Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry

 Anglo-Saxon Religious Poetry

Anglo-Saxon religious poetry is mainly the work of two Christian poets who were monks-Caedom (c.675) and Cynewulf (c.800). With the introduction of Christianity in the island and the conversion of the people, Anglo-Saxon poets turned away from the Pagan themes and applied themselves to religious poetry which consists mainly of the poetical rendering of the Biblical stories and lives of the saints.

Caedmon
Bede's Ecclesiastical History gives an account of the life of Caedmon. According to Bede, Caedmon flourished in Northumbria in the last quarter of the seventh century. He was associated with a certain monastery. He was the first man to sing about Christian themes systematically and after him, many poets came to sing in the same strain.

The manuscript of a folio of two hundred and twenty nine pages in sixty seven sections discovered in 1630 was supposed to be  the work of Caedmon because of the opening lines and because the content tallied partially with the accounts of Bede. The manuscript comprises four different works, "Genesis", "Exodus", "Danies" and “Christ and Satan".

"Genesis" is divided into two parts - Genesis A and Genesis B. Genesis B thrusts itself in the middle and repeats and elaborates a part of Genesis A. It is a poem about God and angels in heaven, of rebellion of the angels and of the fallen angels in hell their council and design on man. Adam and Eve were tempted and their fall was recorded with vigour. After a vigorous description of the flood, the poem ends abruptly with Abraham at the sacrifice of Isaac.

"Exodus" is the story of the book of Exodus. Here we find the Anglo-Saxon poet in his element: here he calls up a warlike and troublous atmosphere. He gives the description of the marshalling of Pharoah's hosts and the pursuit of Moses and his men. Wild exultation for success was recorded. The poem is characterised by the rapidity of narrative and vigour of style

“Daniel" is an incomplete poem dealing with the first five chapters of the book of Daniel. There is less of heathen spirit in the poem. Didactic note sometimes borders on dullness. It is, however marked by a restrained style.

“Christ and Satan" is actually a group of three different poems Lament of the Fallen Angels", "Harrowing of Heli" and The Temptation of Christ". There are however Cynewulfian touches in the poems. "Judith" is fine poem attributed to Caedmon. It is only a fragment of some 350 lines that exists in the same manuscript that contains Beowulf.

"Judith" is a version of the Vulgate text of the apocryphal book of Judith, and the existing portion tells of the beheading of the drunken Holofernes by Judith. Judith rallies the Hebrews to attack the Assyrians, the fear of the Assyrians on discovering the headless body of Holofernes, the defeat of the Assyrians by the Hebrews and Judith's triumph and praise to God are described in vigorous and rapidly moving verse.

These are the poems attributed to Caedmon on the authority of Bede, but scholars no longer believe the theory. The poems are of unequal merit. At best they are strong and spirited with some gift for descriptive writing and choice of the incident; at worst they are tedious paraphrases of Biblical stories. Genesis B shows poetic vigour and dramatic skill. The poem is a rudimentary Paradise Lost and indeed, its finest passage can bear comparison with parts of Milton's epic.

The versification of Genesis B shows a fine technical ease and the adaptation of the conventions of heroic poetry to Biblical narrative is done with great skill. The adaptation to religious verse of the style
and conventions of heroic poetry is even more vividly demonstrated in the Anglo-Saxon "Exodus". The description of the drowning of the Egyptian host in the Red Sea is done with great vigour.

While the poems of Caedmon are entirely on Biblical subjects, the poems of Cynewulf depict events celebrated in the church calendar. The Cynewulfian verse is therefore closer to the continental mediaeval church is spirit. Female saints are prominent. Cynewulf delights in natural scenery, specially storms and the sea and he is especially remarkable for his concern with ideas and emotions. With Cynewulf Anglo-Saxon religious poetry moves beyond Biblical paraphrase into the devotional and the mystical. His works are marked by a lyric fervour and narrative vigour absent in Caedmon's poetry.

Cynewulf

Unlike Caedom Cynewulf's authorship of certain poems is beyond doubt. He is the first poet in the English language to sign his works. After the discovery of the name, numerous work including the whole of the Exeter book and Beowulf have been attributed to him by one scholar or another. Four poems, however, besides signed pieces have been regarded by many as probably Cynewulf's: "Andereas", "The Dream of the Rood", "Phoenix" and "Guthlac" The reasons given are affinity with the signed poems in theme and thought, similarity of language and expression, sameness in grammar, metre and poetic treatment. Later tendency, however, was to consider them as independent works.

The signed poems of Cynewulf are "Juliana", "Christ", The Fates of the Apostles" and "Elene" "Juliana" is based on a Latin original. In the region of Maximian, Juliana, daughter of Africanus was wooed by Elensius, a Roman prefect. Refusing to marry him unless he became a Christian, she was severely persecuted by successive imprisonment, scourging firing, breaking upon the wheel, all of which she withstood by her faith. When she was beheaded, her soul was taken to heaven. The soul of Elensius later killed shipwreck was dragged down to hell. It is, however, an immature work, a literal translation of the original. The character of the heroine is, however, improved. The introduction of the Teutonic atmosphere is notable even in this crude work.

“Christ" is divided into three well-defined parts; Nativity Ascension and The Day of Judgement. Part I is composed of the conception of Mary, dialogue between Mary and Joseph and the glorious addresses to God. In Part II, Christ before ascension bids farewell to His followers, here is an allegorical passage describing the six leaps of Christ. Part III describes the day of judgement. It calls up vivid terror with the vision of the Holy Rood brilliant and. The good are transformed to heaven and the poem end with the description of a perfect land The Fates of the Apostles" is a weak poem on the lives of the twelve apostles. It is short, sketchy and uninteresting. It makes no addition to his fame.

“Elene" has for its subject the finding of the Cross. The Huns gathered against Constantine who dreamed his famous dream of the Road and was bid to conquer by that sign. A battle followed and victory was won by Constantine. Then there is the description of his mother's voyage to Jerusalem. His mother Empress Helena conferred with the Jews not to reveal the sight of the Cross. Constantine was
imprisoned and then released. Constantine prayed to Christ and then he discovered the Cross by a miracle. The rest of the poem is composed of the message of Helena to Constantine. the baptism of Judas, etc. Elene" has been called Cynewulfs masterpiece. It is characterised by perfection of art and poetic technique. There is reference to old age in many autobiographical passages.

The pomp of war, the gleam of jewels, the joy of ships dancing on the wave give life and colour to the narrative permeated by the serious purpose of the poet. "Andreas" tells of the adventures, sufferings and evangelical successes of St. Andrew. "The Phoenix" describes and earthly paradise in the East, the beauty of the Phoenix, its flight to Syria after it has lived for a thousand years to build its nest, die and be reborn, while the second half takes "The Phoenix" as an allegory both of the life of the virtuous in this world and the next and a symbol of Christ.

“The Dream of the Rood" is regarded as the greatest of old English poems because of its unusual lyric tenderness, imagination and piety. It is the earliest dream vision in English literature. In a
dream vision the Cross tells the poet the story of its life from the day when it was struck down on the verge of the forest to that on which Christ was lifted on to it and it trembled as it received the kiss of
God-in-man. It is now honoured by men, their beacon light and are for all the ills of life.

"Guthlae" A and B are based upon the Latin vita of St. Guthlac Guthlac is tempted and tormented by the foul fiends. Guthlac B details the serene death of the saint. The tender personal feeling and emotional depth suggest that Cynewulf may have written this poem.

While the poems of Caedmon are entirely on Biblical subjects, the poems of Cynewulf depict events celebrated in the church calendar. The Cynewulfian verse is therefore closer to the continental mediaeval church is spirit. Female saints are prominent. Cynewulf delights in natural scenery, specially storm and the sea and he is specially remarkable for his concern with ideas and emotions. With Cynewulf Anglo-Saxon religious poetry moves beyond Biblical paraphrase into the devotional and the mystical. His works are marked by a lyric fervour and narrative vigour absent in Caedmon's poetry.