New-York tribune., 1883-03-13

English language and the English people, and con-
seouentIy it has received much attention from
piologsts of the higher order so that there Is at
present very considerable "Beowuif" literature, oi
which Dr. Garnett gives in this publication Vaiu-
able photography. BY some of its most competehV
critics and editors it has been regarded as comDi-
nation of various lays which were gradually worked
nm into poem with some semblance of unity.
The view taken of it by Thorpe, it's learned
ingenious aud imaginative translator, euItoi
and critic, seems 10 us the most reasonaoio'
He regards 1t as Christian paraphiaSo oi
heathern Saga. written by native OF bneianu VI
scandinavian parenage. That It's lhcluch'' "'o
not supposed by the poet or poets VINO coinpoSou
70 have occurred in England seems too plain to be
disputed and that its origin is scandinavian anu
pagan is equally clear Yet there are not only pas
sapes of Christian allusion scattered through IT, but
The tone of all the illusions to Divine beng ana
power ara those not of pagan but CHRISTIAN
while The general zone and the intellectual costume
of the poem are as pagan as those OF the lHau.
Neither Thorpe nor Kemble its other distinguished
English editor. favors the theory OF several lays;
but the very pagan-C Christian patchwork winch
they cannot but favOrs the theory ol composne
structure. II was probably modified and worked
over and added to again and again before it took
the shape in which it has come down to u.s.
The chief interest of Beowulf" indeed, is IN It's
presentation of society and language in Transition
state 1t is Gothic ut is scandinavian; 1t Is Anglo
Saxon. 1t gives us a glimpse of Northern Europe
around the Baltic Sea during the centuries wnich
preceded and those which saw the migrauons anu
invasions of Danes and Jutes and Angles winch
changed Britain from a Celtic to Ieutohic-oca"-
dmavlan nationality. This is its only real value,
4. 1,ntac n nnp :
without interest except rs a vivid picture OF the
people of those times and races Rude, coarse,
bloody. monstrous, childish, ridiculous in Its Incl
dents and its action, il is wholly devoid OF
interest as q work of imagination. Com
pared with the ChansOn Roland, OF even
with the Niebelungen Lied. 1t is NOT only
barbarous hut foolish. Its hero Beowuli the treat
or Goth has the strength of thirty mon; and the story
is with episodes and expansOns-in which the
patchwork that we have spoken of is plainly as
cernible-that OF this mOnstrous mans contest WIN
another nOndescrIpt monster. GTendei, ana MS
mother and afterward with a ire-dragon, which he
slays. perisnng himself in ths final contest. lie
tears Grenders arm by main force from the socket;
aud when the monsters mother avenges her son lie
follows her to the sea, i'll which she lives lie de-
scends and fights with her there. HIS own sword IS
useless but he finds III a subterranean chamber
an old sword OF the giants, with which he cuts Oh
her head and he returns bearing II and the hit
only of the sword, the blade having been melted
by her poisonous blood Beowulf seems TO have
been Gothic Herakles he Helper, and this incident
of the poisonous blood may possibly have some con-
Iection with the shirt of Nessus.
DIR. Garnett has given us hero translation OF
this important poem which represents the oTiglnal,
line for line, and preserves ITS Rhythm The ver-
sion has, therefore, n certain and considerable
value for the general reader tif that parsonage
should be tempted Ia its perusa), because 1t does
give him. in modern English, an idea of the form OF
the poem as well of its substance. But we think
that the translator is right when nc says that his
plan involves much inversion and occasional oh
scurlty and lacks smoothDess. Nor do we Think
that there is the gain IL teralncss which he seems
TO think accompanies his line for line rendering
comparison of it with Thorpos prose transla-
ton is much IN favor Of the latter as
a poem to be read, and also as n picture OF the re-
mote times of which the poem Is truthful ana re-
voting picture. Dr. Garnetts editorial work
seems TO have been very thoroughly done. AZ
trling part of it he gives list of fifteen old Eng
lish words found III the poem; among which the
general reader" will be interested to find bill
Ia battle-axe) brand "a swOrd) and iceeds tclothing
lust in the sense in which they used by English
writers OF modern days. The book Is one of inter
est and value to all students Of the language and of
the customs OF remote antiquity in Northern Eu-
rope