Certain motifs appear throughout many Anglo-Saxon works. “The Seafarer”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and “Bede” are no exception. One motif that appears in all three of these works is that of the bitterness of exile and isolation. “The Seafarer” is an elegy about a man who leaves his home voluntary to spend his life on the sea. His self-imposed isolation or exile sets a tragic tone for the elegy. “It tells how the sea took me, swept me back and forth in sorrow and fear and pain, showed me suffering in a hundred ships, in a thousand ports, and in me.” (pg 87) “The Wife’s Lament” speaks of the banishment of a wife by her husband’s kinsman. She bitterly laments her exile and tells of the hardships she has suffered since. “All that has changed and it is now as though our marriage and our love had never been, and far or near forever I must suffer the feud of my beloved husband dear.” (pg 93) “Bede” speaks of Caedmon’s self-imposed exile. Though his exile is not bitter like those of the seafarer and the wife, his isolation is equal. Caedmon gives up his life in the world to live in seclusion as a monk writing hymns. “The abbess was delighted that God had given such grace to the man, and advised him to abandon secular life and adopt the monastic state.” (pg 86)
Another motif that occurs in these three works is that of change. Abrupt change is a common occurrence in each of these works. For example, in “The Seafarer”, the old man abruptly decided to leave his home again to return to the sea. “And who could believe, knowing but the passion of cities, welled proud with wine and no taste of misfortune, how often, how wearily, I put myself back on the paths of the sea.” (pg 88) “The Wife’s Lament” speaks of the abrupt banishment of the wife by her husband and his kinsman. “So in this forest grove they made me dwell, under the oak-tree, in this earthly barrow.” (pg 93) The abrupt change in “Bede” occurs when Caedmon decides to give up his life as a non-clergy member and become a monk. “For Caedmon as a deeply religious man who humbly submitted to regular discipline and hotly rebuked all who tried to follow another course.” (pg 86)
Another motif that occurs in these three works is that of change. Abrupt change is a common occurrence in each of these works. For example, in “The Seafarer”, the old man abruptly decided to leave his home again to return to the sea. “And who could believe, knowing but the passion of cities, welled proud with wine and no taste of misfortune, how often, how wearily, I put myself back on the paths of the sea.” (pg 88) “The Wife’s Lament” speaks of the abrupt banishment of the wife by her husband and his kinsman. “So in this forest grove they made me dwell, under the oak-tree, in this earthly barrow.” (pg 93) The abrupt change in “Bede” occurs when Caedmon decides to give up his life as a non-clergy member and become a monk. “For Caedmon as a deeply religious man who humbly submitted to regular discipline and hotly rebuked all who tried to follow another course.” (pg 86)
No comments:
Post a Comment