Blog Post 6 for 3-22

The following poem is an Anglo-Saxon riddle poem, translated from Old English into modern English. It is one of many Riddle poems in the Red Book of Exeter

The Exeter Book resides in a locked vault in the library of Exeter Cathedral, safe there after the vicissitudes of a thousand years, although not unscathed. At one time, the front cover had been used as a cutting board and beer mat; leaves are missing and fourteen pages at the back have been burnt. Written in a single hand, it is one of four manuscripts, dating from the second half of the tenth century, that preserve virtually all the poetry in Old English that has survived, including such important elegiac poems as The Seafarer, Deor, The Wanderer, The Wife's Lament, and Width.

The Reed (Probably a love message in the form of a riddle.)

I grew where life had come to me, along

The sandy shore, where the sea foamed in

Below a cliff. Men came

To my empty land only by accident.

But every dawn a brown wave swept

Around me with water arms. How

Could I ever imagine a time where, mouthless

I'd sing across the benches where mead

Was poured, and carry secret speech?

What a strange and wonderful thing to someone

Who puzzles, but neither sees nor knows,

That the point of a knife and a strong right hand

Should press and carve me, a keen blade

And the mind of a man joined together

To make me a message-bearer to your ears

Alone, boldly bringing you what no one

Else could carry and no one hears!

Who is speaking? The Anglo-Saxons loved riddles for the handy way they have of linking an inanimate object (once it is figured out) to a more abstract notion, like love or artistic expression, faith or courage. This perhaps has something to do with the hold overs from their pagan "animism" or their belief that there is no boundary between the physical and spiritual worlds. Can you tell the person/thing who is speaking this poem? Think about what "point of knife" and "press and carve me" might mean - literally and metaphorically. What language evokes pain and melancholy in the poem? What language creates a brighter mood?

You many comment on the poem in any way you like.

Blog post 5 for 3/15

In the second century the Imperial Romans began looking back to the Etruscan styles in their creation of sarcophagus lids. A couple is pictured reclining on a couch together. During the Imperial Roman period, there were workshops creating these in great quantities. The individual features would be added when a sale was made (much like in the addition of the deceased into Books of the Dead in Egypt.) The face of the woman on this particular example was never finished. Nevertheless, there are still comparisons to be made between the 6th century BC Etruscan sarcophagus and the 2nd century AD Roman one. The Romans were very concerned with their image in the public arena, with the notion of decorum and proper action. They also relied on Greek sculptural models for validation of their way of life, often depicting humans as gods.
Discuss these two images in terms of public and private life. Do either of the two pieces seem to exist in a more private world, a more public? How do they communicate either a feeling of privacy and intimacy or public display?