xxii + 103 pp., b/w illustrations. A reuse of Raffel's 1963 verse translation in a large-format book designed for beauty. The translation is preceded by Raffel's Introduction (ix-xviii) and new "Postscript: 1971" (xix-xxii), and is followed by his "Afterword: On Translating Beowulf" (from 1965), an index of names, and genealogical tables.

The translation begins:

Hear me! We've heard of Danish heroes,
Ancient kings and the glory they cut
For themselves, swinging mighty swords!

How Shild made slaves of soldiers from every
Land, crowds of captives he'd beaten
Into terror; he'd traveled to Denmark alone,
An abandoned child, but changed his own fate,
Lived to be rich and much honored. He ruled
Lands on all sides: wherever the sea
Would take them his soldiers sailed, returned
With tribute and obedience. There was a brave
King! (3)

And ends:

And then twelve of the bravest Geats
Rode their horses around the tower,
Telling their sorrow, telling stories
Of their dead king and his greatness, his glory,
Praising him for heroic deeds, for a life
As noble as his name. So should all men
Raise up words for their lords, warm
With love, when their shield and protector leaves
His body behind, sends his soul
On high. And so Beowulf's followers
Rode, mourning their belovèd leader,
Crying that no better king had ever
Lived, no prince so mild, no man
So open to his people, so deserving of praise. (84)

MO2 gives the date of publication as 1972. The date is correct in MO1.

BAM.