The dream of the rood is one of the gems of anglosaxon poetry. The dream of the rood is an early medieval poem, written in old english by an anonymous author. A reading of the dream of the rood and the ruin, two old english poems. May, 2019 the dream of the rood is the earliest english dream poem to be found in written form. The dream of the rood is the oldest english dream poem in. The dream of the rood, one of the few surviving pieces of anglosaxon literature, is a vital reference for the ambiguous culture of englands early ancestors. The dream of the rood is an old english religious poem. It was as though i saw a wondrous tree 5 towering in the sky suffused with light, brightest of beams. See more ideas about anglo saxon, british literature and beowulf. Preserved in the 10th century vercelli book, the poem. 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. Forget about the passive, turn the othercheek, peaceful savior from the bible.
The dream of the rood is one of the earliest christian poems in the corpus of old english literature and an example of the genre of dream poetry. The dream of the rood is the most widely studied old english poem with the exception of beowulf first transcribed c. It is my aim to analyse the capacity of the form of a. Rood is an old english word for cross, and poem tells of a pious mans encounter with a talking crucifix, which is a novel idea for a poem, to say the least. The dream of the rood has been heralded by scholars as the finest expression of the crucifixion theme in. In the dream of the rood, an unknown poet dreams that he encounters a beautiful tree. It is the rood, or cross, on which jesus christ was crucified. I was besplattered with blood, sluicing out from the mans side, after launching. Dream of the rood notes notes and outlines lightspill. The poem has been the subject of literary and historical study for generations and has been interpreted in a variety of ways. Preserved in the 10thcentury vercelli book, the poem may be as old as. It represents no more than a fragment of the text as we find it in the vercelli ms, a short passage describing the crucifixion and the ordeal of the cross. By contrast, the cross itself now stained with blood, now encrusted with gems in the manner of a reliquary feels all the agony of crucifixion, and its physical pain is more than matched by the pain of its being forced to kill. Dream of the rood an open companion for british literature i.
The dream of rood university of oxford old english coursepack introduction to the poem the dream of the rood is one of the most admired examples of old english poetry and, because of its central christian theme, it remains a poem which, for many people. Hrolf krakis saga and old norse literature duration. Pdf the composite authorship of the dream of the rood. It is gloriously decorated with gold and gems, but the poet can discern ancient wounds. Preserved in the 10thcentury vercelli book, the poem may be as old as the 8thcentury ruthwell cross, and is. The dream of the rood is an explicitly christian poem that attempts to appeal to anglosaxons from a pagan culture. The dream of the rood christian poem in the collection of. The dream of the rood an old english poem, author and date unknown translated by e. The writer and composition date are both unknown to the world. This version was taken from the complete corpus of anglosaxon poetry and is freely distributable verse indeterminate saxon. Stylistic disjunctions in the dream of the rood anglosaxon. As with many works of old and middle english, it is not. The dream of the rood is today recognized as a formative piece of christian literature.
A notable feature of the poem is the close identification of christ, cross, and dreamer. The vercelli book chapter library of the cathedral at vercelli, codex cxvii. Preserved in the 10thcentury vercelli book, the poem may be. What i wish to say of the best of dreams, what came to me in the middle of the night. The dream of the rood is the choicest blossom of old english christian poetry. Be sure to pay attention to how this text works to very different ideas the violent, warrior culture of the anglosaxons with the mild and forgiving.
Unknown, the dream of the rood late 600searly 700s this anonymous anglosaxon poem shows us a whole new side of jesus. The dream of love, acknowledged as perhaps the greatest religious poem in english, has been recognized as an essentially christian poem. Dream of the rood project gutenberg selfpublishing. Donaldson listen, i will speak of the best of dreams, of what i dreamed at midnight when men and their voices were at rest. Dream of the rood anglosaxon narrative poetry project. Here christ appears as a young heroking, confident of victory as he rushes to mount the cross. Return to my translation of the dream of the rood or jump to a drr bibliography page. Both the vercelli and the ruthwell texts have been edited separately, with full notes and glossary, by michael swanton, the dream of the rood, 2nd ed. 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. The paper the dream of the rood christian poem in the collection of old english literature is a pathetic example of an essay on literature. By contrast, the cross itself now stained with blood, now encrusted with gems in the manner of a reliquary feels all the agony of crucifixion, and its physical pain is more than matched by the pain of. They have been treated explicitly and implicitly for many years from several different points of view.
It is full of imaginative power and enters deeply into the mysteries of sin and of sorrow. Like all old english poetry, it is written in alliterative verse. Rood is from the old english rod pole, specifically crucifix. Presently the cross speaks and tells how it was hewn and set up on a mount. I heaved the mighty king, the lord of heaveni dared not topple or reel. Oct 06, 2011 the dream of the rood is one of the earliest christian poems in the corpus of anglosaxon literature and an intriguing example of the genre of dream poetry. There are many similarities and differences in the poem, compared to the actual. The rood tells the poet how it had been forced to be the instrument of christs death, describing how it, too, experienced the nails and spear thrusts along. T donaldson is a unique poem where the narrator tells his vision from a dream he received on the crucifixion of christ and the view from the cross perspective. The poem is a dreamvision in which the cross appears to the dreamernarrator and speaks to him. In the middle of the night the writer beholds the vision of a cross decked with gold and jewels, but soiled with blood. 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 most frequently noted disjunction occurs at line 78 where the cross, having completed its eyewitness account of the crucifixion, commences a homily explaining the significance of its. Preserved in the 10th century vercelli book, the poem may be considerably older, even one of the oldest works of old english literature.
An old english poem, the dream of the rood by an unknown author, translated by e. The dream of the rood also provides a valuable window into early christian england. The dream of the rood is the oldest english dream poem. The dream of the rood, reorded in the 10th century vercelli codex, is a remarkable poem in which the story of christs crucifixion is told from the perspective of the cross itself. The dream of rood university of oxford old english coursepack. In our reading of the poem the dream of the rood, we will see a clearer example of how the early anglo saxon culture blended with the introduction of christianity to the british isles.
The dream of the rood is an old english poem known for its depiction of one of the most significant events in human history. The theme of the poem is about a dreamers interpretation of the cross utilized in jesus christs crucifixion. Forget about the passive, turntheothercheek, peaceful savior from the bible. The dream of the rood in the dream of the rood, the unknown poet uses lines 125156 to develop the theme of triumph achieved by christ as a warrior king, bringing the dreamer to realize there is hope for a better life after death. The dream of the rood is one of the most admired examples of old english poetry and, because of its central christian theme, it remains a poem which, for many people, still carries a message of salvation as relevant as when it was written. What is a literary analysis of the dream of the rood. Reflection on the dream of the rood 1577 words 7 pages. The dream of the rood project gutenberg selfpublishing.
This version was taken from the complete corpus of anglosaxon poetry and is freely distributable. The dream of the rood is a religious anglosaxon poem of old english. It seemed to me that i saw a most rare tree reach high aloft, wound in light, brightest of beams. The dream of the rood translation by richard hamer 1970 1 hear while i tell about the best of dreams which came to me the middle of one night while humankind were sleeping in their beds.
The vision is through the rood, or the crosss, point of view. The dream of the rood is one of the most admired examples of old english poetry and, because of its central christian theme, it remains a poem which. The dream of the rood is widely regarded as one of the finest short religious poems in the old english period. The dream of the rood here christ appears as a young heroking, confident of victory as he rushes to mount the cross. The dream of the rood is an old english poem that was written by an anonymous author and details the passion of christ from the perspective of the cross or rood itself gray. The earliest text of the dream of the rood consists of a few lines of runic inscriptions carved around the edges of a north english high cross now at ruthwell in dumfriesshire. The dream of the rood is a dreamvision in which the cross tells the story of the crucifixion.
The poem is an account of one mans vision of the crucifixion of christ. This is vividly explicated in the title of the poem because rood stands for cross. When compared to the bible, the dream is seen to deviate at times rather significantly from the traditional account as told in the gospel of matthew. From the dream of the rood readings in early english old. Listen, i will tell the best of visions, what came to me in the middle of the night, when voicebearers dwelled in rest. Rood is from the old english word rod pole, or more specifically crucifix. The dream of rood university of oxford old english.
The work a true artist and poet, in this poem, by a bizarre narrative the account of the crucifixion is told by the cross itself in a strain of love and adulation. Forced to be the instrument of the saviours death, it describes how it. Kennedy in parentheses publications old english series cambridge, ontario 2000. The stylistic disjunctions in the dream of the rood are not a new topic. The dream of the rood a blend of christian and pagan values. Argued as one of the oldest pieces of old english literature, the dream of the rood effectively embodies the blended culture, moral code, and religious values of its unknown author. The version used here is elaine treharnes translation in the old and middle english anthology. The culturally interesting facet of this poem a very early example of the dream vision genre popular in the later middle ages is how it tries to negotiate between anglosaxon values and christianity, the two of which. The dream of the rood is one of the earliest christian poems in the corpus of anglosaxon literature and an intriguing example of the genre of dream poetry. The dream of the rood unquestionably stands supreme amongst all of the old english religious poems, in its passion of sentiment, luminosity of idea and assurance of implementation. The culturally interesting facet of this poem a very early example of the dreamvision genre popular in the later middle ages is how it tries to negotiate between anglosaxon values and christianity, the two of which. The dream of the rood wikisource, the free online library. The rood tells the poet how it had been forced to be the instrument of christs death, describing how it, too.
Jul 11, 2014 the dream of the rood, reorded in the 10th century vercelli codex, is a remarkable poem in which the story of christs crucifixion is told from the perspective of the cross itself. Preserved in the 10th century vercelli book, the poem may be considerably older, even one of. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available. Kintgen, echoic repetition in old english poetry, especially the dream of the rood, nm 75 1974, 20223, at 209. Old english the dream of the rood english with mrs.
Like most old english poetry, it is written in alliterative verse. By contrast, the cross itself now stained with blood, now encrusted with gems in the manner of a reliquary feels all the agony of crucifixion, and its physical pain is more than matched by the. In a dream the unknown poet beholds a beautiful treethe rood, or cross, on which christ died. The dream of the rood is a dream vision in which the cross tells the story of the crucifixion. Fragments of the poem were found on the 8th century ruthwell cross and the entire poem is found, in translation below, in the vercelli book which dates back to. The dream of the rood has been heralded by scholars as the finest expression of the crucifixion theme in old english poetry.