The Dream Of The Rood Old English

Preserved in the 10th century vercelli book the poem may be as old as the 8th century ruthwell cross and is considered one of the oldest works of old english literature.

The dream of the rood old english. Rood is an old english word for cross and poem tells of a pious man s encounter with a talking crucifix which is a novel idea for a poem to say the least. Rood is from the old english word rōd pole or more specifically crucifix. The rood tells him its own story. Barnes for manchester up 1970.

Like most old english poetry it is written in alliterative verse. 1 3 it seemed to me that i saw the greatest tree. Dream of the rood. Pope john c ed.

The dream of the rood. Brought into the sky bewound in light the brightest of beams. The ruthwell cross features the largest figurative reliefs found on any surviving anglo saxon cross which are virtually the largest surviving anglo saxon reliefs of any sort and has inscriptions in both latin and unusually for a christian monument the runic alphabet the latter containing lines similar to lines 39 64 of dream of the rood an old english poem which were possibly added at a later date. Methuen s old english library.

Manchester old and middle english texts. The version used here is elaine treharne s translation in the old and middle english anthology. Secgan wylle hwæt me gemætte. After the speech bearers lie biding their rest.

The dream of the rood is thus the first great christian dream vision poem in english literature a precursor to the fourteenth century pearl and langland s piers plowman among many other later works. That beacon was entirely. This version was taken from the complete corpus of anglo saxon poetry and is freely distributable. The dream of the rood.

What i wish to say of the best of dreams what came to me in the middle of the night. It seemed to me that i saw a more wonderful tree. It will be obvious that i have relied heavily on swanton. In a dream the unknown poet beholds a beautiful tree the rood or cross on which christ died.

Lifted in the air wound round with light. The dream of the rood is an explicitly christian poem that attempts to appeal to anglo saxons from a pagan culture. Seven old english poems. The dream of the rood is one of the christian poems in the corpus of old english literature and an example of the genre of dream poetry.

The dream of the rood is a dream vision in which the cross tells the story of the crucifixion. Listen i will tell the best of visions what came to me in the middle of the night when voice bearers dwelled in rest. The dream of the rood old english lyric the earliest dream poem and one of the finest religious poems in the english language once but no longer attributed to caedmon or cynewulf. The dream of the rood is the earliest english dream poem to be found in written form.