The Translations of Beowulf Part 25

THE WaGNER-MACDOWALL PARAPHRASE

Epics and Romances of the Middle Ages. Adapted from the Work of Dr. W.

Wagner by M. W. MacDowall, and edited by W. S. W. Anson. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., London: W. Swan Sonnenschein & Co., 1883. 8vo, _Beowulf_, pp. 347-364, with two ill.u.s.trations[1].

Second Edition, Oct. 1883.

Sixth Edition, 1890.

Eighth Edition, 1896.

_Beowulf_ Retold, with Changes and Additions.

The paraphrase is adapted from _Deutsche Heldensagen fur Schule und Haus_, by Dr. W. Wagner (Leipzig, 1881).

_Aim of the Book._

From the nature of the changes made in the story, it is evident that an appeal is made to younger readers. This is borne out by the statement on p. 9 of the Introduction.

_Changes in the Story._

The story does not pretend to do more than follow the most general outlines of the original. The most important changes are in the first division of the poem, where it would seem that no changes whatever were needed. The princ.i.p.al additions are the following:--

(1) A minstrel flees from plague-stricken Heorot, sails to the Geatish land, and sings the terror wrought by Grendel, urging Beowulf to come and save the people.

(2) The swimming-match is introduced into the action of the story, with the _motif_ radically altered. Breca is represented as winning the match.

(3) The incident of Beowulf's refusal of the crown is amplified and introduced into the story at the opening of the third part.

(4) The story differs from the original in a number of minor details.

EXTRACT.

The minstrel tuned his harp and sang of Beowulf's heroic deeds, and prophesied that he would conquer and slay the monster of the mora.s.s. This praise made Hunford, one of the courtiers, angry and jealous. He said it was Breka, not Beowulf, that had won the golden chain[2]; that the Gothic hero was undertaking an enterprise that would very likely lead him to his death; and he advised him to think twice before attacking Grendel. Upon this, Beowulf exclaimed indignantly that he had won a good sword instead of the golden chain, and that it was sharp enough both to pierce the hide of the monster and to cut out a slanderous tongue.

_Criticism of the Paraphrase._

The extract gives a good idea of the author's sins of omission and commission. It will be seen, for example, that the tone of the entire pa.s.sage is altered. The bit of repartee in the last sentence is wholly foreign to the Beowulf manner, which is outright and downright--the very opposite of subtilty. The false manner is evident at once when we compare the reply of the hero in the original, 'Thou art the murderer of thine own brethren, and thou shalt be d.a.m.ned in h.e.l.l. Wait till to-night, and thou shalt see which of us is the stronger.'

The story is, if possible, more garbled than the style. The mission of the minstrel and the mangled account of the swimming-match have no essential or artistic relation to the context. They are merely inserted to add to the action of the piece.

The popularity of the book is attested by the number of editions through which it has pa.s.sed. The volume contains also paraphrases of the legends about Arthur, Charlemagne, and Tannhauser, as well as the story of the Nibelungs. These must account for its enduring success; but it is unfortunate that this, the poorest of the Beowulf paraphrases, should thus have found an audience which it did not deserve and could never have commanded for itself.

[Footnote 1: Woodcuts; inaccurate.]

[Footnote 2: A prize offered by King Hygelak for the victor in the match.]

THERESE DAHN'S PARAPHRASE

Walhall. Germanische Gotter- und Heldensagen. Fur Alt und Jung am deutschen Herd erzahlt von Felix Dahn und Therese Dahn, geb. Freiin von Droste-Hulshoff. Mit neunundfunfzig Bildertafeln, Textbildern, Kopfleisten und Schlussstucken nach Federzeichnungen von Johannes Gehrts. Kreuznach, Verlag von R. Voigtlander, 1883.

Seventh Edition, 1885.

Eleventh Edition, 1891.

Twelfth Edition (Leipzig), 1898.

8vo, _Beowulf_ (by Therese Dahn[1]), pp. 361-405, with two ill.u.s.trations.

A Paraphrase in German Prose for General Readers.

_Therese Dahn._

Therese Dahn, born Freiin von Droste-Hulshoff, was born in 1845, and married Felix Dahn in 1873. With him she published in 1873 at Leipzig a volume of poems (_Gedichte_). For certain of her verses in this volume she received high praise. She has since continued creative work. She resides at Breslau, where Felix Dahn is professor in the University.

Of the stories in the present volume she wrote, beside _Beowulf_, _Die Wolsungen_, _Kudrun_, the story of Konig Wilkinus, &c., _Wieland der Schmied_, _Walther und Hildgund_, and the stories from the _Dietrich_ saga and the _Nibelungen_ saga.

_Nature of the Paraphrase._

The following parts of the story are omitted entirely: the account of the first King Beowulf in the Prolog; the Sigemund episode, Hrothgar's Discourse; the Thrytho episode; the Freawaru episode; Beowulf's account of his Fight with Grendel as told to King Hygelac; the Battle of Ravenswood.

Other changes in the story are as follows: the sorrows of the Danes as told in the Prolog are attributed to the reign of King Heremod; in a separate Kapitel (III) are gathered the Sorrows of King Hrethel, the account of Ongentheow, the Fall of Hygelac, and the Death of Heardred.

The Fight at Finnsburg is added and an original beginning provided for it.

Obscure words, phrases, and lines are omitted; and explanatory words are inserted from time to time.

_Indebtedness to Simrock._

The translation was evidently made with Simrock's translation[2] in hand; possibly it may have been made directly from that version.

Evidence of the dependence upon Simrock may be found at every step. The forms of the proper names invented by Simrock are repeated here (e.g., Aeskhere, Hadkynn, Ochthere). His renderings of the unique words in the poem (sometimes in a slightly simplified form) are used in the paraphrase. Often the original word used by Simrock is added in parentheses (cf., e.g., Simrock, p. 72.6 with Dahn, p. 382, and p. 73.44 with Dahn, p. 383). Further evidence may be found by comparing the extracts given in this work.

EXTRACT.

_Hunferd_, des Konigs erster Sanger, hub da ein Streitlied an; ihm war Beowulfs Ankunft leid: denn er liebte es nicht, da.s.s ein ihn anderer an Ruhm ubertreffe.

'Bist du der Beowulf, der einst im Wettkampf mit _Breka_ durch die See schwamm? Wo ihr tollkuhn in vermessenem Mut euer Leben in den tiefen Wa.s.sern wagtet? Weder Freund noch Feind konnten euch abhalten. Da rudertet ihr in den Sund, ma.s.set die Meeresstra.s.sen, schlugt die Wa.s.ser mit den Handen, uber die Tiefen gleitend. Die winterkalte See sturmte und brauste: sieben Nachte schwammt ihr im Wa.s.ser. Breka besiegte dich: er hatte mehr Kraft. Die Hochflut warf ihn am nachsten Morgen ans Land, von we er in seine Heimat eilte, in das Land der _Brondinge_, wo er uber Burg und Volk gebietet.' --Page 370.