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 ExeterThe 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.
Its was stated in the title of the poem, its of course a reed. It is not specific to what instrument the reed belongs to but it is used to produce sound fro m a saxophone or clarinette.The poem is stating the steps it takes to create the reed and the musician's mind to use it to make sound.
ReplyDeleteThe riddle poem is coming from the cane from which the reed was created from. Cane is a common material used to create reeds and it is found in wet soils such as a 'sandy shore' as described in the beginning of this riddle poem. Throughout the riddle poem the cane tells it's story, where it came from, what happened to it, and how the mind and blade of a man transformed the cane into a message-bearer or in this case a reed.
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting poem and it does make you wonder who is speaking. I think it’s the voice of a secret admire. The admirer is in love with a stranger; someone not from where he/she is. I believe this because a sandy shore is mentioned and the words, “Men came”. Yet, this also makes me think that the admirer just hasn’t felt this way about anyone in a long time. I Have no idea what a sharp pointy object would mean in a non-metaphorical (physical) sense; except if it were being used like cupids arrow. This is the part of the poem that has a little sadness or suffering, but a good pain, if I may (use that oxymoron). It sounds like unrequited love. Still, the admire is happy to have this love. The bright happy part of this poem is when he/she mentions the mouthless singing. I think it is to say that the object of their affection/love, this stranger makes their heart sing.
ReplyDeleteIt seem to me all the history that in the mat of the poem start to speak out in it on way.When in the poem it said "The point of the knife and press and carve me". Had a meaning to me as though the pain could even be put down on a design to form a mat of the struggle that it has absorb threw past time along with "around me with water arm, it felt like there were no love and emptiness was happening.Then it showed a little brighter side in the line but when it use a strange but wonderful thing it show that good thing even come out of bad situation.
ReplyDeleteElisaveta G. In this riddle, the narrator is a reed, an inanimate object that was carved by a man. The reed is a messenger of its creator. Therefore, it gives us a clue what kind of person its creator and owner might have been. We find out that the reed grew in the "empty land" where "men came...only by accident". This tells us that the man who fetched the reed was a traveler or a warrior who was not afraid of wandering in empty lands. The poem further reveals that the man had a "strong right hand" and "a keen blade", which confirms our thought that the man was, probably, a warrior. The final lines of the poem imply that the man was in love, and the reed, be it a flute or a pen, carried the man's message to his beloved.
ReplyDeleteI think the person speaking in the poem is a metaphor for the heart. When a person falls in love it is not planned it just happens. There is deep thought into the relationship that allows it to mold into something beautiful. When true love is formed it has a beautiful melody that not everyone can understand or hear. There are times when the heart is broken and feels empty but there is always something comforting that can bring a healing to the heart to move on to find its real love.
ReplyDeleteThe poem could be describing the Reed or it could be the messenger talking. He is describing where the reed is from and how men accidently came upon it, posibly the messenger and used it. At first it sounds as if it was used to create music and then at some point the men carved it to use it as a message bearer.
ReplyDeleteThe speaker of the poem is an inanimate object. The reed, which was carved from a cane, tells the reader a story of its creation.
ReplyDeleteThe cane grew on “the sandy shore” of an “empty land,” where “[m]an came / … only by accident.” It was useless, until a man “press[ed] and carve[d]” it with “a knife and a strong right hand.” He made the “mouthless” cane to “sing across the benches … / … and carry secret speech.” It became a “message-bearer” to his beloved woman. The message that “no one / Else could carry and no one hears!”
In this Anglo-saxan riddle poem, I believe that the riddle is being spoken by a reed.I think the reed is describing to the readers how to make one. From reading the riddle it sounds like to me that the reed was used for music at one point in time but it then turned into a message bearer. This riddle is obviously written with love and sincerity.
ReplyDeleteThis is the voice of a flute that is made from the plant called reed. The “point of knife” and “press and carve” literally means at the early stage when the reed is being cut down and carved into becoming a flute. Metaphorically this means in the final stage when a person’s fingers press down on the area of the flute that forms the sharpness of the musical notes. The language that evokes pain and melancholy is “men came to my empty land only by accident.” The language that creates a brighter mood is, “I’d sing across the benches where mead was poured, and carry secret speech.”This is a joyous occasion where people drink wine, bear, and have fun listening to the flute being played. Here below are photos of the reed and flute in its final stage.
ReplyDeleteWinsome M. This is the voice of a flute that is made from the plant called reed. The “point of knife” and “press and carve” literally means at the early stage when the reed is being cut down and carved into becoming a flute. Metaphorically this means in the final stage when a person’s fingers press down on the area of the flute that forms the sharpness of the musical notes. The language that evokes pain and melancholy is “men came to my empty land only by accident.” The language that creates a brighter mood is, “I’d sing across the benches where mead was poured, and carry secret speech.”This is a joyous occasion where people drink wine, bear, and have fun listening to the flute being played. Here below are photos of the reed and flute in its final stage.
ReplyDeleteMichael B. what i believe to be talking is an inanament object such as a tree/rock i cant really decide but from the poem talking about the waves coming in around it and people carving a message into it thats what i came up with. the point of knife and press and carve me to me means that someone with a knife took it and pressed it into the object and carved something into it. and the language towards the end seems to be where the lighter mood seems to be created and in the middle is where the pain seems to be at.
ReplyDelete---------------------------------------
Leonard S. The person in this poem sounds like it’s a woman that has had her heart broken a couple of times. She talks about how she randomly finds men, but after some time, she always loses them. When I think about the pointing of the knife, the metaphorical meaning to me is that men know how to upset or hurt her. In other words, men know what sets her off. The metaphorical meaning of “press and carves me” is that men know how to hurt her deeply so that it leaves a mark. A man could have done something that upset the woman; something so bad that she will never be able to forget about it. Now the literal meaning of “point the knife” are actions that where done to hurt the woman. The literal meaning for “press and carve me”, is the after math of the action. Meaning that whatever the man did, it is slowly eating at her and making her feel worse and worse. I guess the line that evokes pain in the poem is when she says “Who puzzles, but neither sees nor knows,” meaning that the men don’t see the damages that they are leaving her. I really didn’t recognize any language that created a better mood in this poem, it seemed like it was gradually getting more and more depressing. Overall the poem was not simplistic by any means; this poem could have had multiple meanings to it and have many different ways to answer it.
ReplyDeleteI believe the speaker in this poem is an inanimate object. I think its suppose to be the Reed describing how it was created and why it was created. What I feel when I read this riddle is a man who stumbles upon cane by accident on a sandy beach and carves it into some sort of musical instrument and that it was used for this beautiful task of spreading this mans "secret speech" to his lover. When the poem talks about "press and carve me" it is describing the man molding the cane into his instrument. As far as a metaphorical point, maybe its describing the molding of a relationship.
ReplyDeleteThe speaker in this poem is the giant reed plant. Is describes their natural habitat by mentioning the sand and the water around it, since it's a plant that grows on wetlands. This plant is used to make musical instruments, that is why the speaker talks about the point of the knife, and the pressing and carving, and how the human mind come together to make them a "message-bearer" meaning music for us, the humans. In the poem we see pain and melancholy where the reed says "mouthless, I'd sing across the benches where mead was poured, and carry secret speech." The speaker was referring as the actual instrument playing in a bar, but rather be in its natural environment. The poem's language creates a brighter mood when it says “I grew where life had come to me," the plant is happy there, it had not been discover by humans.
ReplyDeleteAmassing poetry; I think the voice behind the poem is a female voice, who is expressing how beautiful her heart is, however man only found that out by accident. Which I think is the language that creates brighter mood. While “what a strange and wonderful thing to some who puzzles, but neither sees nor knows, that the point of a knife and a strong right hand should press and carve” seem more like the language that evokes pain and melancholy.
ReplyDeleteSheila E. The riddle above reminds me of someone who has deeply fallen in love. It sounds as if the person felt that they were always different from everyone else but some how still manage to find that special person to give them the strength to believe in love despite their differences. It sounds as if the person is trying to send a message to that someone to let them know they will show them the love and happiness no one else could.
ReplyDeleteL-wayne B. Im honestly am not sure ho is speaking. Its very passionate and sarrowful. I would think this was a women speaking because its spoken with so much passion. She seems lonely and unwanted by others. Like as if she desires the attention of other. Seems as she has much love to give and she just desires someone to show it to.
ReplyDeleteI believe the reed was created by a man who was very in love. The man carving the reed out of love and as an instrument to show his love passed the mans passion and love on to the reed. I believe its the love the reed carries is the speaker of the poem. I believe the reed sounds sorrowful in some parts of the poem because it doesn't know love its just a messenger of another persons love.
ReplyDeleteIm honestly am not sure ho is speaking. Its very passionate and sarrowful. I would think this was a women speaking because its spoken with so much passion. She seems lonely and unwanted by others. Like as if she desires the attention of other. Seems as she has much love to give and she just desires someone to show it to. Sheila E.
ReplyDelete