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| Caedmon, the first Anglo-Saxon poet, reading |
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| The carved figure of the poet on Caedmon's Cross at Whitby |
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England was invaded by Germanic tribes like Jutes, Angles and
Saxons in fifth century and their rule continued up to 1066 A.D.
when the Normans invaded England and defeated them. This
period is called Anglo-Saxon or Old English period. These
Germanic tribes spoke different dialects such as Northumbrian,
Mercian, West Saxon and Kentish. In the medieval sources the
names of twelve Anglo-Saxon poets were mentioned. Most of
their poetry survived through oral tradition and so no evidence
is available except that of four poets namely Caedmon, Bede,
Alfred and Cynewulf. Their poems and works are seen in four
types of manuscripts seen in different places. The Junius
manuscript was probably written at Malmesbury at Christ Church,
Canterbury and is now kept in the Bodelian Library, Oxford. It is an
illustrated poetic anthology containing many religious poems. The
second collection is available at Exeter cathedral and this
anthology was donated to this cathedral by Leofric, the first Bishop
of Exeter in 1071. This is the largest collection of Old English
literature containing nearly 131 leaves out of which the first eight
original leaves were lost and had been replaced with other leaves.
It is a mix of prose and poetry.
The third collection called “The Vercelli Book” is housed in
Vercelli in Northern Italy. It contains six verse texts and twenty
three prose homilies. The fourth collection is called “Nowell
Codex”. It had two books bound together in one volume. It
contains the unique copy of the epic poem “Beowulf”. It
(the second older manuscript) was first acquired by
the antiquarian, Laurence Nowell in mid-sixteenth century.
Later it was combined with the first manuscript. It was
acquired by Sir Robert Cotton and kept on the first shelf that
had a bust of the Emperor Vitellius giving the collection its
name as Cotton Vitellius Collection. In this collection also there
is a mix of prose and poems. This collection is now located in
the British Library along with the rest of the Cotton collection.
Caedmon is the first and earliest poet of the
Anglo-Saxon
literature. Though he wrote many poems, only one poem called
“Caedmon’s Hymn” (nine lines with four stresses and medial
caesura) in manuscript is left and is considered as the oldest
recorded poem. This is the oldest example of the Germanic
alliterative verse. According to Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History
of the English people” ( Historia Eccelesiastica gentis Anglorum)
written in Latin (731 A.D.), Caedmon was an illiterate layman
employed in Monastery at Whitby in North Yorkshire to take care
of cattle and other animals. During a feast he was asked to sing
but he left the place with a sense of shame as he was an illiterate
person and did not know how to sing. He went to the cattle shed
literature. Though he wrote many poems, only one poem called
“Caedmon’s Hymn” (nine lines with four stresses and medial
caesura) in manuscript is left and is considered as the oldest
recorded poem. This is the oldest example of the Germanic
alliterative verse. According to Bede’s “Ecclesiastical History
of the English people” ( Historia Eccelesiastica gentis Anglorum)
written in Latin (731 A.D.), Caedmon was an illiterate layman
employed in Monastery at Whitby in North Yorkshire to take care
of cattle and other animals. During a feast he was asked to sing
but he left the place with a sense of shame as he was an illiterate
person and did not know how to sing. He went to the cattle shed
and
fell asleep. He saw the vision of a stranger asking him to sing
about creation. In the dream he sang praising the creator of
heaven and earth. The next morning he remembered everything
he had sung and added additional lines to his poem. When the
Abbess, Hilda, and her counselors heard his poem, they realized
that it was a gift from God. He was invited to take monastic
vows. The Abbess asked her scholars to teach Caedmon the
sacred history and Christian doctrine.
According to Bede Caedmon wrote poetic texts on a variety of
Christian topics such as Creation of the world, Origin of Man,
departure of the children of Israel from Egypt to the Land of
Promise, Incarnation of the Son of God, Passion, Resurrection
and Ascension of Lord, passion, Coming of Holy Ghost, Preaching
of Apostles, Future judgment, pains of Hell and delights of
Heaven.
about creation. In the dream he sang praising the creator of
heaven and earth. The next morning he remembered everything
he had sung and added additional lines to his poem. When the
Abbess, Hilda, and her counselors heard his poem, they realized
that it was a gift from God. He was invited to take monastic
vows. The Abbess asked her scholars to teach Caedmon the
sacred history and Christian doctrine.
According to Bede Caedmon wrote poetic texts on a variety of
Christian topics such as Creation of the world, Origin of Man,
departure of the children of Israel from Egypt to the Land of
Promise, Incarnation of the Son of God, Passion, Resurrection
and Ascension of Lord, passion, Coming of Holy Ghost, Preaching
of Apostles, Future judgment, pains of Hell and delights of
Heaven.
The name of the poet suggests that he was of
Celtic race though
he used Northumbrian dialect in his poems which were generally
sung to the accompaniment of harp. The manuscript of Caedmon’s
Hymn” in Bede’s Monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow was partly
damaged in a terrible fire in 1731. Luckily before this accident
someone made a copy of it which is now seen in British Library
Add Ms. 43703.
The earliest surviving copies of “Caedmon’s Hymn” are found
in “The Moore Bede” in Cambridge University (Kk.5.16 often
referred to as M) and in National Library of Russia,lat.Q.v.l.18(p).
in St.Petersburg.
he used Northumbrian dialect in his poems which were generally
sung to the accompaniment of harp. The manuscript of Caedmon’s
Hymn” in Bede’s Monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow was partly
damaged in a terrible fire in 1731. Luckily before this accident
someone made a copy of it which is now seen in British Library
Add Ms. 43703.
The earliest surviving copies of “Caedmon’s Hymn” are found
in “The Moore Bede” in Cambridge University (Kk.5.16 often
referred to as M) and in National Library of Russia,lat.Q.v.l.18(p).
in St.Petersburg.
According to
Bede, many English writers of sacred verse imitated
Caedmon but none equaled him in portraying the sincere feelings
of devotion and the existing conditions of English life and society
of those times. Caedmon became a monk at an advanced age and
died peacefully after a long and pious life. The year of his death
is either 679 or according to Bede after 681 A.D. He lived at least
in part during Hilda’s abbacy (657-680). The monastery at Whitby
Caedmon but none equaled him in portraying the sincere feelings
of devotion and the existing conditions of English life and society
of those times. Caedmon became a monk at an advanced age and
died peacefully after a long and pious life. The year of his death
is either 679 or according to Bede after 681 A.D. He lived at least
in part during Hilda’s abbacy (657-680). The monastery at Whitby
was founded by St.Hilda in 657 A.D. It was
attacked during Vikings
(tribes from Norway, Sweden and Denmark) in 867 and was
abandoned. In 1078 it was re-built and flourished till 1540 when
it was destroyed by Henry VIII.
(tribes from Norway, Sweden and Denmark) in 867 and was
abandoned. In 1078 it was re-built and flourished till 1540 when
it was destroyed by Henry VIII.
Many scholars translated the Bede’s Latin
version of Caedmon into
Old English. These are called glosses. These translators (glossators)
tried to recover some of the beauty and originality of Caedmon’s
poems. Nearly nineteen scripts of these glosses exist today.
Old English. These are called glosses. These translators (glossators)
tried to recover some of the beauty and originality of Caedmon’s
poems. Nearly nineteen scripts of these glosses exist today.
In 1651 the
Archbishop of Ussher presented a unique manuscript
of Anglo-Saxon poems dating from 1000 A.D. to the Dutch scholar
Francis Junius, who was serving as librarian to the Earl of Arundel.
Junius studied them with attention and found that the poems
in the manuscript tallied with Bede’s description of Caedmon’s
work very well. Junius after returning to Holland published an
edition of this manuscript which came to be known as “Caedmon
Manuscript”. It is now in Bodelian library, Oxford, designated as
of Anglo-Saxon poems dating from 1000 A.D. to the Dutch scholar
Francis Junius, who was serving as librarian to the Earl of Arundel.
Junius studied them with attention and found that the poems
in the manuscript tallied with Bede’s description of Caedmon’s
work very well. Junius after returning to Holland published an
edition of this manuscript which came to be known as “Caedmon
Manuscript”. It is now in Bodelian library, Oxford, designated as
Codex Junius 11. In this collection at
least some of the poems
might be the original work of Caedmon. To commemorate this
earliest English (Northumbrian) poet, Caedmon's Cross carved
from Northumbrian sandstone in a semi-Celtic style showing
Christ, David, Abbess Hilda and the poet Caedmon on four panels
was erected in his honor at the top of 199 steps in the grave yard
of St.Mary's Churchyard, Whitby in 1898.
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might be the original work of Caedmon. To commemorate this
earliest English (Northumbrian) poet, Caedmon's Cross carved
from Northumbrian sandstone in a semi-Celtic style showing
Christ, David, Abbess Hilda and the poet Caedmon on four panels
was erected in his honor at the top of 199 steps in the grave yard
of St.Mary's Churchyard, Whitby in 1898.
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