A translation of the Middle English St. Erkenwald.

Abstract

In this thesis, I provide a translation into Modern English prose of the Middle English alliterative poem, "S1. Erkenwald." Rendering the poem into prose frees me from the restrictions of direct line by line translation, which, because of the syntactical and grammatical changes in the language, would require that details be left out. A translation into prose allows for the restructuring of sentences, which resolves any syntactical and grammatical problems encountered in translation. I have also elected not to attempt to duplicate the alliteration in the poem. Changes in vocabulary make an accurate duplication of sound nearly impossible, and a precise reproduction of detail in an alliterative translation is also difficult. My translation is accompanied by a review of scholarship on "St. Erkenwald," in which I discuss the major controversies surrounding the poem: the history of the text, the question of authorship, the possible sources for the tale, and the theological questions raised by the poem. Although substantial evidence does not exist to support the theory that the Gawainpoet is in fact the author of "St. Erkenwald," several scholars argue that the possibility of common authorship is worthy of consideration. Likewise, some scholars argue that the Erkenwaldpoet, like Langland, believes souls can ascend to heaven on the merit of good deeds; however, an overwhelming number of scholars argue, directly and indirectly, against this position. Finally, although the Gregory-Trajan legend seems to be the most direct source for the poem, scholars argue that other possible influences exist in the liturgies of the octave of St. Erkenwald, the New Testament, and the Vitae Erkenwaldi. All of these debates bear directly on the translation, and I have drawn upon them in working with ambiguities raised by multiply interpretable words, lines, and longer passages.