“The Wife’s Lament”: An Unanswered Song. In the Old English poem, “The Wife’s Lament”, the miserable tone is set from the beginning. The poem can be found in the Exeter book, which dates back to 950 AD. The actual writer of the poem remains a mystery, but one can narrow down the time it was written by the style of the writing. The Old English version is translated by Ann Stanford, and the version being used. From the title and the first few lines the reader can determine this poem is an elegy, and will most likely not end favorably for the narrator. The speaker laments her former home with her husband, who is missing, in a foreign land surrounded by enemies and is currently exiled to an isolated cave. This is about the only thing scholars
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The Exeter book is home to some of the oldest known poems, and while the name of the book is interesting, most people believe it was named more for the area it was written in. Cynewulf has been credited in many of the writings in the Exeter book, but the author of this particular work has never been discovered, but there is “The Husband’s message” in the Exeter book (Thurston). Is it possible the author is responsible for both elegies? Or are these merely findings of last words in letters? The mystery of the speaker in the poems make it that much interesting. Between Old English poems and the earliest philosophers, documenting and preserving information was not a priority. It’s a wonder “The Wife’s Lament” lived to see the modern light of day. It is said of the physical structure of the book, “…has suffered a spill from a glue pot, and has also appeared to have been used as a chopping board (having a gash in it and a sewn tear). When the book was seen just as a pile of parchment, it was evidently used as a press for gold and silver leaf as minute traces have been detected on some pages.” (Barwood). Many people have translated “The Wife’s Lament”, but Ann Stanford’s interpretation was a much clearer version to study. Mrs. Stanford was a poet, anthologist, translator, and scholar who was born in La Habra, California. She earned a BA at Stanford University, and her PhD at UCLA. Ann Stanford’s resume was impressive and her passion for poetry and education made for a fantastic translation. Unfortunately, Ann Stanford passed in 1987 from cancer at the young age of 70. Her legacy is honored by the Ann Stanford Poetry Prize.
The Exeter book is home to some of the oldest known poems, and while the name of the book is interesting, most people believe it was named more for the area it was written in. Cynewulf has been credited in many of the writings in the Exeter book, but the author of this particular work has never been discovered, but there is “The Husband’s message” in the Exeter book (Thurston). Is it possible the author is responsible for both elegies? Or are these merely findings of last words in letters? The mystery of the speaker in the poems make it that much interesting. Between Old English poems and the earliest philosophers, documenting and preserving information was not a priority. It’s a wonder “The Wife’s Lament” lived to see the modern light of day. It is said of the physical structure of the book, “…has suffered a spill from a glue pot, and has also appeared to have been used as a chopping board (having a gash in it and a sewn tear). When the book was seen just as a pile of parchment, it was evidently used as a press for gold and silver leaf as minute traces have been detected on some pages.” (Barwood). Many people have translated “The Wife’s Lament”, but Ann Stanford’s interpretation was a much clearer version to study. Mrs. Stanford was a poet, anthologist, translator, and scholar who was born in La Habra, California. She earned a BA at Stanford University, and her PhD at UCLA. Ann Stanford’s resume was impressive and her passion for poetry and education made for a fantastic translation. Unfortunately, Ann Stanford passed in 1987 from cancer at the young age of 70. Her legacy is honored by the Ann Stanford Poetry Prize.