Dream of the Rood

                                   Dream of the Rood

(Text)

 

Listen! The choicest of visions I wish to tell,
which came as a dream in middle-night,
after voice-bearers lay at rest.
It seemed that I saw a most wondrous tree
born aloft, wound round by light,5
brightest of beams. All was that beacon
sprinkled with gold. Gems stood
fair at earth’s corners; there likewise five
shone on the shoulder-span (1). All there beheld the Angel of God (2),
fair through predestiny (3). Indeed, that was no wicked one’s gallows,10
but holy souls beheld it there,
men over earth, and all this great creation.
Wondrous that victory-beam – and I stained with sins,
with wounds of disgrace. I saw glory’s tree
honored with trappings, shining with joys,15
decked with gold; gems had
wrapped that forest tree worthily round.
Yet through that gold I clearly perceived
old strife of wretches (4), when first it began
to bleed on its right side. With sorrows most troubled,20
I feared that fair sight. I saw that doom-beacon (5)
turn trappings and hews: sometimes with water wet,
drenched with blood’s going; sometimes with jewels decked.
But lying there long while, I,
troubled, beheld the Healer’s tree,25
until I heard its fair voice.
Then best wood spoke these words:
“It was long since – I yet remember it –
that I was hewn at holt’s end,
moved from my stem. Strong fiends seized me there,30
worked me for spectacle; cursèd ones lifted me (6).
On shoulders men bore me there, then fixed me on hill;
fiends enough fastened me. Then saw I mankind’s Lord
come with great courage when he would mount on me.
Then dared I not against the Lord’s word35
bend or break, when I saw earth’s
fields shake. All fiends
I could have felled, but I stood fast.
The young hero stripped himself – he, God Almighty –
strong and stout-minded. He mounted high gallows,40
bold before many, when he would loose mankind.
I shook when that Man clasped me. I dared, still, not bow to earth,
fall to earth’s fields, but had to stand fast.
Rood was I reared. I lifted a mighty King,
Lord of the heavens, dared not to bend.45
With dark nails they drove me through: on me those sores are seen,
open malice-wounds. I dared not scathe anyone.
They mocked us both, we two together (7). All wet with blood I was,
poured out from that Man’s side, after ghost he gave up.
Much have I born on that hill50
of fierce fate. I saw the God of hosts
harshly stretched out. Darknesses had
wound round with clouds the corpse of the Wielder,
bright radiance; a shadow went forth,
dark under heaven. All creation wept,55
King’s fall lamented. Christ was on rood.
But there eager ones came from afar
to that noble one. I beheld all that.
Sore was I with sorrows distressed, yet I bent to men’s hands,
with great zeal willing. They took there Almighty God,60
lifted him from that grim torment. Those warriors abandoned me
standing all blood-drenched, all wounded with arrows.
They laid there the limb-weary one, stood at his body’s head;
beheld they there heaven’s Lord, and he himself rested there,
worn from that great strife. Then they worked him an earth-house,65
men in the slayer’s sight carved it from bright stone,
set in it the Wielder of Victories. Then they sang him a sorrow-song,
sad in the eventide, when they would go again
with grief from that great Lord. He rested there, with small company.
But we there lamenting a good while70
stood in our places after the warrior’s cry
went up. Corpse grew cold,
fair life-dwelling. Then someone felled us
all to the earth. That was a dreadful fate!
Deep in a pit one delved us. Yet there Lord’s thanes,75
friends, learned of me,. . . . . . . . . . .
adorned me with silver and gold.
Now you may know, loved man of mine,
what I, work of baleful ones, have endured
of sore sorrows. Now has the time come80
when they will honor me far and wide,
men over earth, and all this great creation,
will pray for themselves to this beacon. On me God’s son
suffered awhile. Therefore I, glorious now,
rise under heaven, and I may heal85
any of those who will reverence me.
Once I became hardest of torments,
most loathly to men, before I for them,
voice-bearers, life’s right way opened.
Indeed, Glory’s Prince, Heaven’s Protector,90
honored me, then, over holm-wood (8).
Thus he his mother, Mary herself,
Almighty God, for all men,
also has honored over all woman-kind.
Now I command you, loved man of mine,95
that you this seeing (9) tell unto men;
discover with words that it is glory’s beam
which Almighty God suffered upon
for all mankind’s manifold sins
and for the ancient ill-deeds of Adam.100
Death he tasted there, yet God rose again
by his great might, a help unto men.
He then rose to heaven. Again sets out hither
into this Middle-Earth, seeking mankind
on Doomsday, the Lord himself,105
Almighty God, and with him his angels,
when he will deem – he holds power of doom –
everyone here as he will have earned
for himself earlier in this brief life.
Nor may there be any unafraid110
for the words that the Wielder speaks.
He asks before multitudes where that one is
who for God’s name would gladly taste
bitter death, as before he on beam did.
And they then are afraid, and few think115
what they can to Christ’s question answer (10).
Nor need there then any be most afraid (11)
who ere in his breast bears finest of beacons;
but through that rood shall each soul
from the earth-way enter the kingdom,120
who with the Wielder thinks yet to dwell.”
I prayed then to that beam with blithe mind,
great zeal, where I alone was
with small company (12). My heart was
impelled on the forth-way, waited for in each125
longing-while. For me now life’s hope:
that I may seek that victory-beam
alone more often than all men,
honor it well. My desire for that
is much in mind, and my hope of protection130
reverts to the rood. I have not now many
strong friends on this earth; they forth hence
have departed from world’s joys, have sought themselves glory’s King;
they live now in heaven with the High-Father,
dwell still in glory, and I for myself expect135
each of my days the time when the Lord’s rood,
which I here on earth formerly saw,
from this loaned life will fetch me away
and bring me then where is much bliss,
joy in the heavens, where the Lord’s folk140
is seated at feast, where is bliss everlasting;
and set me then where I after may
dwell in glory, well with those saints
delights to enjoy. May he be friend to me
who here on earth earlier died145
on that gallows-tree for mankind’s sins.
He loosed us and life gave,
a heavenly home. Hope was renewed
with glory and gladness to those who there burning endured.
That Son was victory-fast (13) in that great venture,150
with might and good-speed  (14), when he with many,
vast host of souls, came to God’s kingdom,
One-Wielder Almighty: bliss to the angels
and all the saints – those who in heaven
dwelt long in glory – when their Wielder came,155
Almighty God, where his homeland was.

 The Story

 

The sonnet is set up with the storyteller having a fantasy. In this fantasy or vision he is addressing the Cross on which Jesus was killed. The sonnet itself is split into three separate segments: the initial segment (ll. 1–27), the subsequent part (ll. 28–121) and the third part (ll. 122–156). In area one, the storyteller has a dream of the Cross. At first when the visionary sees the Cross, he takes note of how it is secured with pearls. He knows about how vomited he is contrasted with how great the tree is. In any case, he comes to see that in the midst of the delightful stones it is recolored with blood. In segment two, the Cross offers its record of Jesus' passing. The Crucifixion story is told from the point of view of the Cross. It starts with the foe coming to chop the tree down and diverting it. The tree discovers that it isn't to be the carrier of a lawbreaker, however rather Christ executed. The Lord and the Cross become one, and they stand together as victors, declining to fall, taking on impossible agony for humanity. It isn't simply Christ, however the Cross also that is punctured with nails. Adelhied L. J. Thieme comments, "The cross itself is depicted as his master's retainer whose most remarkable trademark is that of unflinching steadfastness". The Rood and Christ are one in the depiction of the Passion—they are both penetrated with nails, ridiculed and tormented. At that point, similarly likewise with Christ, the Cross is restored, and enhanced with gold and silver. It is regarded over all trees similarly as Jesus is respected over all men. The Cross at that point charges the visionary to share all that he has seen with others. In segment three, the creator gives his appearance about this vision. The vision closes, and the man is left with his considerations. He offers applause to God for what he has seen and is loaded up with trust in everlasting life and his craving to by and by be close to the sublime Cross.

Write a note of The Dream of the Rood

 

The Dream of the Rood has rightly been called the choicest blossom of Old English Christian Poetry.The Religious feeling has never been more exquisitely expressed than in this poem. It Is a short poem Of 140 lines only. But it is full of imagination and deals with the mysterious of sin and the sorrow, attending upon it.

 

                A great debate clashes round its authorship. A large number of writers asserts that Cynewulf wrote it and on the after hand Walker with other seems to think that Cynewulf was not its writer and allots it to Caledonian school. Some have been attributed it to Caedmon himself. The poem is characterized by the personal subjective element which is found in his signed poems, more over the warship paid in the poem to the cross as well as the glorification of it is a constant element in two his genius poems Christ and Elene.

 

                The poets dream of the Holy cross decked with gems and shining brightly. It was guarded by angels. The poet was afraid of it because he was stained with guilt. As he wasted at it, it began to speak and told the story of its origin in the forest, its removal to be made into a cross for the master of mankind. The speech end with an exhortation to every man to seek through the cross the Kingdom of God.  

                                The Dream of the Rood is an David Deities says, “the oldest surviving in English poem in the form of a dream of vision, a form which was later to be used for such a variety of purposes.”   The poem has an autobiographical significance. It is the last thing that Cynewulf wrote and as such it tells the fate of his last days.

Write a note on the Phoenix

 

 

 The Phoenix is attributed to Cynewulf by a large number of competent critics. It is in the Exeter Book and runs to 677 lines. It is based upon a Latin Poem De Ave Phoenixes attributed to Lactantius. The poem is divided into eight cantos. The first canto gives the description of an earthly paradise in the cast. The Second describes the life of the Phoenix in this paradise---its flight to Syria, after it has lived for a thousand year in the paradise, to die and be reborn. The process of freedom is explained in the third canto. In the fourth canto we get a description of the new bird risen from the ashes of the old bird. In this canto we also get an account of the departure of the Phoenix for its old paradise. In the fifth canto the bird comes back to its old home, and then begins the allegorical treatment of the fable. The Phoenix is compared to a saint as well as to Christ. The rests of the poem deals with this comparison and the digressions such as the story of Adam and Eve.

 

                                The Characteristic features of the poem is its love of color and wealth of gorgeous descriptive epithets which is amply illustrated by the description of the paradoxical land where the phoenix dwells. The poem is of great importance in the history of English Poetry.     

 

Link