Tolkien's Beowulf

[Hookbill the Goomba]

Greetings all,

I do not know if this has already been dealt with, as I could not find it when I searched the forum...
I have read in some of Tolkien's books (such as The monsters and the Critics) exerts from Tolkien's Beowulf translation. I have had a good look around some online shops and even Google, but have, as yet, been unable to find if Tolkien's full translation was ever published. If anyone has some information, I would be indebted. I'm not a fan of Seamus Heaney's translation, for my own reasons that I will not go into now, and being a self styled Tolkien fan, I would like to be able to compare it to a work done by one of England's top linguists and novelists.
Thanks to any who can aid my plight.

[Cailín]

I recall I heard something about some Michael Drout working on a publication of the full prose translation of Beowulf by Tolkien. If you google him, you might find out a little more.

Sadly, I have no further information for you since most people do seem to be fans of Heaney's work.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Here is a quote from an earlier post that was supplied by the Squatter of Amon Rudh:

Some of you may remember a now somewhat hoary thread in which Dininziliel and I discussed the intended publication of Tolkien's two translations of Beowulf. According to their editor, Professor Michael Drout, the prose translation was due to be published last year and the verse version, which I'm sure will be of interest to fans of Tolkien, should be released this year. The prose translation never appeared and the release of the verse translation seems ever more doubtful. I may have found out why.

Not long ago, my M.A. supervisor ran into Professor Drout at a conference. Apparently his permission to print the work has been withdrawn by the Tolkien estate. I don't know why that is, but it was suggested to me that the estate's executor might be hoping for a more lucrative offer from another source. Hopefully that's just a rumour and Professor Drout, who is himself a respected Old English scholar, will be allowed to publish eventually. I would hope that the estate can be persuaded that a philological work such as this should be edited by an established philologist, and that in this case the potential scholarly kudos should outweigh any hypothetical cash. I would also hope that however matters transpire we shall see the Tolkien Beowulf on the shelves very soon.

I'm not sure where I heard this, but I also remember reading that the Tolkien family was recoiling from all the publicity unleashed by the movie and did not want to go forward with publication at that time, thinking it would only cause more hoopla.

I am a little concerned because of the history of certain other Tolkien manuscripts that we know exist, but which have never appeared in public. It's my understanding that a small group of Elvish scholars (including Carl Hostetter) have permission to publish the manuscripts related to linguistics yet have chosen not to do so. Just a few things have seen the light in Vinyar Tengwar. This has caused some bad blood and argument between different linguistics scholars, and caused frustration for many who'd like to see those various grammars, papers, etc.

I hope that the Beowulf manuscript doesn't suffer a similar fate in being inaccessible to the public, for whatever reason.

Does anyone have an update on the fate of Beowulf?

[Bêthberry]

I think it is inexcusable for the Tolkien estate to withhold scholarly work. If that is the case, it is just another example of why I have a jaundiced view of CT. As a scholar himself, he should know better. Unless of course he has his doubts about the quality of his father's translation. . . . (There also is a diary, or so I've been told, and of course lots of other letters.)

There was a thread in Books back aways where some of us posted a few small lines which compared Tolkien's translation with Heaney's and others. I haven't a clue what it was called though. It did suggest that Tolkien had a very specific style and purpose in mind for his translation.

If I find it, I'll link it here. Or maybe someone else's memory will be jogged. Squatter, oh, Squatter!

[Child of the 7th Age]

I came up with this original notice from 2003. But this does not address what has happened since then: click here.

There's also this cryptic message from the Drout Blog in 2002-2003. Sound as if someone may have gotten bent out of shape: here.

Here is another link Drout refers to that leaves a bad taste in the mouth: here.

I would definitely like to see the translation published but I do understand why the family feels nervous when they get this kind of a public response.

Also from an early date....here is Drout's brief comparison of Heaney and Tolkien's translations: Heren Istarion. Also here on the discovery.

[Fordim Hedgethistle]

In the meantime, here's my translation of Beowulf:


Whoa! I've been told a whole bunch of times
About those wicked-strong Danish dudes
And all about those spears of theirs!
Man, but those guys were impressive.
Their king, he led them all on these raids
And they ransacked lots of other places
And that king, he took the loot and gave it all to his princes...
He rocked!

So anyway, there was this guy Beowulf
He was a good guy too, strong and big
He did a bunch of impressive things in his youth
But let's skip over that...

Grendel came, stupid evil demon,
And wrecked the mead hall!
The MEAD HALL!!
So Beowulf came to Heorot and ripped out Grendel's arm.
God sure did take Beowulf's side.

Then Grendel's mother came
Beowulf killed her too, in her own den
It was a good battle, and bloody
But not as impressive since Grendel's mother
Well, she's just a female.
Still, Beowulf got the loyalty of a bunch of guys.

Then he went home.
He became king and ruled a long time.

Then this guy stole a cup from a dragon
(Stupid move!)
And the dragon destroyed everything.
So Beowulf killed the dragon,
But he died in the battle.
The treasure was left for the animals.
Beowulf was a good king.

Oh, and yeah, God loved him.

[Bêthberry]

Heeeerrre's Squatter taking us back to school. A previous discussion on Droust and Beowulf.


And, the comparison of Heaney's with Tolkien's translation on, of all threads, Tolkien is not Yeats

Oh, what the heck. Why not copy the translations here.

Tolkien's translation of Beowulf and his men setting sail:

On went the hours: on
ocean afloat
under cliff was their craft.
Now climb blithely
brave man aboard; breakers
pounding
ground the shingle. Gleaming
harness
they hove to the bosom of the
bark, armour
with cunning forged then cast
her forth
to voyage triumphant,
valiant-timbered
fleet foam twisted.


The same passage by Heaney:

Time went by, the boat was
on water,
in close under the cliffs.
Men climbed eagerly up the
gangplank,
sand churned in surf, warriors
loaded
a cargo of weapons, shining
war-gear
in the vessel's hold, then
heaved out,
away with a will in their
wood-wreathed ship.


It appears, Hookbill, that Tolkien wanted a translation which maintained many of the stylistic and linquistic traits of the Old English language, whereas Heaney is providing a modern version.

What Fordim is providing I would not hazard to say.