For Monday: Poems of Exile and Longing, Part II “The Wife’s Complaint,” “The Husband’s Message,” and “Wulf and Eadwacer” (pp.56-62)

NOTE: The "Anonymous" Group should answer these questions and expect to initiate discussion in class. 

Answer TWO of the following:

Q1: These are very rare poems in Anglo-Saxon, as they deal chiefly with love and the pains of love. What seems the most universal about one or more of these poems as they approach the timeless subject of love? How also do they put a uniquely Anglo-Saxon twist on the theme of ‘doomed lovers’?

Q2: “The Wife’s Complaint” is very similar in genre/theme to “The Wanderer” and “The Seafarer,” though it approaches this material from the perspective of a female narrator. According to this poem, how does a woman feel exile differently from a man, and how is her “complaint” different from the other two wanderers?

Q3: “Wulf and Eadwacer” is a very cryptic song, alluding to characters and events we can only dimly make out. According to what little we have, what do you think is the story behind this work? Who are the main characters, and how does wyrd keep them apart? You might also consider the importance of the refrain, “How differently it goes for us...” (which is translated in another version as, "our fate is forked"). 

Q4: Though “The Husband’s Message” might not be a response to “The Wife’s Complaint,” why did early editors suggest it was? What about the poem seems to respond to the earlier poem, and what ‘defense’ of his conduct does he offer? Why, too, might he have to end his reply with a coded message (in runes—see the Old English version for the code he uses).