Reflections
on the Rimes of Ancient Mariners
I was
reading Emily Wilson's review of Christopher Nolan's Odyssey movie and
being amused at its Olympian-level snottiness when I remembered a conversation
I had with my late dad a very long time ago concerning another epic poem.
Dad: I
don't understand why you have to translate Beowulf. I read that
in college.
I pause
to digest this. My dad, a civil engineer, famously told me about the time he
and his friends all turned in a project for astronomy class: a scale drawing of
the solar system, duly measured in feet and inches. (Their professor, an
erudite European, chortled.) I ponder the likelihood of these fine young engineering
students, all war veterans from the Tennessee mountains, intoning hwaet we
gardena in deep-fried accents and then I realised…
Me: Your
version had words like 'forsooth' and 'lo!', didn't it?
Dad: Yep.
Me: Mine
sounds like this: [reads part of the intro ending with 'þæt wæs god cyning.']
Dad: I
got that last sentence.
Me: I
thought you would.
Apart
from my Appalachian relatives' assertion that my great-grandmother spoke Old
English ('what does sugain mean?'), I have often found that epic poetry
generally tends to bring out the Fachidiot in people. When it comes to
their own folklore, they're often like the lay art appreciator: they don't know
anything about it, but they know what they like. Unfortunately, I suspect a lot
of medieval and classical linguists have a similar problem when it comes to
film art: yes, I'm sure Nolan's film leaves out a lot of detail when it comes
to the Odyssey. But the poem is 12,000 lines long and the movie's only
three hours. Odysseas would think you got off easy.
Personally,
I wish more scholars took themselves less seriously these days. I learned to
read Beowulf and other trifles from Professor Mary David at the
University of Pittsburgh. She was a fine scholar with an equally fine sense of
humour. At the time I was studying with her, she was spending her evenings and
weekends in her garage office collating and translating a manuscript – I think
it was Historia destructionis Troiae – with the help of her mother, a
lady of mature years. According to her, late-strolling suburbanites were being
shocked, shocked, we tell you, by the mirthful sounds of two women
cackling in their garage.
The
cause? Trying to find yet another synonym in the 500-line description of Helen
of Troy's left breast.
Enjoy
the movie.
Wildlife
Caption Challenge
SashaQ sent in this amazing duck photo.
Write a caption, you clever people.
Cartoonish
Thoughts
(Netflix can be very illuminating.)
It's a Sign
Caiman Raptor Elk again. He's wondering if he should
call an exorcist for this SatAnic satellite dish.
I'm worried that the Radiobauer is planting
electronics.
Video
of the Day
Feed Me First: Blackheaded Gull Chicks
By SashaQ
This is some first-rate wildlife footage. Good for
saying 'aww…' and laughing at the same time. Or writing your own voice-overs.
If you come up with one, let us know.
for ur sooþ, Dmitri Gheorgheni, Editor
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