Old English poetry facts for kids
The very first English poem we know about is a hymn (a religious song or poem) about the creation of the world. A writer named Bede said this poem was written by Cædmon. He lived around 658 to 680 AD. Legend says Cædmon was a simple herdsman who couldn't read or write. But he started writing beautiful poetry while working at a monastery (a place where monks live) in Whitby. This is likely the oldest Anglo-Saxon poetry we still have today.
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What is Anglo-Saxon Poetry?
Anglo-Saxon poetry comes from a very old time in England's history. This was before the Norman Conquest in 1066. It's often hard to know exactly when these poems were written. For example, the famous epic poem Beowulf could have been written anywhere between 608 AD and 1000 AD! Experts still don't agree on its exact age.
When Were These Poems Written?
Even though dating is tricky, we know some poems were written at specific times.
- The Dream of the Rood is an old poem. Parts of it were carved into a stone cross, the Ruthwell Cross, before 700 AD. This helps us know it's very old.
- Other poems tell about real historical events. The Battle of Brunanburh (written around 937 AD) and The Battle of Maldon (written around 991 AD) are examples. These poems were likely written soon after the battles happened. This makes them easier to date accurately.
Where Can We Find These Poems?
Most Anglo-Saxon poems survived because they were copied into special books called manuscripts. These important manuscripts were made in the late 900s and early 1000s. The most famous ones are:
- The Cædmon manuscript
- The Vercelli Book
- The Exeter Book
- The Beowulf manuscript
The Epic Poem Beowulf
Beowulf is the only complete heroic epic poem from that time that we still have. An "epic" is a long poem about brave heroes and their adventures. We know there were other similar poems, but only pieces of them remain.
What Kinds of Poems Did They Write?
Besides heroic epics like Beowulf, Anglo-Saxons wrote many other types of poems. A lot of them were religious. These included:
- Poems about faith and devotion.
- Poems that retold stories from the Bible in poetic form.
How Was Anglo-Saxon Poetry Structured?
Anglo-Saxon poetry has a special sound. It mostly uses something called alliteration. This means words that are close together start with the same sound. For example, "fierce fighters fought." This was the main way they made their poems sound good. Sometimes they used rhyme, but it was just for decoration, not the main structure.
Images for kids
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The Peterborough Chronicle, written around 1150, is a key part of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. This is its first page.
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This picture from page 46 of the Cædmon manuscript shows an angel guarding the gates of paradise.
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A page from Beowulf after being carefully put back together. It is kept at the British Library.
