[lit-ideas] Caedmon -- the first illiterate English poet
- From: Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 22:01:09 EDT
From Mitchell/Robinson:
Nu we sculon herigean heonfonices weard
meotodes meahte ond his modgethanc
weork wuldorfaeder swa he wundra gehwaes
ece drihten or onsteadle
he aerest sceop eordhan bearnum
heofon to hrofe halig Scyppend
tha middangeard monncynnes weard
ece drihten after teode
firum foldan frea aelmihtig
--- Beautiful. Caedmon was illiterate, yet this, the first poem ever
_uttered_ in English certainly opened the door for later developments like
"Elegy
written in a country churchyard" and other marvels of English poetry. English
is _essentially_ an illiterate language.
Cheers,
JL Speranza,
Buenos Aires, Argentina
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