Beowulf in Parallel Texts: Translated with Textual and Explanatory Notes

This dual-language edition of Beowulf is for the general readers enjoyment of the poem as well as a study guide for students of English language and literature. To meet this dual purpose the book provides the two texts running in parallel. The general readers can enjoy the poem by reading the translation; but the serious students of English can lean on the translation as a prop while studying the original text line after line. For the students of Old English who wish to attain a thorough understanding of the original lines the Textual and Explanatory Notes will be an indispensable apparatus: these notes discuss diverse scholarly interpretations on the problematic phrases and lines before the translator offers his own opinion. Why read this translation of Beowulf? Because there isnt a better one to be found. --Robert D. Stevick from the foreword The handling of the syntax of the original and particularly the syntactical variation which is such a salient and difficult feature of the poets style is masterly. The naturalness of the flow of language is one of the most admirable features of the translation. The narrative as one reads this translation begins to exert its customary compelling hold and one reads on for the excitement and pleasure of the story itself rather than to keep reminding oneself what a good translation it is. --Derek Pearsall Harvard University Sung-Il Lees parallel text of Beowulf a boon for Old English students has what Robert Stevick calls fine renditions. Phrase by phrase it captures the poems variations and strong forward pace moving like successive waves to a resting place. Beowulfs artful complexities beautifully guide Lees translation. His edition includes textual and explanatory notes along with an account of the poems so-called digressions. --John M. Hill Professor Emeritus U.S. Naval Academy Professor Sung-Il Lee offers here a superb translation of Beowulf in parallel presentation with the Anglo-Saxon original text. This imaginative aesthetically pleasing and extremely useful parallel text of our beloved Beowulf will be a great help to scholars students and general readers alike. --J. Harold Ellens University of Michigan and Ecumenical Theological Seminary of Detroit Sung-Il Lee is Professor Emeritus at Yonsei University Seoul. He was a founding member of the Medieval English Studies Association of Korea.