Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney

I found Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf to be quite easy to read.  The story was fast paced and his wording somehow had a terse, majestic style that really helped me to visualize the events in my head.  This edition has the original Old Anglo Saxon English text on the left page and the translation on the right, and I did think that since I know English and have some knowledge of German, I would be able to read some of the original, but picking out an occasional word or phrase here and there was all I could manage.

Beowulf is set in a time of small kingdoms that alternately carried out wars of conquest or raids, and formed alliances with one another. Christianity had been well established, but it was still new.  The atmosphere kind of reminded me of Sigrid Undset's [book:Gunnar's Daughter|6226] that I read some months ago.  Beowulf is a warrior of noble birth who lands with a small army to help the Danish king get rid of the monster Grendel who has been terrorizing the people by carrying out nighttime raids and killing people in gruesome, X-rated ways. Basically, it's the story of his achievements as the protector of the people and teaches the lesson of courage, self sacrifice, and resolve in the face of evil.  Let's just say this guy is no vacillating Hamlet, forever deliberating on what to do.