Finding the sumptuous treasure
standing exposed, the old Twilight Foe
trumpeted forth, seeking the burying-places.
The naked, hostile Dragon fled by night,
attacking with fire; and the Earth-dweller
was exceedingly afraid of him. He shall go seeking
treasure in the earth; in that place, he shall watch,
many-wintered, the heathen gold. Nay, for him there will be no success.
So the spoiler of the community, for three hundred winters,
possessed some storehouses in the earth,
increased in his cunning. Until, One aroused him -
a Man of High-Spirits; the King bore
a chalice, ornamented with gold, and entreated a peace-pledge
which he desired. The treasure was explored,
the booty was plundered, boons were given
to the impoverished men. The King observed
the ancient work which he began to discern in the future.
And the Worm, having awoken, caused new strife.
Then, sniffing above the stone, the Stout-Hearted One discovered
the footprint of the Fiend; he also stepped forward
with secret craft, neared the Dragon.
As such, not fated to die, he easily overcame
misfortune and persecution, because the Lord-Wielder
preserves with grace!
- Beowulf (lines 2270b - 2294b)
Discussion of Translation
For the most part, the translation of Beowulf’s The Dragon, lines 2270b 2294b, was accomplished easily enough with the help of an online dictionary and the grammar book. However, specific choices for the stylistic translation deserved much thought, especially considering my audience: beginners, such as young teens, who had never attempted readings of older English texts before. Considering the fact that Beowulf is a story for the laymen of Anglo-Saxon England, keeping the lyrical quality while making it understandable for the modern reader is the tension which this translator attempted to maintain.
For example, the naming of the dragon had utmost importance when translating, because it is the focus of the piece. The word uhtsceaða”, for example, directly translated as “twilight foe” (l.2271). The term was used, because the image of twilight and darkness adds an element of mystery, fear and dread. “Twilight” also conjures ideas of the eventuality of destruction. Although, some modern readers wouldn’t recognize “foe” right away, the word ties the piece back to an older time, reminding the audience that this text has ties with an ancient culture. “ðeodsceaða” also received similar treatment, resulting in “spoiler of the community” (l. 2289). On the other hand, words like “Worm”, “Dragon” and “Fiend” were most often used because that is what the dragon was to the original author(s) – a creature of evil (l. 2287-2291). Most modern readers, especially those familiar with Western tradition, would understand the usage of those words in connection to the monster.
Mankind on the other hand had a variety of terms. Although “foldebuend” puzzled me, after taking the word apart, I realized that it literally means “earth-dweller” (l.2274). I thought “earth-dweller” sounded really lyrical, so I kept it, while capitalizing it, and so portraying it as a proper noun. The phrase “mon on mode” was particularly difficult to translate because although ‘mon’ is easily paired with ‘man’, the preposition ‘on’ carries a large variety of meaning – which changes the sentence radically, considering the third word, ‘mode’ (l. 2282). I chose “Man of High-Spirits”, just because it sounds more epic to the modern reader, but it could have easily been translated “until he aroused one man of high-spirits” or “until One aroused him, a brave man” (l. 2281-2282). Later on in the poem, the intruder is called “stearcheort”, which I decided to translate as “stout-hearted” (l.2279), because anything older, such as “stark heart” suggested in C.W. Eliot’s online version, might confuse the modern reader (Mcmaster Humanities).
Other issues surrounded the actual building of the sentences. Frequently, I felt like I was given pieces of a puzzle and had to find which words matched with each other. Sentences such as “þa se wyrm onwoc, wroht wæs geniwad “, at best were difficult to translate into easy reading without changing the sentence structure (l. 2283). Eventually, I wrote “And the Worm, having awoken, caused new strife”, which creates a stronger cause-effect scenario than “And the worm awoke, new strife happened”. On the other hand, more complex parts, such as “Frea sceawode fira fyrngeweorc forman siðe” could be translated many ways. You could read it as “The King observed the ancient work begun in the late past”, but also “The King observed the first ancient work which he began to discern in the future”. Both however hold the idea that the King of the country was forseeing problems surrounding the issue of the Dragon – which is fulfilled by the next sentence (l. 2281-2283).
In conclusion, while many of the parts were obvious as to their meaning, important details, such as adjectives and prepositions demanded more time and attention because of the open-ended meanings, or, for example, the vague characteristics of many adjectives’ declensions. It was a rewarding experience, however, mostly in part due to the deepened awareness of the richness of the Old English language, which I gained as I translated. I also realized that despite the dubious consistency of Modern English, our language is ultimately a language of change, and therefore, with thought can attempt at the seemingly impossible and in doing so, change the self and culture.
