archaic and classical musician-poets included Sappho, Alcaeus, Anacreon and Pindar. Archaic lyric was characterized by strophic composition and live musical performanc
The relationship between music based lyricism and written poetry seems crucial for lyric poetry
Hence inlvrical poetr'.v rr'har is conveyerl is not rilere emtrtion, but tlie imaginative prehension of enrotionalstirtes"
In a poetry class, I read that a line of poetry is like an emotional link, or a gesture of longing. It contains and releases emotional energy.
Nolonger zr peribuning l;:rrd, sc<ry, skald, or tt ouba-dour, the l)oet cease(l to "corr)pose" his or herpoem fbr nrusic:rl preselltatioll brrt iusteati''\{rote' it lbl a collection ofrcaders.
This explanation of performance to the written word interests me in the way that poems gained a sense of finality this way. Oral poetry has an aura of formlessness, and in writing it down so that it can reach a wider audience gives poetry a very distinct feel. It has permanence.
Squiér,
The squire reminds me of the the romance we talked about in class about the two professors. The genre of romance seems to hold strong in early English literature as the squire himself is a lover, such as the knight in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Knyght
Here begins the narrator's nod to the feudal system in comparing the group of pilgrims the narrator encounters on his journey to Canterbury. The knight, the clergy (the prioress), squire are all part of this relation to early English tradition.
""I'hat was ycars ago -l vct 1e'rnsrnbgr-that I rvas cut dor.r,n at tl.re cdge of thc foresttorn up l'rom my trunk
This section of the poem makes me image the narrator becoming a christ like image through the tree. It's interesting how myths of creation seem to take on a new twist in anglo-saxon history.
Clearly this was no criminal's gallows,{but holy spirits wcre beholding ir rhere,men on this earth, all that mightv creati()n.That trcc was triumphant and I tarnishecl by sin,begrimcd with evil.
The juxtaposition between the gallows tree and this holy tree illuminated by light is interesting to me. That the gallows tree is a common enough image to the readers/ listeners of this time must add a powerful image to the poem itself.
Beowulf, son of Ecgtheow, spoke:“Wise sir, do not grieve. It is always better to avenge dear ones than to indulge in mourning.For every one of us, living in this worldMeans waiting for our end. Let whoever canWin glory before death. When a warrior is gone,That will be his bestand only bulwark.
Again, I think Beowulf completes his hero's image in that it is better to fight to the end to honor one's self and to honor those who have fought bravely and fallen before you. Just as Beowulf says a warrior will be remembered for the glory of those he avenged, we remember his story in the tale of his own glory.
Bear upAnd be the man I expect you to be.”
This quote really sums up the overall characteristic of what a man, a hero, would have to be in these dark ages. A hero must always be prepared to answer to the call to arms, especially to one's king. Beowulf is that hero, and his next task is to slay Grendel's mother at the request of his king.A hero, he was born to obey.