The

Wanderer

Translation into Spanish of the Anglo-Saxon poem known as The Wanderer.

Nombres:Fitzpatrick, Justin M.; García Marchena, Oscar; García de Vinuesa, María;

Geniz Mtnez, Inmaculada; Granero Asensio, Mª Jesús.

Subject: Old English.

Professor: Dr. Julia Fernández Cuesta

Group:1

May, 2000.
 In this translation, our main objectives have been to respect the
grammatical structure of the original - not the order - as long as it was adapted with
naturalness into Spanish; otherwise, diathetic alternations and others have been
annotated. To respect the "archaic" nature of the text, that is, the stylistic distance
from the text with the reader, we have tried in some cases to introduce expressions from the
archaic Spanish that, far from clouding the understanding of this, gives it that tone
medieval, characteristic of a society and literary tradition so different. Likewise, for
to facilitate its understanding for the lay reader in Anglo-Saxon culture, we have chosen to

replace those specifically Anglo-Saxon realities with our own

tradition that is clearly understood by any reader. Note especially
the cases of heallymeaduheallpor 'cut'.
Regarding grammatical difficulties, we have always preferred a
faithful to the meaning - without being scientifically accurate, to maintain the poetic
from the text - to a faithful style, sometimes so different. The compounds are
translated by simple lexemes or explanatory paraphrases when there is no term
similar in Spanish. Likewise, generalizing plurals are translated by
generic singulars, and finally, we have omitted the adverbs of frequency
continuously reiterated throughout the text, as happens with oft, as we consider
they merely add an aspectual value to the verb, a value already expressed in the wide range
of verbal forms in Spanish.
The result of this translation is a stylistically poor text, rendered in
prose of the alliterative verse of Old English, and it has been our goal to bring closer to
our language the meaning and the language of the original as much as has been possible for us with
the limitations of our preparation. However, we have tried to maintain the
capital order to facilitate the contrast between our text and the original.
 The wandering man1
The Wanderer

The solitary man often receives2the grace,

the favor of the Creator, although he, anxious,
remove3the cold sea water with his hands
through the current, walking laboriously
through the paths of exile. The fate is inexorable!4
Thus spoke the wanderer, remembering5their misfortunes,

the cruel and bloody battles with death

of his beloved relatives:
I have often had to lament my sorrows in the early morning.
in solitude. There is no longer anyone alive that I dare

to tell my troubles without fear6I truly know that

It is an honorable custom among nobles to hold firmly.
his feelings, his passions7whatever they may be.
The weak of spirit cannot confront their destiny.
Your tormented mind is to help you.

1
We accompany our title with the name by which it is known among specialists. Our
the wandering man" aims to evoke that name by which he is known as well as to condense
the essence of the poem in the figure of the protagonist, speaker, and victim of his suffering - due to his
condition of wandering. Etymologically, 'The Vagabond' would be closer, but the connotations
pejoratives of this term make it inappropriate. As a dissenting opinion to the majority of the team, it
"The Wandering Knight" is proposed, as "knight" gives only lexical (and redundant) support to
'man' the notions of 'man' and 'warrior' as well as the positive qualities of moral nobility,
religious or not, that confer to the poem its Catholic-pagan interpretative duality in a medieval world,
anticipating and thus respecting the argumentative richness of the text.
2
him (Mitchell, l. 1): The Old English reflexive pronoun has not been translated, since the verb
'receive' in Spanish already assumes reflexivity.
3
should be removed (Mitchell, l.3): 'removes' instead of 'has to remove'. In the translation, the meaning
The dynamic of the verb has been considered more important than the obligation designated by the form.
verbalsceolde.
4
Wyrd bid ful aræd (Mitchell, l. 5): Literally, the expression is translated as 'Fate is fully determined.'
completely determined.' We have translated with a litote: 'inexorable = unchangeable (opposite to
‘determined’)
5
reminded (Mitchell, l.6): Adjective translated by the non-personal form of the present participle for
respect the duality of thought and action that heralds the vision that later appears in the
poem.
6
literally translated as 'openly', although by means of a litotes,
we have chosen the equivalent expression: 'without fear'.
7
we have omitted the verb healde in our translation, since
having the same meaning as its predecessor binde ('to retain') the result would be repetitive because
In Spanish, it does not present that alliterative end.
 Thus, whoever longs for fame
confine the sadness in its own heart.
Thus I, miserable, deprived of my roots8,
far from my dear relatives,
I have had to chain my spirit
since many years ago I covered my generous lord
in the darkness of the earth, and I walked away desolate9,

surfing10the thick ones11waves and sad about the loss

of my kind, I sought that of some generous lord,
close or far, where I could find
to someone12who knew mine or
that encouraged me and delighted me with pleasures

to me who am without friends.

Those who have lived it know how cruel pain is.
for companion it can be for any man
that has few loyal friends:
he is obsessed with exile, not the braided gold,
his frozen heart, not the wealth of the world.
Remember his comrades and the sharing of treasures;
how in his youth his generous lord would call him to the feast.
All joy has faded away! That one knows it well.
how many years she has to be without the company of her beloved lord.

Every time13that both sorrow and drowsiness at once

they take hold of the wretched and solitary man,
In dreams, she believes she embraces and kisses her lord, and she supports

8
noble (Mitchell, l. 20): literally 'homeland'. We have preferred 'roots' which captures broader connotations.
affective; 'homeland' lacks the meanings of 'identity through the place to which one belongs.'
9
wintercearig (Mitchell, l. 24): translates literally as 'sad as winter'. Here it has
I have chosen the expression 'desolate', which denotes all the required connotations.
10
we translate the personal form of the verb with the gerund 'seeking', preferring the
fluency of the translation to a personal form of the verb.
11
the binding of waves (Mitchell, l.57): literally 'the wrapping of the waves'. We have preferred 'thick'
waves, which, including the enveloping sensation of the tide, evoke the difficulty of advancing over them.
(see note 16).
12
in meoduhealle (Mitchell, l.27): literally translated as 'in the banquet hall'. As there is no
similar reality in the Spanish context, we maintain the hypernym 'court' which includes this meaning.
In turn, this adverbial phrase has been omitted as it is already present in the same sentence (Mitchell, l.25).
 the hands and the head on its knees just like in the old days

was doing14on the throne15from time to time. Then wakes up

once again the solitary one contemplates the dark paths before him,
and see the seabirds bathing, their wings spreading,
and snow and frost falling mixed with hail. The wounds,
filled with yearning for the beloved, weigh more in the heart.
The pain is reborn when the memory of the relatives
it goes through his imagination; greets with joy to the

company of the men and examines them anxiously...

They always fade away. The spirit of the seagulls
it only evokes familiar voices. The sorrow returns to that one.

that often must send its weary heart over

the thick waves.16
And so I cannot understand for what reason
my mind does not darken
when I think of the fate of brave warriors,
like them, brave and17young followers,
they have suddenly abandoned the court18Just as day after day
this world decays and corrupts, a wise man
must be patient, neither passionate nor reflective,
a warrior19neither distrustful nor reckless
neither cowardly, nor servile, nor greedy
and never willing to glorify himself before achieving it,

13
then (Mitchell, l.39): literally 'when'. We add the implicit reiterative nuance in its context of
'suffering' repeated as is clear in enoft (Mitchell, l.53) and eneft (Mitchell, l.45).
14
hwilum ær...breac (Mitchell, l.43-4): The temporal adverb hwilum ær next to a verb in the past tense.
determine the aspectual meaning expressed in Spanish by the imperfect past, that is, as
progression in the past.
15
giefstolas(Mitchell, l. 44): 'benefits of the throne'; Such benefits serve as a supplement.
In the original text. In our translation, 'the benefits' are implicit in the ritual described in the
previous lines. In this way, the original supplement becomes a locative.
16
wapema gebind (Mitchell, l.57): see note 11.
17
The explicit coordination of the qualifiers, absent in the original, is necessary in the
Spanish translation.
18
hi faerlice flet ofgeafon (Mitchell, l.61): Literally: 'they have abandoned the court'. It is understood, by
the code of honor to which the warriors submitted to their lord, that the concept of loyalty until
death was sacred. Therefore, if they have left the court, it is because they had already given their life for it.
Sir, they had died.
 because20a man would not become wise until
have suffered many winters in this world.
When a warrior declares his commitment, he must await.
until, prepared for action, I have no doubt of
where the thoughts of his heart will lean.
A wise warrior must perceive how terrifying it will be.
when the greatness of this whole world is left desolate.
As it is now in various places in this world
the walls, constructions exposed to storms,
they are beaten down by the wind, covered with frost.
The wineries are turning into ruins, the monarchs
without life they lie stripped of their pleasures,

All the proud troops have fallen from their walls.

Some were taken from this world by the battle.
Others the raven took out to the high seas.
To another, the gray wolf entrusted to death, and to another

a troubled hero hid it from the light of day.

Thus, the Creator of humanity destroyed the city,
until the ancient works of the giants21they remained
desolate and deprived of the joy of the population.
Then, he who has consciously thought about the ruins
and I have deeply meditated on this dark life,
prudentely remember the numerous battles of the past
and says these words:
"Where did the horse go?, where did the warrior go?"
Where is the generous sir?
Where are those feasts?
Where is all that joy from the halls?

19
when translating 'a warrior' as the subject of another phrase 'must be', this time
elliptical, the interpretive richness of these adjectives being applicable both to the figure
of the warrior, like the 'wise man' in its universal sense.
20
In this note, an editorial issue is raised: we have replaced the 'semicolon' of
Mitchell (l.62) for a comma. The sentence forþon ne (...) in woruldrice, subordinated to the sentence
next, has been postponed to this one, consequently eliminating the preceding point, all of this in order to
clarify the meaning of these gnomic verses.
 Ah, brilliant cup! Ah, armored warrior!
The glory of the prince! Time has passed like never before,
obscured under the shadow of the night.
Now, in the footsteps of the beloved entourage, one can see
a grandiose wall decorated with serpentine figures.
The powerful spears, insatiable weapons of death,
they defeated the warriors, glorious destiny,
and the storms crash against the cliffs,
the heavy snowfall that falls, great winter tumult,
wraps the earth when it darkens,
the shadow of the night increases and sends from the north
strong hail to frighten the warriors.
22
it is easy in the kingdom of the earth,
the course of destiny changes the world under the sky.
Here, goods are ephemeral, friends depart,
Man is transient and so are relatives;
all the land remains uncultivated.

Thus spoke the wise man of heart,

and sat down to meditate in secret.
Good is he who maintains his faith,
A man should never reveal too much too quickly.
the resentment of his heart, unless he knows first
how to remedy like a warrior with courage.
Blessed23he who seeks grace
and the consolation of the Father24who is in the heavens,
where our salvation resides.

21
(Mitchell, l.85-.7): For the Anglo-Saxons, the great constructions of the cities were attributed to
"giants", and not to the earlier conquering peoples like the Romans.
22
Everything is difficult (Mitchell, l. 106): Literally, 'everything is difficult'. We have preferred the litotes 'nothing is'.
easy.
23
Well, it is good for him (Mitchell, l. 115): Literally, 'the good is for him', but we have chosen to
follow the usual Christian formula that concludes the text.
24
Father in heaven (Mitchell, l.115): 'The Father who is in the heavens': literal translation of the Father
Our, usual as a formula in medieval texts.
NOTES:

The title of the poem can be translated as 'The (man) wanderer', although we have considered the possibility of not
translate it for pragmatic reasons.
The title designates an individual entity that encompasses - just like proper names - all the semes of the actions that as
character tackles and for which there is no lexeme in Spanish that defines them.

The reflexive pronoun from Old English has not been translated, since the verb 'to receive' in Spanish already
assume reflexivity.

'removes' instead of 'has to remove'. In the translation, the dynamic sense of the verb has
has been considered more important than the obligation designated by the modal form 'sceolde'.

The fate is completely determined.

Although using, in this case, a semantic litotes, we have chosen the equivalent expression: 'Destiny is inexorable.'

This adjective has been translated by the non-personal form of the present participle to respect the
duality of thought and action that foreshadows the vision that later appears in the poem.

using the preposition 'with' we respect the comitative case expressed by the noun
read the original text.

Literally it is translated as 'openly', although through litotes, we have chosen the expression
without fear

We have omitted the verb 'healde' in our translation, as it has the same meaning as its
Beforehand, the result would be repetitive because in Spanish it does not present that alliterative end.

[9]-edle( Mitchell, l. 20); Literally its translation is 'homeland'. We have gathered its meaning of 'root' since it entails,
Due to the context, all the emotional traits of what 'homeland' is.

'desolate' was previously translated literally as 'sad as winter'. The expression 'desolate' has been chosen.
whose etymological meaning is 'without sun', as it designates all those winter connotations required.

adjective translated as a gerund to add a more dynamic value. Thus, we 'translate' the
metaphorical meaning of 'tied' giving it a more performative sense: 'navigating'.

literally translated as 'party room'. Since there is no such reality in the field
Spanish, we maintain the hypernym 'cut' which includes this meaning. In turn, this adverbial phrase has been omitted as it is
already present in the same sentence (Mitchell, l.25).

'that one'. We have preferred the deictic 'that one' over 'he' due to its significance in Spanish literature.
Consequently, the proposition of the nominalized relative by 'se' transforms under this translation into a mere relative of the
pronoun 'se'.

[14]-give (Mitchell, l.39): literally 'when'. We add the implicit repetitive nuance in its context of 'suffering'.
repeated - as is clear in oft (Mitchell, l.53) and in eft (Mitchell, l.45).

the temporal adverb hwilum aer next to a verb in the past tense determines the
aspectual meaning expressed in Spanish by the imperfect tense, that is, as progression in the past. However, in
In this case, we have respected the temporal adverb with the verb in simple form, that is, in the imperfect tense.

benefits of the throne; Such benefits serve as a supplement in the original text.
In our translation, 'the benefits' are implicit in the ritual described in the preceding lines. In this way, the
original supplement becomes a locative

The infinitive forms are replaced by gerund forms as required by the translation to
Spanish..

...wrapped bound (Mitchell, l.57). Literally it is translated as 'the wrapping of the enveloping character of the waves of
the sea.

they have abandoned the court. It is understood, according to the code of honor,
that the warriors submitted to their lord, and the concept of loyalty until death was sacred. Therefore, if they have
Leaving the court is because they had already given their lives for their lord, they had died.

(Mitchell, l.64); When translating 'a warrior' as the subject of another syntagma 'must be', this time elliptical, the richness becomes evident.
interpretative that these adjectives are applicable both to the figure of the warrior and to the 'wise man' in its universal sense.

(Mitchell, l. 65-6). This note raises an editorial issue: we have replaced the 'semicolon' in (Mitchell, l. 62) with
a comma. The sentence 'forpon ne (...) in woruldrice', subordinated to the following sentence, has been postponed to this one, eliminating
Consequently, the previous point, all of this to clarify the meaning of these gnomic verses.
oppaet (Mitchell, l.86): marks a progressive aspect in the past of the verb 'ypan', translated as ('destroyed') 'was destroying'.

For the Anglo-Saxons, the great constructions of the cities were attributed to 'giants', and not to the
previous conquering peoples like the Romans.

'The Father who is in the heavens': literal translation of the Our Father, commonly used
formula in some texts of old English.