Oldest English Poem Discovered

Researchers leafing through a ninth-century manuscript have discovered a copy of the earliest surviving English poem

Image courtesy : apnews.com

Researchers leafing through a ninth-century manuscript have discovered a copy of the earliest surviving English poem, according to a recently published study. Known as “Caedmon’s Hymn,” the short verse is considered to be a foundational text in English literature. 

Purportedly composed by an illiterate cowherd after experiencing a religious vision, the nine-line verse references heaven and praises God for creation. Caedmon's Hymn

By Caedmon

Caedmon's Hymn

Now let us praise Heaven-Kingdom's guardian,

the Maker's might and his mind's thoughts,

the work of the glory-father—of every wonder,

eternal Lord. He established a beginning.

He first shaped for men's sons

Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator;

then middle-earth mankind's guardian,

eternal Lord, afterwards prepared

the earth for men, the Lord almighty.

The poem is known for its inclusion in some versions of the medieval “Ecclesiastical History of the English People,” written by the monk Bede the Venerable, which was reproduced about 200 times. While two older copies of the poem have surfaced, they were both written in Latin.

The recent discovery was written in Old English and embedded in the main Latin text, suggesting English poetry was valued by Latin readers much earlier than previously thought.

It marks the second major discovery involving an ancient poetic text in recent weeks, after archaeologists found part of Homer’s “Iliad” buried with a Roman-era Egyptian mummy. Above Caedmon's Hymn is Translated By Roy M. Liuzza Disclaimer: This story has been edited by ENW staff as per ENW editorial guidelines and is published from a syndicated feed.