Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Beowulf
    Beowulf
    Beowulf
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    Beowulf

    Written by Seamus Heaney

    Narrated by Seamus Heaney

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A New York Times Bestseller and Whitbread Book of the Year.Heaney's performance reminds us that Beowulf, written near the turn of another millennium, was intended to be heard not read.Composed toward the end of the first millennium of our era, Beowulf is the elegiac narrative of the adventures of Beowulf, a Scandinavian hero who saves the Danes from the seemingly invincible monster Grendel and, later, from Grendel's mother. He then returns to his own country and lives to old age before dying in a vivid fight against a dragon.The poem is about encountering the monstrous, defeating it, and then having to live on in the exhausted aftermath. In the contours of this story, at once remote and uncannily familiar at the end of the twentieth century, Seamus Heaney finds a resonance that summons power to the poetry from deep beneath its surface.While an abridgment of Heaney's full translation of Beowulf, Heaney prepared this abridgment himself to read for the BBC program from which this recording is taken.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHighbridge Company
    TranslatorSeamus Heaney
    Release dateMay 4, 2000
    ISBN9781598871524
    Beowulf
    Author

    Seamus Heaney

    Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1995. His poems, plays, translations, and essays include Opened Ground, Electric Light, Beowulf, The Spirit Level, District and Circle, and Finders Keepers. Robert Lowell praised Heaney as the "most important Irish poet since Yeats."

    More audiobooks from Seamus Heaney

    Related to Beowulf

    Related audiobooks

    Poetry For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Kristen & Richie

      Feb 13, 2017

      Kristen & Richie
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Call Of The Wild

      Nov 30, 2020

      The Call Of The Wild
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Last Of The English

      Aug 19, 2021

      The Last Of The English
      7 min read

    • Article

      Nemesis Of The Normans

      Oct 28, 2021

      Nemesis Of The Normans
      8 min read

    • Article

      Hunting Monsters

      Dec 28, 2021

      Many people have heard of the grotesque Grendel, his mother and the dragon with whom the hero Beowulf contends in the great Old English epic poem. But the imaginative world of the Anglo-Saxons was populated by many more such creatures. Tim Flight’s n

      1 min read

    • Article

      Jeremias Gotthelf

      Feb 28, 2020

      Jeremias Gotthelf
      27 min read

    • Article

      The Vikings Of Birka

      Oct 29, 2021

      I do not know her name, so I have given her one: I call her Hervor. Other famous skeletons have names. Think of Lucy the Australopithecus, named for a Beatles song, and Ötzi the Iceman, named for the valley he was found in. I could have named her Lag

      9 min read

    • Article

      Hook, Line And Sinker

      Oct 18, 2018

      Hook, Line And Sinker
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Season Of Lamentation

      Mar 23, 2022

      EVERY month for the past six months, my friend Guy and I have been taking a band of pilgrims through the streets of London, starting from All Hallows by the Tower to end with Evensong at Westminster Abbey. Guy sings and I talk about Trojan kings and

      2 min read

    • Article

      The Devil’s Taxi

      Oct 6, 2022

      The Devil’s Taxi
      26 min read

    • Article

      Perfect Prose II

      May 15, 2020

      Perfect Prose II
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Devil’s Dictionary

      Jul 6, 2021

      Select entries from Ambrose Bierce’s lexicon of cynicism, bitterness, and humor, produced over a 30-year period beginning in 1881. APOLOGIZE, v.i. To lay the foundation for a future offence. BARD, n. A person who makes rhymes. The word is one of the

      4 min read

    • Article

      Commonplace Book

      Dec 1, 2022

      Nothing is as important to our ability to survive as our ability to hurt. -Haider Warraich, The Song of Our Scars, 2022 In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy. Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead. -William Blake, T

      4 min read

    • Article

      Ursula K. Le Guin

      Jun 15, 2018

      He was thinking of Lookfar, abandoned long ago, beached on the sands of Selidor. Little of her would be left by now, a plank or two down in the sand maybe, a bit of driftwood on the western sea. As he drifted near sleep he began to remember sailing t

      15 min read

    • Article

      Viking Raiders

      Mar 16, 2023

      Viking Raiders
      10 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Sep 4, 2018

      In London. England. Who knows why?Perhaps this rumpled guyFrom central casting or a page of Dickens.He’s taking ordinary usTo haunts of the illustrious,Where even dull pulse quickens. A red felt hat’s dark fingered brim,Food-spotted vest are—him.A mo

      4 min read

    • Article

      Bleeping Frustration

      Sep 8, 2023

      Bleeping Frustration
      2 min read

    • Article

      The Old Man and Death

      Jul 29, 2019

      The Old Man and Death
      1 min read

    • Article

      The Island (catullus 64)

      Mar 1, 2022

      Back then the evergreens tumbled downriverfrom the glaze-white runoff to the boot-stirred puddlesof amber young men who fulfilled our destiny,who clambered into ships, on horses, and in wagonspainting the newfound landscapes ours.Our calling was nobl

      9 min read

    • Article

      Franklin D. Roosevelt

      May 3, 2021

      Franklin D. Roosevelt
      6 min read

    • Article

      Chitchat

      Nov 24, 2023

      Chitchat
      12 min read

    • Article

      Richard the Lionheart

      Mar 27, 2020

      Richard the Lionheart
      10 min read

    • Article

      In Search Of Sanctuary

      Jan 5, 2024

      In Search Of Sanctuary
      16 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Beowulf

    4/5

    268 ratings142 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      There are different ways to translate, and it comes down to what you want to get across. Most creative authors have such a strong voice and sense of story that they will overwhelm the original author. As Bentley wrote of Pope's Iliad: "It is a pretty poem, Mr. Pope, but you must not call it Homer".Sometimes this sort of indirect translation is useful in itself, such as during the transition of the Renaissance from Italy to Britain. Many of the British poets rewrote Italian ...more There are different ways to translate, and it comes down to what you want to get across. Most creative authors have such a strong voice and sense of story that they will overwhelm the original author. As Bentley wrote of Pope's Iliad: "It is a pretty poem, Mr. Pope, but you must not call it Homer".Sometimes this sort of indirect translation is useful in itself, such as during the transition of the Renaissance from Italy to Britain. Many of the British poets rewrote Italian sonnets into English, and though the line of descent was unquestionable, the progeny was it's own work. Another example might be the digestion of Wuxia and Anime into films such as Tarantino's or The Matrix (though Tarantino's sense of propriety is often suspect).However, in these cases, we can hardly call the new work a translation of the old. You are not experiencing the old work but the inspiration it has wrought. Beowulf is just this sort of translation, capturing the excitement and passion of the story, but obliterating the details which make the work interesting to students of history or literary theory.Heaney's translation is a fun, rollicking epic, able to draw in even uninitiated students, which is no doubt why it is now included in Norton. Unfortunately, it is not a particularly useful tool for teaching the importance of the original work. Heaney severs many connections to the unique world of Beowulf.As the only surviving epic from its time, place, and tradition, Beowulf is a unique vision into a pre-Christian culture outside of the Mediterranean. Though the poem shows Christian revisions, these stand out in stark contrast to the rest of the work, and can usually be easily excised, unlike many pervasive Christian impositions on the 'pagan' cultures.Heaney is not a philologist nor a historian, but a popular poet. He doesn't have the background for conscientious translation, and the clearest sign that his translation is haphazard is the fact that there are no footnotes explaining the difficult decisions that most translators have to make in every line. Heaney also loses much of the alliteration and appositives that marked the artistry of the original.A Beowulf that can exist without context is a Beowulf that has well and truly been separated from its past. Perhaps his translation is suitable for an introduction to the work, but a good professor should be able to teach the original without much difficulty.Then again, perhaps the inclusion of this version in college classes has to do with the fact that college is no longer the path for scholars, but has been given the same equality treatment as art and poetry. College is now meant for your average, half-literate frat boy who only wants a BA so he can be a mid-level retail manager.Heaney's translation certainly suits for them, since it is the easiest version of the story this side of a digital Angelina. It's fun and exciting, certainly worth a read, but doesn't stand up as a translation.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      So, Heaney wins the Nobel, leaves Harvard, and decides to do this. Best seller, agreed new standard, best translation. Why? He’s not an Old English scholar, not a philologist as such. He was already rich and famous.

      I have two guesses:
      1. He had already written so much of his own work, he was looking into new sources, translation being a good one. Fine, probably true.
      2. Revenge. England conquered Ireland, crushing out the native culture and language as best they could for hundreds of years. Early 20th century, Ireland attempts to reclaim language and culture, including political independence. Except where Heaney is from in the North. So, how do you conquer the conqueror hundreds of years later? You take their language and use it against them. Like Joyce, but instead of moving further ahead, he goes back to the beginning. Translates the oldest English there is into 20th century Irish dialect English.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Such an incredibly intriguing story! Couldn't stop listening to it!!!
    • 5/5
      Excellent translation. Easy to read, and some exquisite word choices that give a satisfying pop and rattle while reading it (if one reads portions of it aloud, as I did).
    • 3/5
      This was the first translation of Beowulf I read, and I still like it.
    • 4/5
      If you are like me, you haven't read Beowulf since high school and your memory of the story is probably pretty bad. I found reading this translation very enjoyable, and I loved having the "original" version printed opposite the translation (even though I couldn't read it).
    • 5/5
      This translation (by Seamus Heaney) of Beowulf has a plain-spoken elegance. The layout - original Anglo-Saxon on the left page, Heaney translation on the right -- makes it possible to read the original poem aloud for its gorgeous alliteration and rolling rhythm. Still, the world of the poem is dismal. Life is hard; death is fated. Men kill one another, or monsters kill them. Everyone is so poor (by modern standards) that an individual shirt of ring-mail is a family heirloom, handed down for generations, or given by a king to a follower as a major mark of favor. In such a world, listening to good poetry might be one of the few lasting pleasures. The story of Beowulf is tedious; the poetry, transcendent.
    • 3/5
      Translation by Seamus Heaney. Heaney's the translator because his name looks good on the cover. This version isn't bad, but don't buy it thinking that Heaney brings out something that wasn't already there.(I should note that Heaney's translation is sometimes a little obscure for American readers. Heaney relies on some of the old Irish dialect for some of the words, and they end up being just as clear as if they weren't translated at all.)
    • 5/5
      The mighty young hero of the Geats rescues the Danes from two hellish monsters that are slaughtering their warriors as they sleep in the royal banquet hall. Then heaped in glory and treasure he returns home to become, in his old age, king and dragon-slayer: the final glorious deed that ends his life. Raffel's translation into vivid alliterative modern English is vivid and exciting. The new afterword lauds how well this translation has stood the test of time, and how many recent adaptations of the poem have been published since then (including the icky 2007 movie). Frank also writes that this earliest epic did not enter the canon of English literature until the late nineteenth century.
    • 3/5
      Not being a scholar on such poems as "Beowulf" and having read it for the first time, I find it was a beautifully written and in such a way as you can almost see the poetic imagery in front of your eyes. From the first words of the prologue - "Hear me!" - one may be caught in the trap of, although the poem consists of 3182 lines of verse (no fear, only 99 pages), finishing the book in one day.There is adventure, suspense, anticipation, blood, revenge, fantasy, death, mourning, villains, faith in God, glorious heroes, dreadful monsters, all elements of what makes a great story combined in one. There are moments that you can almost feel the character's emotions, for example, in Wiglaf's failed attempt to revive Beowulf from death and his resignation to the Christian God's will:"...He was sittingNear Beowulf's body, warily sprinklingWater in the dead man's face, tryingTo stir him. He could not. No one could have keptLife in their lord's body, or turnedAside the Lord's will: worldAnd men and all move as He orders,And always have, and always will."(lines 2853-2859)For those not familiar and new to reading this kind of poetry, as I am, there is provided a helpful introduction, an informative afterword, and a glossary of names and a diagram of the genealogy of characters mentioned.I encourage the reading if this classic. After reading it, you will know why it is a classic, and that for centuries.
    • 5/5
      Majestic, lyrical, thrilling and compelling: Beowulf is an enchanting epic poem of flawed heroism, broken social systems, gendered tyranny, shifting honor, and imperialistic Christianity. Having read parts of the poem as a first-year undergraduate, I have long intended to read Heaney's best-selling translation. For years it has waited on my shelf, until I decided to take the plunge and teach the text, the better to approach it analytically and while pressured into carefully reading the work in its entirety. To do so proved to be greatly fulfilling, and I found myself weeping for the lost hero that I was cursing and judging a hundred pages before. For perhaps obvious reasons, the question of Grendel's mother and the subject of wergeld proved to be of particular interest, and the definitions of heroes and monsters were inspiration for long classroom debates. Pure joy.
    • 5/5
      Awsome .great book I had to read this for school so I listened to it.
    • 3/5
      It was good but it kinda was confusing and boring but other then that I really enjoyed it
    • 4/5
      This was not as quick a read as I had anticipated, based upon its length, nor was it an easy undertaking. However, it was worth all the effort I expended to read, and understand this ancient poetry. I plan to keep and reread this classic.
    • 5/5
      What a treat to listen to Seamus Heaney narrate his translation of Beowulf. Beautifully done.
    • 5/5
      Very fun telling.
    • 4/5
      I can't give it five stars because it is a translation, and I can't tell how good the original in Old English is. But it does move along very nicely, and I'm not rooting for Grendel, his mother, or the dragon.It is set in southern Scandinavia, not in Northern England, but It is the start of written English. Another point is that we have only one copy, so, it wasn't a best seller in its time. But we have loved it since its first printing in 1815, and thus, I got to read it. It has no overt Christianity, and so is a window into the pagan mind, as it probably was, like the Iliad, a crystallization of a number of shorter orally transmitted poems into a coherent work. Scholars think that it was probably found in its longer form about 776 CE, and is written in the dialect of Northern England, not the Wessex speech. Everyone should read it, preferably aloud, as one reads "the Song of Roland".
    • 4/5
      Nice, readable prose translation of the epic poem--not sure I would have read it otherwise. My Granny Giroux saw this and said "You bought that because of the cover!" and I couldn't argue.
    • 4/5
      If you've always wanted to read an epic poem, but didn't know where to start, this is the epic poem for you. Beowulf turned out to be an awesome story. This story is very Tolkien-ish probably because a scene in Beowulf forms the backbone of the story of Smaug in The Hobbit. The names might remind you of the character names in The Lord of the Rings.The story starts with Hrothgar, king of the Danes. Each night a monster, Grendel, who lives in the marsh waters, attacks Hrothgar's castle and eats the king's guards. This puts a damper on their evening celebrations.Beowulf, from the neighboring Geats, comes and offers to fight the monster. Thus begins the epic story of Beowulf, which goes on to include an exciting dragon battle and horded treasure. I don't want to say anymore for fear of spoiling the story. What did I think? I thought it was great to read this poem after suffering through twenty-two of Horace's Odes. You see, my online book club is reading through the poetry section of The Well-Educated Mind. I've read The Epic of Gilgamesh, The Odyssey, a sampling of Greek Lyrics, and a sampling of Horace's Odes. I'm quite pleased to read the story of a dragon battle.Have you read any epic poetry?
    • 4/5
      Finally getting around to writing about this reread ahead of the forthcoming 'radical new translation' by Maria Dahvana Headley. After having reread and slogged through the classic Seamus translation I am looking forward to what Headley brings to translation. It is the oldest epic of Anglo-Saxons, Beowulf is an epic poem written by an unknown author. It was written in the 8th century, and its language is old English and translated into modern English by Seamus Heaney. This poem, consisting of 3182 strings, is about the miracles of the folk hero Beowulf. Despite being the epicenter of the Anglo-Saxon, the scene is Scandinavia, even in the palace of the Danish king Hrothgar.Epic heroes originated in the Greek Archaic period and became the most popular among heroes, their wars and achievements have been legendary for generations. Beowulf is also an epic hero. A distinctive feature of epic heroes is that they stand out not only with their physical strength, but also with their intelligence and practicality. There is a system in epic epics, the character is introduced, the character's purpose of being there is indicated - which is usually the need to fight a bad guy - and then the character begins to slowly strengthen. This calm ascension is revealed by some conflict or minor warfare, in general, its purpose is to prepare the reader for the big war and show how strong - if not physically - the character is actually.When the peak is reached - when it is peaked - the character is at the strongest level he can be, he is about to defeat the main evil hero of the saga, and the character feels "worthy" with the honor he gives. Since the bad character is dead, there is not much left to do, it is a fall from the peak. Our hero is loved and counted by the people; Vows are dedicated to him, monuments are erected. He lives a happy life, albeit short; Remember, epic heroes do not live long after performing their mission. It does not make much sense for them to live after realizing their only purpose in their lives. And our hero dies; he definitely dies. To introduce the authenticity of Beowulf. Beowulf is an epic epic; yes, but the system I mentioned above does not exist in Beowulf. The epic begins with Grendel, whereas Grendel is the main villain, and his defeat must occur at the "peak" point of our epic hero, right? No not necessarily. Beowulf has a braid that allows us to rewrite what we know about epic epics, and it starts from the top and slowly descends. This is the most important feature that distinguishes Beowulf from others, this distinguishing mark being its unusual scheme / format. The epic is written in such a way that the deaths that will be described in 100-200 words in normal novels are said and passed in 2 strings in this epic. It's all equal to the author, the death of Grendel, the death of Grendel's mother, even the death of Beowulf. And so the story is quickly told. I did enjoy the Seamus translation but the promise of a radical new translation is enticing and I look forward to reading it with this classic reread now so recently behind me.
    • 4/5
      The story, Beowulf, begins by telling about the Danes, specifically about the ones related to Hrothgar. After Hrothgar and his heritage are explained, it tells of how he built a hall called Heorot which is then threatened by the monster Grendel. Grendel constantly attacks Heorot and causes stress for King Hrothgar. When the Geats hear of this, Beowulf and a group of Geat warriors head to help the king. After explaining his mission to a coast-guard, Beowulf is taken to the king and explains of his previous heroic actions. Beowulf says that he will defeat Grendel due to an old friendship and a feast takes place. At the end of the feast, Hrothgar leaves Heorot in Beowulf’s hands to protect through the night. Staying alone in the hall at night, Grendel attacks, taking but one life before Beowulf ends up ripping one of Grendel’s arms off. The king holds another feast in Beowulf’s honor and adopts Beowulf in his heart as a son. In the night, Grendel’s mother comes and attacks the hall. This results in the death of many, one including the king’s advisor. When Beowulf hears of this, he returns again and they go to the home of Grendel and his mother. Beowulf goes into the water with a sword that has never failed to win and fights the mother. After that sword fails, another one made of what seems to be ice is found and is used to slay Beowulf’s mother. Angry with the Grendel family, Beowulf beheads Grendel’s corpse. When this happens, much blood is released, leading to those above the water to believe that Beowulf is dead. Beowulf, when he returns with Grendel’s head, is congratulated before he is warned of the fragility of life and what power can do. After this, Beowulf leaves and Beowulf tells Hygelac what happened while he was there. Eventually, fifty years pass in which Beowulf has ruled the Geats. A theft happens eventually, and awakens a dragon. This dragon attacks many different villages before destroying Beowulf’s home while he is away. Eventually, Beowulf does take on a dragon. With all but one person gone, Beowulf is wounded and, after the one person strikes the dragon briefly, fatally wounds the dragon. Unfortunately, Beowulf dies and is buried with some of the treasure the dragon had with him and is mourned by many people.The book, Beowulf was a very good poem, something that would not be easily recognized if it wasn’t for the structure. One thing that I do not like about the book, though, is the character Beowulf. I believe that the character had too many qualities that made the character perfect. Beowulf finished off the enemies of his too quickly. He also bragged a lot and always proved himself to be right. This sort of character quickly got on my nerves. I believe that besides that, the book was good. I think that if it weren’t for this, Beowulf would certainly be a five star book.
    • 3/5
      Only so much can be said about Beowulf that hasn't already been heard, and I am not one to do it. Having read this, it's clear to see why this story has lasted so long and been such an influence to so many authors and scholars. It is a richly mythical melange of Christian themes and Nordic paganism in a stirring adventure story. I will say that as far as epic poetry goes, I'm more partial to the Iliad, which to me has much more complex and dynamic characters, but the setting is far less intimate and in a way, less fantastic. The best part of this volume, however would have to be the side-by-side translation Most of the Old English was completely alien, but ever now and then one world, like 'mist' or 'helm' would jump out at you from the jumble and make clear where this language I write comes from.This is a book that anyone interested in myth and story should read at least once. Now, the question is, will I read it again? Probably not. For all its pros, it is sort of a stodgy and dated work. Things are very flat, and at times very uninteresting. The movie that was released just recently (the CGI one, not the live action) probably saved the entire work in giving it an alternative meaning and some characters who, at the very least, lie every now and then.
    • 5/5
      If you ever need to read anything in translation that Heaney has done, DO IT. He keeps the feel of the original texts and is absolutely astounding at modernizing ancient texts without diverting from the original.
    • 4/5
      Heaney's translation is stunning in its beauty. He manages to capture the effortless alliteration of the original, yet the language flows seamlessly. The inclusion of the Old English version is nice for those of us who are interested in such things, but this doubtless isn't the best edition for scholars, as Heaney strays more from the original text than some. If you're only going to own one translation of Beowulf, make it this one.
    • 5/5
      This is the first time I've read Seamus Heaney's translation. As Beowulf is a poem, I think that a poetic approach to the translation makes much more sense, and is more readable than the prose rendering in my other copy of Beowulf. Never again would he glitter and glideand show himself off in midnight air,exulting in his riches:is a much more evocative description of the slain dragon thanNever would he circle through the air for his sport at the dead of night, nor let himself be seen abroad, glorying in the treasures he owned;
    • 3/5
      Interesting. Definitely reads like an epic, mystical tale. I think I'd like it better if I hadn't read it in school.
    • 3/5
      Yes, a classic, I know. And not bad. But not my favorite, nor one of the best, I think. Still, recommended.
    • 4/5
      I find it easier to listen to than read. That is how these stories were shared originally.
    • 5/5
      Who knew I would ever enjoy Beowulf. I remember struggling through it in school and not making any sense of it (although the fact that an elementary teacher first assigned it may have added to my confusion).Heaney's translation was a revelation. I had heard such strong praise, but was still reluctant to revisit the epic. My sister finally persuaded me to read it to help her prep to teach a new Brit Lit class.I was blown away. Not only could I understand what was going on, I was engrossed it the plot. I actually could not put it down.So if you, like me never "got" Beowulf while in school, don't hesitate to give this translation a try
    • 4/5
      For many, Beowulf is a painful childhood memory because we were all forced to read -- or read parts of -- a translation of Old English into somewhat less old English. It was a fairly average tale made worse through unenthusiastic translation. It's oft featured in English literature curricula precisely because of its age, but that doesn't make it good poetry. A story like Beowulf was first carried forward from teller to listener long before it was ever written down. Once committed to paper though, it becomes frozen in time. Once it's frozen, it starts to lose its connection to the audience so it's only right that we entertain new translations. Seamus Heaney does a brilliant job of it, making an eminently readable epic poem, worthy of your overtaxed attention. From dragon-slaying to Scandinavian alliances, it's worth revisiting.