The Story of Caedmon

The Story of Cædmon

Cædmon was a simple farm laborer who became an Anglo- Saxon poet. How did this happen?

Cædmon was a herdsman and during joyous gatherings the herdsmen joined together and sang songs

When Cædmon’s turn to sing approached he quickly got up to avoid embarrassment, for he knew no songs and did not know how to sing

One night Cædmon went to the stable to sleep with the animals, and in a vivid dream he saw an unknown man who asked him to sing about The First Creation

He obeyed and used words which he had never heard before. The verse he wrote was full of praise for God and his creation, this verse was called "Cædmon’s Hymn"

He was thought to be glorified and honored with a divine gift. This gift was given to him by God; he received the “art of poetry.” He was welcomed in the community and became a monk

He composed poems based on the first book of the Bible and also the New Testament

Cædmon was the first known English poet and his only known surviving work is “Cædmon’s Hymn”

“Cædmon’s Hymn” is a 9-line alliterative praise poem in honor of God

One of the common poetic forms in Old English was alliteration.

Alliteration was used as a structuring device to unify lines of poetry. This was syllables that begin with the same sound

During the Anglo-Saxon time period many people were converting to Christianity and religion was becoming firmly established

“Cædon’s Hymn” was written in many different dialects, but the earliest version was written in Northumbrian, which was the Angles dialect and these people came from Denmark

Another common dialect was the Saxon dialect, which were from the West Saxons who came from Northern Germany

At this time we will attempt to recite "Cædmon’s Hymn"

The hymn in a West-Saxon dialect:
Nu we sculon herigean Meotodes meahte Weorc wuldorfæder, Ece drihten, He ærest sceop heofon to hrofe, Þa middangeard ece drihten, firum foldan,
heofonrices weard,ond his modgeþance,swa he wundra gehwæs,or onstealde. eorðan bearnum halig scyppend; moncynnes weard, æfter teodefrea ælmihtig.


A modern English translation:
Now we must praisethe might of God the work of the Father of Glory,the eternal Lord,He shaped firstHeaven as a roof, Then the Middle-World, the eternal Lord, solid ground for men, the Protector of the heavenly kingdom, and His mind's purpose, as He for each of the wonders, established a beginning. for the sons of the Earth the Holy Creator; mankind's Guardian, made afterwards, the almighty Lord.


Because “Cædmon’s Hymn” was to be sung we will now listen to it recited in song

http://www.webenglishteacher.com/poetryl.html#c

There are many ways that “Cædmon’s Hymn” is translated, all the versions have very subtle changes, but what we would like to find out today is, “Do these subtle changes affect the meaning of the verse?”