Frost bound the earth and hail would fall, The coldest seeds. And how my heart Would begin to beat, knowing once more The salt waves tossing and the towering sea! (35) The time for journeys would come and my soul Called me eagerly out, sent me over The horizon, seeking foreigners' homes. But there isn't a man on earth so proud, So born to greatness, so bold with his youth, (40) Grown so brave, or so graced by God, That he feels no fear as the sails unfurl, Wondering what Fate has willed and will do. No harps ring in his heart, no rewards, No passion for women, no worldly pleasures, (45) Nothing, only the ocean's heave; But longing wraps itself around him. Orchards blossom, the towns bloom, Fields grow lovely as the world springs fresh, And all these admonish that willing mind (50) Leaping to journeys, always set In thoughts traveling on a quickening tide. So summer's sentinel, the cuckoo, sings In his murmuring voice, and our hearts mourn As he urges. Who could understand, (55) In ignorant ease, what we others suffer As the paths of exile stretch endlessly on? And yet my heart wanders away, My soul roams with the sea, the whales' Home, wandering to the widest corners (60) Of the world, returning ravenous with desire, Flying solitary, screaming, exciting me To the open ocean, breaking oaths On the curve of a wave. Thus the joys of God Are fervent with life, where life itself (65) Fades quickly into the earth. The wealth Of the world neither reaches to Heaven nor remains. No man has ever faced the dawn Certain which of Fate's three threats Would fall: illness, or age, or an enemy's (70) Sword, snatching the life from his soul. The praise the living pour on the dead Flowers from reputation: plant An earthly life of profit reaped Even from hatred and rancor, of bravery (75) Flung in the devil's face, and death Can only bring you earthly praise And a song to celebrate a place With the angels, life eternally blessed In the hosts of Heaven. The days are gone (80) When the kingdoms of earth flourished in glory; Now there are no rulers, no emperors, No givers of gold, as once there were, When wonderful things were worked among them And they lived in lordly magnificence. (85) Those powers have vanished, those pleasures are dead. The weakest survives and the world continues, Kept spinning by toil. All glory is tarnished. The world's honor ages and shrinks, Bent like the men who mold it. Their faces (90) Blanch as time advances, their beards Wither and they mourn the memory of friends. The sons of princes, sown in the dust. The soul stripped of Its flesh knows nothing Of sweetness or sour, feels no pain, (95) Bends neither its hand nor Its brain. A brother Opens his palms and pours down gold On his kinsman's grave, strewing his coffin With treasures intended for Heaven, but nothing Golden shakes the wrath of God (100) For a soul overflowing with sin, and nothing Hidden on earth rises to Heaven. We all fear God. He turns the earth, He set it swinging firmly in space, Gave life to the world and light to the sky. (105) Death leaps at the fools who forget their God. He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven To carry him courage and strength and belief. A man must conquer pride, not kill It, Be firm with his fellows, chaste for himself, (110) Treat all the world as the world deserves, With love or with hate but never with harm, Though an enemy seek to scorch him in hell, Or set the flames of a funeral pyre Under his lord. Fate Is stronger (115) 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, (120) 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.

"The Seafarer" Discussion Questions

Recall
1. What hardships of life at sea does the speaker describe at the beginning of the poem (lines 1-26)?
2. How does the speaker feel when he sees the IIsails unfurlll and leaves the shore?
3. What pleasures of life on land does the speaker mention?
4. What does the speaker say is different about life in his time as compared with life in the past?
5. The speaker ends the poem by providing advice to the reader (lines 106-124). What is the advice the speaker gives?
Interpret
6. What mood, or atmosphere, is created in lines 1-26?
7. What part might fate play in the speaker's attitudes about the dangers of life at sea?
8.. In your opinion, does the speaker long for a comfortable life on land or does he go willingly to sea? Support your answer with examples from the poem.
9. What does the speaker's attitude toward the past say about his feelings toward life during the time in which he lives?
10. In line 117, the speaker mentions thoughts that "turn to where our home is." To what home do you think the speaker is referring?
Evaluate and Connect
11. Which part of the poem do you prefer-the sections before line 65 or the sections after? Give reasons for your answer.
12. How is the speaker lIat seall both literally and figuratively? Do you find the sea to be an effective symbol? (See page RI6.) Explain your answer.
13. Compare the feelings you described during the Reading Focus on page 87 with the emotions the speaker feels about returning to the seafaring life. Did your experience help you to better understand the spe~ker's mixed emotions? Explain why or why not.
14. Summarize the message, or theme, of "The Seafarer.1I
15. In your opinion, does this elegy express the speaker's conflicting emotions effectively? How might the poem better describe the speaker's feelings about life at sea?

**"The Seafarer" Discussion Questions**
Recall 1. What hardships of life at sea does the speaker describe at the beginning of the poem (lines 1-26)? 2. How does the speaker feel when he sees the IIsails unfurlll and leaves the shore? 3. What pleasures of life on land does the speaker mention? 4. What does the speaker say is different about life in his time as compared with life in the past? 5. The speaker ends the poem by providing advice to the reader (lines 106-124). What is the advice the speaker gives? Interpret 6. What mood, or atmosphere, is created in lines 1-26? 7. What part might fate play in the speaker's attitudes about the dangers of life at sea? 8.. In your opinion, does the speaker long for a comfortable life on land or does he go willingly to sea? Support your answer with examples from the poem. 9. What does the speaker's attitude toward the past say about his feelings toward life during the time in which he lives? 10. In line 117, the speaker mentions thoughts that "turn to where our home is." To what home do you think the speaker is referring? Evaluate and Connect 11. Which part of the poem do you prefer-the sections before line 65 or the sections after? Give reasons for your answer. 12. How is the speaker lIat seall both literally and figuratively? Do you find the sea to be an effective symbol? (See page RI6.) Explain your answer. 13. Compare the feelings you described during the Reading Focus on page 87 with the emotions the speaker feels about returning to the seafaring life. Did your experience help you to better understand the spe~ker's mixed emotions? Explain why or why not. 14. Summarize the message, or theme, of "The Seafarer.1I 15. In your opinion, does this elegy express the speaker's conflicting emotions effectively? How might the poem better describe the speaker's feelings about life at sea?

"The Wanderer"

Oft to the wanderer, weary of exile,
Cometh God's pity, compassionate love,
Though woefully toiling on wintry seas
With churning oar in the icy wave,
Homeless and helpless he fled from fate.
Thus saith the wanderer mindful of misery,
Grievous disasters, and death of kin:
"Oft when the day broke, oft at the dawning,
Lonely and wretched I wailed my woe.
No man is living, no comrade left,
To whom I dare fully unlock my heart.
I have learned truly the mark of a man
Is keeping his counsel and locking his lips,
Let him think what he will! For, woe of heart
Withstandeth not fate: a falling spirit
Earneth no help. Men eager for honor
Bury their sorrow deep in the breast.
'So have I also, often In wretchedness
Fettered my feelings, far from my kin,
Homeless and hapless, since days of old,
When the dark earth covered my dear lord's face,
And I sailed away with sorrowful heart,
Over wintry seas, seeking a gold-lord,
If far or near lived one to befriend me
With gift in the mead-hall and comfort for grief.
"Who bears it, knows what a bitter companion,
ShouIder to shoulder, sorrow can be,
When friends are no more. His fortune is exile,
Not gifts of fine gold; a heart that is frozen,
Earth's winsomeness dead. And he dreams of the hall-men,
The dealing of treasure, the days of his youth,
When his lord bade welcome to wassall and feast.
But gone is that gladness, and never again
Shall come the loved counsel of comrade and king.
"Even In slumber his sorrow assaileth,
And, dreaming he claspeth his dear lord again,
Head on knee, hand on knee, loyally laying.
Pledging his liege as in days long past.
Then from his slumber he starts lonely-hearted.
Beholding gray stretches of tossing sea,
Sea-birds bathing. with wings outspread.
While hailstorms darken, and driving snow.
Bitterer then is the bane of his wretchedness,
The longing for loved one: his grief is renewed.
The forms of his kinsmen take shape in the silence;
In rapture he greets them; in gladness he scans
Old comrades remembered. But they melt into air
With no word of greeting to gladden his heart.
Then again surges his sorrow upon him;
And grimly he spurs his weary soul
Once more to the toil of the tossing sea.
"No wonder therefore, in all the world,
If a shadow darkens upon my spirit
When I reflect on the fates of men-
How one by one proud warriors vanish
From the halls that knew them, and day by day
All this earth ages and droops unto death.
No man may know wisdom till many a winter
Has been his portion. A wise man is patient.
Not swift to anger. nor hasty of speech.
Neither too weak, nor too reckless, in war,
Neither fearful nor fain, nor too wishful of wealth,
Nor too eager in vow- ere he know the event.
A brave man must bide when he speaketh his boast
Until he know surely the goal of his spirit.
"A wise man will ponder how dread is that doom
When all this world's wealth shall be scattered and waste
As now, over all, through the regions of earth,
Walls stand rime-covered and swept by the winds.
The battlements crumble, the wine-halls decay;
Joyless and silent the heroes are sleeping
Where the proud host fell by the wall they defended.
Some battle launched on their long, last journey;
One a bird bore o'er the billowing sea;
One the gray wolf slew; one a grieving earl
Sadly gave to the grave's embrace.
The Warden of men hath wasted this world
Till the sound of music and revel is stilled,
And these giant-built structures stand empty of life.
"He who shall muse on these moldering ruins,
And deeply ponder this darkling life,
Must brood on old legends of battle and bloodshed,
And heavy the mood that troubles his heart:
'Where now is the warrior? Where is the war horse?
Bestowal of treasure, and sharing of feast?
Alas! the bright ale-cup, the byrny-clad warrior,
The prince in his splendor -those days are long sped
In the night of the past, as if they never had been!'
And now remains only, for warriors' memorial,
A wail wondrous high with serpent shapes carved.
Storms of ash-spears have smitten the earls,
Carnage of weapon, and conquering fate.
"Storms now batter these ramparts of stone;
Blowing snow and the blast of winter
Enfold the earth; night-shadows fall
Darkly lowering, from the north driving
Raging hall in wrath upon men.
Wretchedness fills the realm of earth,
And fate's decrees transform the world.
Here wealth is fleeting, friends are fleeting,
Man is fleeting, maid is fleeting;
All the foundation of earth shall fail!"
Thus spake the sage In solitude pondering.
Good man is he who guardeth his faith.
He must never too quickly unburden his breast
Of its sorrow, but eagerly strive for redress;
And happy the man who seeketh for mercy
From his heavenly Father, our fortress and strength.

**"The Wanderer"**
Oft to the wanderer, weary of exile, Cometh God's pity, compassionate love, Though woefully toiling on wintry seas With churning oar in the icy wave, Homeless and helpless he fled from fate. Thus saith the wanderer mindful of misery, Grievous disasters, and death of kin: "Oft when the day broke, oft at the dawning, Lonely and wretched I wailed my woe. No man is living, no comrade left, To whom I dare fully unlock my heart. I have learned truly the mark of a man Is keeping his counsel and locking his lips, Let him think what he will! For, woe of heart Withstandeth not fate: a falling spirit Earneth no help. Men eager for honor Bury their sorrow deep in the breast. 'So have I also, often In wretchedness Fettered my feelings, far from my kin, Homeless and hapless, since days of old, When the dark earth covered my dear lord's face, And I sailed away with sorrowful heart, Over wintry seas, seeking a gold-lord, If far or near lived one to befriend me With gift in the mead-hall and comfort for grief. "Who bears it, knows what a bitter companion, ShouIder to shoulder, sorrow can be, When friends are no more. His fortune is exile, Not gifts of fine gold; a heart that is frozen, Earth's winsomeness dead. And he dreams of the hall-men, The dealing of treasure, the days of his youth, When his lord bade welcome to wassall and feast. But gone is that gladness, and never again Shall come the loved counsel of comrade and king. "Even In slumber his sorrow assaileth, And, dreaming he claspeth his dear lord again, Head on knee, hand on knee, loyally laying. Pledging his liege as in days long past. Then from his slumber he starts lonely-hearted. Beholding gray stretches of tossing sea, Sea-birds bathing. with wings outspread. While hailstorms darken, and driving snow. Bitterer then is the bane of his wretchedness, The longing for loved one: his grief is renewed. The forms of his kinsmen take shape in the silence; In rapture he greets them; in gladness he scans Old comrades remembered. But they melt into air With no word of greeting to gladden his heart. Then again surges his sorrow upon him; And grimly he spurs his weary soul Once more to the toil of the tossing sea. "No wonder therefore, in all the world, If a shadow darkens upon my spirit When I reflect on the fates of men- How one by one proud warriors vanish From the halls that knew them, and day by day All this earth ages and droops unto death. No man may know wisdom till many a winter Has been his portion. A wise man is patient. Not swift to anger. nor hasty of speech. Neither too weak, nor too reckless, in war, Neither fearful nor fain, nor too wishful of wealth, Nor too eager in vow- ere he know the event. A brave man must bide when he speaketh his boast Until he know surely the goal of his spirit. "A wise man will ponder how dread is that doom When all this world's wealth shall be scattered and waste As now, over all, through the regions of earth, Walls stand rime-covered and swept by the winds. The battlements crumble, the wine-halls decay; Joyless and silent the heroes are sleeping Where the proud host fell by the wall they defended. Some battle launched on their long, last journey; One a bird bore o'er the billowing sea; One the gray wolf slew; one a grieving earl Sadly gave to the grave's embrace. The Warden of men hath wasted this world Till the sound of music and revel is stilled, And these giant-built structures stand empty of life. "He who shall muse on these moldering ruins, And deeply ponder this darkling life, Must brood on old legends of battle and bloodshed, And heavy the mood that troubles his heart: 'Where now is the warrior? Where is the war horse? Bestowal of treasure, and sharing of feast? Alas! the bright ale-cup, the byrny-clad warrior, The prince in his splendor -those days are long sped In the night of the past, as if they never had been!' And now remains only, for warriors' memorial, A wail wondrous high with serpent shapes carved. Storms of ash-spears have smitten the earls, Carnage of weapon, and conquering fate. "Storms now batter these ramparts of stone; Blowing snow and the blast of winter Enfold the earth; night-shadows fall Darkly lowering, from the north driving Raging hall in wrath upon men. Wretchedness fills the realm of earth, And fate's decrees transform the world. Here wealth is fleeting, friends are fleeting, Man is fleeting, maid is fleeting; All the foundation of earth shall fail!" Thus spake the sage In solitude pondering. Good man is he who guardeth his faith. He must never too quickly unburden his breast Of its sorrow, but eagerly strive for redress; And happy the man who seeketh for mercy From his heavenly Father, our fortress and strength.

"The Wanderer" Discussion Questions

1) Do the elements of this poem appeal to a modern audience?
2) What development causes the wanderer to go into exile? What is the goal of his search?
3) Locate the brief passage in which he expresses his philosophy on life.
4) Because this is an elegy, it features aspects of mourning. What are some of these elements and why do they generate emotion?
5) Explain how the poetís repetition of words and phrases contributes to the mood of the poem.

"The Seafarer" & "The Wanderer"

Exeter Book No Biography

"The Seafarer"

"The Seafarer" Discussion Questions

"The Wanderer"

"The Wanderer" Discussion Questions