All of the poems which are translated in this collection reached the form in which we now have them between the seventh and tenth centuries. They were composed in Old English, or Anglo-Saxon, which was the earliest form of our language, preceding Middle English, which was, for instance, the speech of Geof frey Chaucer (ca. 1340-1400). The small group of.re markable Old English poems and prose works that survives is the earliest body of literature in any of the vernaculars that have developed into the modern lan guages of Europe.……

Unique and beautiful, Beowulf brings to life a society of violence and honor, fierce warriors and bloody battles, deadly monsters and famous swords. Written by an unknown poet in about the eighth century, this masterpiece of Anglo-Saxon literature transforms legends, myth, history, and ancient songs into the richly colored tale of the hero Beowulf, the loathsome man-eater Grendel, his vengeful water-hag mother, and a treasure-hoarding dragon. The earliest surviving epic poem in any modern European language, Beowulf is a stirring portrait of a heroic world--somber, vast, and magnificent.

This Bantam Classic edition of Beowulf is a vivid prose translation by Constance B. Hieatt and includes the great Old English poems "Deor," "Caedmon"s Hymn," "The Battle of Brunanburh," "The Dream of the Rood," ""The Wanderer," "The Battle of Maldon," "The Seafarer." "Judith," and "The Fi,clht at Finnsburh."

Preface to the Second Edition by Constance B. Hieatt

Introduction by A. Kent Hieatt

  BEOWULF

  Deor

  Caedmon’s Hymn

  The Battle of Brunanburh [1]

  The Battle of Brunanburh [2],

as translated by Alfred Lord Tennyson

  The Dream of the Rood

  The Wanderer

  The Battle of Maldon

  The Seafarer [1]

  The Seafarer [2],

as translated by Ezra Pound

 Judith

 The Fight at Finnsburh

Appendix A: Beowulf

 lines 26-52, in Old English

Appendix B: Genealogical Tables

Bibliography

A Note on the Cover