I'm doing some early Christmas shopping, and I'm looking for a nice edition of Beowulf to gift. Not that picky about the translation, but either parallel text or illustrated – both would be super, but I don't know if that's even a thing. I'm discovering that online listings won't show you the actual illustrations, even when they have 'sneak peak' samples. Anyone have a favorite?
by IIRCIreadthat
3 Comments
If you want parallel text, you can’t go wrong with Seamus Heaney’s translation. Anglo-Saxonists will grumble that it’s outdated/not a perfect translation, but imo Heaney’s poetry captures the spirit of the original and makes it very readable. Plus, you can see the original right there on the other page!
Seamus Heaney’s is wonderful.
I tried Maria Dahvana Headley’s and found it really terrible. I’m all for updating and I could deal with “bro” and “dude” but couldn’t with a “Hashtag: Blessed”.
Seamus Heaney’s is imperfect (but they all are), but is probably the best sounding. For a more literal one, Roy Liuzza’s will do some good.
I’d stay away from Tolkien’s unless you love Tolkien. I have mixed feelings about it as a whole, but it *is* clearly translated by someone that loved the poem and language itself, and it feels like a passion project.