‘The Seafarer’ is one of a handful of Old English poems surviving in a single manuscript collection known as The Exeter Book. Normally referred to as an Elegy, this 124 line monologue is regarded as the reflections of an old seafarer at the end of his days; the words of an old salt to a young man embarking on a life at sea; a contemplation on life couched in seafaring metaphor.
Reading the poem in modern English, this session will explore its resonances and the fascination it continues to exert, while suggesting (and seeking suggestions for) how we may read and understand it today.
This talk will be led by Professor Jill Rudd from the University of Liverpool.