Major Tenets of Anglo-Saxon Poetry

Discuss the major tenets of Anglo-Saxon poetry, with reference to some major texts.

OR

Which of the literary genres occupied a dominant space in the Anglo-Saxon period? What were its major features?

 

Influenced by the Pagan enthusiasm and war-like spirit of the Germanic invaders, the poetry of the Anglo-Saxon period is full of heroic spirit and enthusiasm. Besides the heroism and enthusiasm, ecclesiastic influence can be found in the poetry after the Christianization of England. Some poems of personal sentiments are also found. The Fate of Apostles, The Wanderer and The Seafarer are among such lyrical poems. And Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry follows alliteration as its style.

We can understand the Germanic origins of the invaders better through the Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry. The poetry makes us familiar with the pre-Christian heroic society of the continental Saxon and others, along with the community of subject linking the early English with the wider civilization of Germania. Anglo-Saxon England is full of pagan belief, because of which the poetry has heroic subjects. Beowulf is a major work of literature of the period which is about the triumph of a hero who happens to fight against a monster. Courtesy with men of rank, the thirst of fame and boasting of warriors in the poem makes Beowulf  an Anglo-Saxon heroic poetry. Widsith reflects the heroic attitude of the bard's function, giving a glimpse of the Germanic history and geography from the perspective of a Northumbrian bard of the seventh century. The poem depicts the barbarian wanderings and conquests through the praise of various kings and heroes.

The effect of Latin Christianity is also seen in the Anglo-Saxon literature. By the eighth century, the subject matter is no more heroic but ecclesiastic. The arrival of Augustine in Kent in 597 AD is considered to be a turning point. Since then the Anglo-Saxon poets worked on biblical story, connecting themselves with the Hebrew imagination. Cædmon and Cynewulf are the chief contributors of this time. Among the four Cædmonian poems,  the first one is Genesis. Genesis A deals with God's anger and his casting out of Satan and his crew, while Genesis B is about the temptation of Adam and Eve, their fall, and Satan's rebellion. Though Christ and Satan does not come directly from biblical sources, it is from different Christian traditions. Cynewulf moves from biblical to didactic, devotional and mystical. Andreas, a poem associated with Cynewulf, is about the adventures, sufferings and evangelical success of Saint Andrew.

The Wanderer and The Seafarer are among the poems expressing personal emotion. They have the mood of lyrical elegy. In The Wanderer, a solitary man laments his miserable life because of his alienation from his master. The Seafarer is a monologue where an old sailor recalls the loneliness and hardship of life at sea, being aware of its fascination at the same time. The Wife's Lament is about a wife, separated from her husband because of the plotting of his kinsmen, compelled to live in a cave. She, thus, expresses the love and longing for the absent husband and curse on the enemies.

Anglo-Saxon poetry has no rhyme but is rich with alliteration. Its alliterative verses come from an oral court minstrelsy recited by the bards. Each line of the verse contains four stressed and a varying number of unstressed syllables. There is a definite pause between the two halves of each line, with two stresses in each.

Since the practice of entertaining the exhausted warriors and recitations by bards, Anglo-Saxon poetry has a range from heroic poems to personal lyrics. With the arrival of Augustine, biblical elements are also found in this period. And with the traces of the singing traditions of the bards, Anglo-Saxon literature has the rich source of alliteration too. Anglo-Saxon poetry, thus, has left a rich literary heritage.