Beowulf: Ruth Lehmann's Translations
Within the story of Beowulf, it is evident that there are many different translations. Each translation tells the same story but in a different way, a way in which someone may comprehend differently. However, one of the first translations was Lehmanns. Ruth Lehmann’s translation was known as the most related to the old the version or also known as the imitative translation.He had used a formatting where there were tons of breaks, more complex words, and less modern in general. However, compared to the other translations all of them vary and compare and contrast with Lehmanns. A good translation consists of having more emotion, modern formatting, modern text, and is able to create a picture for the reader, therefore, R.M Luizza’s, R.K Gordon's, and E Talbot Donaldsons are the most masterly. R.M Luizza’s, R.K Gordon's, and E Talbot
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The other three translations had no breaks or pauses and seemed less awkwardly put into the translation. On another note all of the translations including Lehmman’s had more of a modern text which is key for a modern reader to get at. Therefore, there are very few words that are the exact same as the old english version. Next, one of the most important difference from the three translations compared to Lehmann’s is the descriptions. For example when Lehmann describes the Herot he just says descriptions like “mighty hall,” and “stronghold loomed, gleaming golden.” However Gordon goes on the mention the complete different aspects of the hall, by stating, “The wine building, the golden-hall of warriors, gleaming with plates of gold” (Gorgon 1926). “Golden and gold” describes how the Herot is a very wealthy place and filled with strong warriors. This also gives us a sense of what the building looks like and who is inside the Herot within just one sentence. Donaldson also uses very detailed descriptions when describing how eager he was to kill the men. Just by saying, “his heart
The other three translations had no breaks or pauses and seemed less awkwardly put into the translation. On another note all of the translations including Lehmman’s had more of a modern text which is key for a modern reader to get at. Therefore, there are very few words that are the exact same as the old english version. Next, one of the most important difference from the three translations compared to Lehmann’s is the descriptions. For example when Lehmann describes the Herot he just says descriptions like “mighty hall,” and “stronghold loomed, gleaming golden.” However Gordon goes on the mention the complete different aspects of the hall, by stating, “The wine building, the golden-hall of warriors, gleaming with plates of gold” (Gorgon 1926). “Golden and gold” describes how the Herot is a very wealthy place and filled with strong warriors. This also gives us a sense of what the building looks like and who is inside the Herot within just one sentence. Donaldson also uses very detailed descriptions when describing how eager he was to kill the men. Just by saying, “his heart