This collection of the earliest poems in the English language includes works from a time when verses were not written down, but recited aloud and remembered. Heroic poems celebrate courage, loyalty, and strength, in excerpts from Beowulf and The Battle of Brunanburgh, depicting King Athelstan's defeat of his northern enemies in 937 A.D. Meanwhile, The Wanderer and The Seafarer reflect on exile, loss, and fate. The Gnomic Verses are proverbs about the natural order of life, and the Exeter Riddles are clever linguistic puzzles. The elegiac poems include emotional speeches from an abandoned wife and separated lovers, and the religious poems include a vision of Christ's cross in The Dream of the Rood, and Caedmon's Hymn, perhaps the oldest poem in the English language, speaking in honor of God.

Pages: 176, Dimensions: 13.3x13.3cm