Posted on 04/29/2016 8:46:09 PM PDT by zeugma
Something My Father-in-law reminded me of the other day....
One of my most precious memories of the time with my wife who passed in September 2016, was several years ago. We were taking a road trip. I believe that it was one to see my family in Alabama, with a side trip to Memphis to see Elvis' mansion and take in some blues. So, we're like gonna be on the road for hours and hours. We had plenty of music, via an mp3 player and an FM transmitter that it plugged into so we could listen through the car speakers. Normal people driving across country are constantly looking for strong stations. We, being contary folk, were looking for the deadest channels we could find so they wouldn't interfere with our little tiny transmitter.
Anyway, in addition to lots of tunes, we brought along a book. Beowulf, as translated by Seamus Heaney. As we drove along, we took turns reading it aloud to each other. It was awesome. She read aloud better than me, but I did my best :-). Beowulf was not initially composed as a book, to be read silently to oneself. The difference between just reading it, and hearing it aloud cannot be over stated. The book contained the modern English translation on one page, with the original old English facing opposite, so you could compare the two. Mr Heaney's translation was, in my not so humble opinion excellent. He strove to maintain the mater as best he could, to maintain the flavor of the original, while eschewing anachronisms to make it be both understandable, and yet at the same time give as much of the flavor of the original feel as possible.
Dee was able to read some of it in the original as we drove along as well. English has drifted and changed far too much in the thousand years since it was put to words for it to really be understandable, but you could =tell= after hearing it, that the translation was a good faith effort to hew to the original.
To any one out there, who like a good story, and finds themselves faced with the time to encompass the reading of it, I'd most strongly recommend it. There is a reason Beowulf has stood alone as the oldest story known of the english language.
The time we spent in this endeavor is something I'll cherish forever.
Ping for perusal, languished until later!
Thank you. I went to a reading by Seamus Heaney, must be 25 or 30 years ago, held at Swarthmore College. Lovely man and lovely work.
I love that translation!
Thanks for posting!
Really?
“...my wife who passed in September 2016...”
Perhaps I am greatly mistaken, but is this not the month of April in 2016? Am I off by that much and did several months pass by in the blink of an eye?
I must have slept longer than I had intended...
Thank you for posting !! That is an awesome story. Yes. Reading aloud can be a very valuable and memorable experience. You reminded me of one of my fondest memories with my daughter: reading The Hobbit to her, cover to cover, in preparation to see the movies.
You have inspired me to make an attempt to read stories aloud to her more often - before she gets too old to want to spend any time with dad :)
Again, thank you for sharing. And I am sorry to hear about your wife’s passing. I will keep you in my prayers.
Also, I am going to pick up a copy of that version of Beowolf !!!
If you want to read Beowulf aloud, there’s a translation especially for that. . . and I can’t remember the translator’s name! Ugh! Getting old.
Well, there’s always Benjamin Bagby doing it in Old English:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzmmPRG4smU
Sorry about your wife. When did she pass into heaven?
This may seem unappreciative of great literature BUT I loved the British series which just ended: “Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands”.
Best TV I’ve seen in a long time!
Here it is:
Beowulf: A New Translation for Oral Delivery (Hackett Classics)
by Dick Ringler
“BUT I loved the British series which just ended: “Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands”.”
I just watched the trailer: https://vimeo.com/141712648
Black men in very early medieval Scandinavia? Really?
Thank you for the recommendation. I love Heaney’s poetry, and had the good fortune of having him as a professor at UC Berkeley in 1970.
well, you see, I've always been a fan of time-travel stories. 2015. I can't believe it's been 7 months already. Wow.
That would be awesome! How old was she?
You have inspired me to make an attempt to read stories aloud to her more often - before she gets too old to want to spend any time with dad :)
A great plan. She'll remember it forever. You can't pay money for that kind of memory.
Again, thank you for sharing. And I am sorry to hear about your wife’s passing. I will keep you in my prayers.
Thank you very much. Prayers are always appreciated, but I'm good. She had inflammatory breast cancer (look it up... no lump. It presents as an infection to most doctors, and if they don't catch it early, it's too freaking late because it grows =much= faster than other cancers.) Both my wife and I decided to look at it as a blessing from the Lord. Not everyone gets the opportunity know it's coming and to say goodbye. Yeah, you never say enough, but she was blessed by the Lord. Everyone who knew her, would tell you that, straight up.
Btw, as a bit of advise. Tell your wife and children you love them every single day. It is still not enough, but ... it matters.
Thanks, I’ll check it out.
Sept 18, 2015. I’ve yet to see an adaptation of Beowulf that compares to the original. Like any story, I think it loses something in translation from our imagination.
I’ll check it out, but given my history with it, I doubt it could compare.
Excellent. He passed a few years ago. A loss to the world. From what I've seen of his work, he was quite talented both as a poet an translator.
To me, his accomplishment of keeping meter and flow, for the most part in his translation was inspired.
My condolences.
Best wishes to you and yours, and prayers of course.
Cheers.
What a nice write up!
I recall first reading Beowulf in Junior High. Then again later at my University, this time as part of the curriculum.
But I didn’t have the experience of it being read aloud. Bravo.
Another great classic is Gilgamesh, if you haven’t read it I think you would enjoy it.
Thanks. The Lord gave my wife and I a great boon, by giving us the forknowledge fof what was coming. He wanted her with Him in His widom, and justice. Who am I to question or speak against His will? I am confident we will see each other again. I wouldn’t trade the time we had together for anything.
Yeah, it is really hard some times, but ultimately, life is Good. I won’t say I’m good with how things worked out, but she touched so many lives in such wonderful ways, that all I can do is try to be a better man to honor her, and the gift we were given because the Lord brought us together.
I know it sounds weird, but I honestly believe I was given a really precious gift. I miss her, but I can’t be sad about where she is now.
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