opfvoice.blogg.se - Bede's account of the poet caedmon

If the original poem was composed orally before Bede was born, what does that suggest to us about the poem’s transmission and possible value to the intervening audiences (between Caedmon’s time and Bede’s)?.Why do you think Bede, a historian, referenced this poem, but didn’t actually write down? In other words, why was it composed or written down? The Old English text was preserved by accident several scribes copying Bede’s Latin work at some later date still knew the hymn, which they recognized from Bede’s translation and wrote down in the margins of the manuscript.Is this contention plausible? Why might Bede (or the person from whom he had heard the story of Caedmon) choose to depict the poet Caedmon in this way (as a simple cowherd with no poetic talent)?

Bede’s claims that Caedmon knew nothing about the art of composing oral-formulaic poetry in alliterative verse prior to his divinely-inspired dream.

SignificanceĬaedmon’s hymn is one of the earliest poetic literature recorded, having that is was unusual for oral poetry to be recorded and written down, which was done by Bede. This work is to be considered in the literary period context of Old English. Old English is a West Germanic language, developing out of Ingvaeonic (also known as North Sea Germanic) dialects from the 5th century. As far is this wild night goes, the monastery that owned his cows then invited him to become a monk when hearing about his miracle.

The next morning he wakes up with a burning religious passion and writes poetry about his new revelations. Caedmon’s hymn is about a cowherd that goes to a wedding, drinks a whole bunch of mean, falls asleep and then dreams of an angel.