19 - 40

Question 1

What happens in this passage?

Answer 1

Structured dramatic monologue - general gnomic statements are applied to the exile’s own personal sorrow as his thought become more internalised. Line 29 marks a turn to cultural generalisations, setting up the transition to universal sorrow later in the poem

Question 2

eðle bidæled

Answer 2

deprived of my homeland
chief formula of the exile convention, in which the property removed is paired with the past participle of a verb of deprivation
next ten lines are written in past tense

Question 3

earmcearig

Answer 3

full of sorrows
unique compound as it is comprised of two adjectives - indicating unique mental state

Question 4

wintercearig

Answer 4

hapax legomenon translates to sad with old age, but the compound directly means desolate as winter

Question 5

feor oþþe neah

Answer 5

near or far
common adverbial phrase highlights extent of lonliness

Question 6

sohte sele dreorig

Answer 6

sad at the loss of the hall
deprivation expression incorporates a prevalent generic trope of heroic poetry to translate to the contemporary audience the speaker’s loss of community

Question 7

ofer waþema gebind

Answer 7

over the binding of the waves
begins frequent binding imagery in this extract
lines 24 - 29 mirrors assault of poetic misery in the opening of the poem but with the addition of first person pronouns
This may have multiple denotations, emphasising the tempestuous nature of the waves, the movement of the tides or the freezing of the waves, all of which highlight the physical suffering caused by the external environment.

Question 8

hrusan heolstre biwrah

Answer 8

covered darkness of the earth
may be a poetic description of the burial, but could also be taken as the physical effect that this death has had on the external world
goldwinne (22b), is a heroic compound

Question 9

hu sliþen bið / sorg to gefaren

Answer 9

how cruel sorrow is as a companion
metaphor emphasises what he lacks
marks transition from personal to general gnomic statements

Question 10

wræclast

Answer 10

path of the exile
repetition of the compound in line 5
placed in opposition to twisted gold, but they are alliteratively linked, suggesting they are equally important in Anglo Saxon culture

Question 11

selesecgas on sincpege

Answer 11

retainers and receiving of treasures
first is hapax legomenon and second is compound - contrast between past and present

Question 12

ferðloca freorig

Answer 12

frozen heart
binding metaphor suggests the effect of the environment on physical state

Question 13

Wyn eal gedreas!

Answer 13

Joy entirely perished!
Exclamatory half line forms envelope pattern with line 29 and alludes to death - a common theme

Question 14

winedryhtnes

Answer 14

beloved lord
compound marks the switch to present tense

Question 15

sorg and slæp

Answer 15

sorrow and sleep
they are often associated in OE verse - there is an implied contrast
followed by redundant tautology of somod aetgaedre

Question 16

earmne anhogan / oft gebindað

Answer 16

often bind the wretched one who contemplates alone
final binding imagery
final word foregrounds his position in isolation