The Complete Old English Poems - Translated by Craig Williamson - With an Introduction by Tom Shippey

Sep 21, 2026

A scholarly translation volume presenting the complete Old English poetic corpus, rendered into modern English by Craig Williamson and accompanied by an introduction by Tom Shippey. The book foregrounds major manuscript traditions and figures, situating the poems within the Old English period and its literary forms. Front matter includes publication and rights information, bibliographic identifiers, and classification subjects covering epic, didactic, and riddle poetry, along with selected lines excerpting the original language alongside English renderings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages1250

Reading Time32 h 5 min

AccessFree to download

The Complete Old English Poems

Series and editorial information

Translation and introduction

Publication and copyright

Library of Congress data and subjects

Excerpts: Old English and English rendering

THE COMPLETE OLD ENGLISH POEMS THE MIDDLE AGES SERIES Ruth Mazo Karras, Series Editor Edward Peters, Founding Editor A complete list of books in the series is available from the publisher. THE COMPLETE OLD ENGLISH POEMS Translated by CRAIG WILLIAMSON With an introduction by TOM SHIP PEY UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA PRESS PHILADELPHIA Copyright © 2017 University of Pennsylvania Press All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations used for purposes of review or scholarly citation, none of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without written permission from the publisher. Published by University of Pennsylvania Press Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-4112 [www.upenn.edu/pennpress](www.upenn.edu/pennpress) Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Williamson, Craig, translator. | Shippey, T. A., writer of introduction. | Container of (expression): Alfred, King of England, 849–899. Old English version of Boethius De consolatione philosophiae. English (Williamson) Title: The complete Old English poems / translated by Craig Williamson ; with an introduction by Tom Shippey. Other titles: Container of (expression): Caedmon manuscript. English (Williamson) | Container of (expression): Exeter book. English. | Container of (expression): Vercelli book. English. | Container of (expression): Beowulf. English (Williamson) | Container of (expression): Judith (Anglo-Saxon poem). English (Williamson) | Middle Ages series. Description: 1st edition. | Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, [2017] | Series: The Middle Ages series Identifiers: LCCN 2016048011 | ISBN 978-0-8122-4847-0 (hardcover : alk. paper) Subjects: LCSH: English poetry—Old English, ca. 450–1100—Translations into English. | Epic poetry, English (Old)—Translations into English. | Didactic poetry, English (Old)—Translations into English. | Riddles, English (Old)—Translations into English. Classification: LCC PR1508 .C47 2017 | DDC 829/.1—dc23 LC record available at [https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048011](https://lccn.loc.gov/2016048011) Wilt þu,fus hæle,fremdne monnan, wisne woðboran wordum gretan, fricganfelageongneymbforðgesceaft, biddan þegesecge sidragesceaftacræftas cyndelice cwichrerende,þa þe dogragehwam þurhdomgodes bringe wundrafela wera cneorissum? Are you willing to trade talk with a stranger, Give a seer or singer, poet or prophet, A greeting, a welcome with wise words, Question thefar-traveler about creation, Its natural power, its bodyingforth Into everyday wonder through God’s grace, Its life-quickening capacity and clout, Its marvelous moving among men? —from The Order of the World DE DICAT I ON POEM WEAVING WISDOM Are you willing to trade talk with a stranger, Unwrap riddles, mix words with the wise, Wonder how and why each element Of creation quickens from cell to star, Each song shapes from Beowulf to blessing, Each primrose or prayer begins to bloom? Each day through dom—through judgment, Through honor or ordinance, majesty or meaning, Some mystery offers itself up for unraveling To those who can thread thoughts and hear The shuttle singing, click and clack, Across the web, across the centuries. And you, wanderer of landscape or light, Can you read runes, sift evidence, Draw conclusions or a straight line, Craft arguments in prose or a pot in clay, Chart the universe, charm the moment With child’s play? Here’s an Anglo-Saxon proverb: A wise man or woman never wearies Of asking questions about creation, Never tires of digging up ideas and artifacts, Never says,“No,” to the dirt of history Or the mind mucking back through memory, Rooting about for tribal glory or plain truth. So that by repeating, rehearsing, revising, We take the cunning wonder of the world And weave it into a nest of numbers, A house of hypotheses, a web of words. The Anglo-Saxon poet says, Leorna ðas lar

FAQs

Who translated the Old English poems in this volume?

Craig Williamson translated the Old English poems.

What role does Tom Shippey have in the book?

Tom Shippey provides an introduction to the volume.

Which kinds of Old English poetry are included according to the listed subjects?

The listed subjects cover English poetry (Old English) translations, including epic poetry, didactic poetry, and riddles.

Sep 21, 2026

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