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Of an anxious watch, perched in the bow As it dashed under cliffs. My feet were cast In icy bands, bound with frost, Wit by Anonymous — Analysis & Translation

2 min read English

Original Poem

Of an anxious watch, perched in the bow As it dashed under cliffs. My feet were cast In icy bands, bound with frost, With frozen chains, and hardship groaned

Translation (English)

Watching worriedly, sitting at the front of the ship As it sped under the cliffs. My feet were trapped In cold bands, covered with ice, With icy chains, and suffering was heard

About the Poet

Anonymous (Old English)

The poem 'The Seafarer' is part of Old English literature, which includes poetry and prose written in Old English in early medieval England. This period is often termed Anglo-Saxon England, spanning from the 7th century to the decades after the Norman Conquest of 1066.

Read more on Wikipedia →

Historical Context

Literary Form
Old English poetry
When Written
Approximately 10th century
Background
The poem 'The Seafarer' reflects the harsh and challenging life of seafaring during the Anglo-Saxon period. It explores themes of exile, the sea's dangers, and spiritual reflection, common in Old English literature.

Sources: https://www.owleyes.org/text/seafarer/read/text-poem, https://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-seafarer/poem.html, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_English_literature

Detailed Explanation

The excerpt is from 'The Seafarer,' an Old English poem that describes the difficult and isolating life of a sailor. The speaker recounts the experience of being on a ship, feeling anxious and exposed as the vessel moves under towering cliffs. The imagery of feet bound in icy bands and frozen chains conveys the physical hardship and emotional burden of seafaring. The poem uses vivid language to evoke the harshness of the sea and the loneliness of the sailor's journey. Themes of exile and the struggle against nature are central, reflecting the broader existential and spiritual concerns of the time.

Themes

  • exile
  • hardship
  • nature

Literary Devices

  • imagery: vivid descriptions of the sea and cold
  • metaphor: icy bands and frozen chains symbolize emotional and physical burdens
  • alliteration: repetition of consonant sounds in 'frost, frozen, and feet'

Word Dictionary

Word Meaning Translation Transliteration
anxious worried feeling nervous or uneasy angk-shus
perched sitting sitting or resting in a high place purcht
bow front the front part of a ship bau
dashed moved quickly moved suddenly and quickly dasht
cliffs high rocks steep, high rocks or edges klifs
cast thrown thrown or placed kast
icy very cold extremely cold, covered with ice ai-see
bands straps strips or loops used to bind bandz
bound tied tied or fastened baund
frost ice a thin layer of ice frost
frozen turned to ice turned into ice, very cold fro-zen
chains links connected metal links chainz
hardship difficulty severe suffering or difficulty hard-ship
groaned moaned made a low sound of pain or discomfort grohnd

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