April 30, 2004

The Wife's Lament

Update (3/5/04): Liliputian Lilith is collecting links to blogged poems.

Here is my contribution to Poem on Your Blog Day, on this, the last day of Poetry Month.

The Wife's Lament

(translated from the Anglo-Saxon by Brian Kim Stefans)

I will speak my plight’s tale, care-

wretched, about myself. I can say: what

woes I’ve borne growing up, present

and past, were all less than now. I have

won, for my exile-paths, just pain.

First, my lord left: over deep seas, far

from people, and I’ve grieved each

morning, where, earth-wide, he could

be. Then I left: voyaging sought service

– sad exile – for my woeful desires!

My lord’s kin schemed secretly: that

they’d estrange us, keep us most apart,

across the earth-kingdom, and my heart

suffered. My lord bade me: take

dwelling here. I had few friends in

this land, no devoted comrades – so I

feel as if lost! I had found a man full fit

to me, though unfortunate, spiritually

fraught – a feigning mind, blissvisaged,

but planning a crime! Full

oft we vowed we’d never part, not till

death alone, nothing else; but that is

changed, our friendship – is now, as if

it never were. I must hear, far and near,

contempt for my loved. My man

bade me live by the grove’s wood,

beneath the oak tree, in an earth-cave.

This cave is old – I am all oppressed –

the valleys dim, mountains steep – a

bitter home! tangled with vines –

an arid dwelling! The cruelty hits often

– my lord’s absence! On earth there are

lovers, living in love, they share the

same bed, meanwhile... I go alone each

dawn, by the oak and earth-cave,

where I sit, summerlong days. There, I

might weep my exile-paths, its many

woes, because an anxious mind won’t

rest, nor this sorrow, which wrests from

me this life. A young man must be

stern, hard-of-heart, stand blissful,

opposing breast-cares and his sorrows’

legions. All world-joy should wake

from himself, for wide and far, in

foreign folk-lands, my friend sits

under a hard slope, frosted by storms,

silenced for a friend, water bordering

his sad-hall! My friend suffers sorrow;

he know too oft his home was joyful.

Woe to those who live longing all

for a loved one.

I offer this poem today because it has haunted me since I first read it. In translation, of course; to help keep that in mind, links to other translations are included below. Each one is a different poem. We don't know who the author was, though many assume it was a woman.

Want more?

In the original Old Saxon with links to modern translations

Modern English translation by Louis J. Rodrigues

Modern English translation by Richard Hamer

Another translation

Audio recording read by Rosamund Allen.

Audio recording read by Mary Blockley (scroll down).

The Husband's Message [said to be a response].

For those who are really interested: Cumulative bibliography: The Wife’s Lament

Scribbled at April 30, 2004 12:43 AM AST | Hmmm? (1) | TrackBack (5) | Link Cosmos | More? writing




Here's what others have to say about The Wife's Lament:

» luminous blue variables from george.h.williams
Unable to sleep, I am reminded by Miriam of the Poem on Your Blog idea. Today is the last day of National Poetry Month. Check out "Luminous Blue Variables," by my colleague Michelle Boisseau.......[read more]
Tracked: April 30, 2004 02:54 AM

» Poem on your blog day from The Salt-Box
Since we still have almost 2 weeks left in the semester, I'm tempted to honor "Poem on your blog day"......[read more]
Tracked: April 30, 2004 10:28 AM

» Poem on your blog day from The Salt-Box
Since we still have almost 2 weeks left in the semester, I'm tempted to honor "Poem on your blog day"......[read more]
Tracked: April 30, 2004 10:28 AM

» poem in your pocket day from Liliputian Lilith
Which bloggers can interpret as poem on your blog day! Here are two by one of my favorite Hungarian poets, Agnes Nemes-Nagy. More books of hers translated into English listed here (not a long list... see Amazon for a list......[read more]
Tracked: April 30, 2004 12:39 PM

» A Pit Bull on the Pant Leg of Opportunity from the chutry experiment
I hadn't planned on contributing to the "Poem on Your Blog Day" to honor the end of National Poetry Month, in part because so many other bloggers had contributed so many wonderful poems:From The Salt-Box, Jason points to T.S. Eliot's......[read more]
Tracked: April 30, 2004 06:15 PM