ENGLISH_OLD ENGLISH POETRY AND PROSE_Seme2_1st ...
ENGLISH_OLD ENGLISH POETRY AND PROSE_Seme2_1st ...
ENGLISH_OLD ENGLISH POETRY AND PROSE_Seme2_1st ...
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Ex/Eng/PG/129/36/06<br />
M.A. FIRST YEAR SECOND SEMESTER EXAMINATION, 2006<br />
<strong>ENGLISH</strong><br />
<strong>OLD</strong> <strong>ENGLISH</strong> <strong>POETRY</strong> <strong>AND</strong> <strong>PROSE</strong><br />
Time: Two hours Full Marks: 30<br />
1. Render any ONE of the following into modern English prose, indicating any<br />
major deviation from the syntax of the original: 5<br />
(a) Frige men ne motan wealdan heora sylfra, ne faran þar hi willað, ne ateon<br />
heora agen swa swa hi willað. Ne þrælas ne moton habban þæt hi agon on<br />
agenan hwilan mid earfeðan gewunnen, ne þæt þæt heom on Godes est<br />
gode men geuðon, and to ælmesgife for Godes lufan sealdon. Ac æghwilc<br />
ælmesriht þe man on Godes est scolde mid rihte georne gelæstan, ælc man<br />
gelitlað oððe forhealdeð, for þam unriht is to wide mannum gemæne and<br />
unlaga leofe; and hraedest is tō cwepenne, Godes laga lāðe and lāra<br />
forsawene; and pæs wē habbað ealle purh Godes yrre bysmor gelōme,<br />
gecnāwe sē þe cunne; and se byrst wyrð gemæne. þēh man swā ne wēne,<br />
calle þysse þēode, būtan God beorge.<br />
Or<br />
(b) þus ic frōd ond fūs þurh þæt fǽne hūs<br />
wordcræftum wæf ond wundrum læs,<br />
þragum þreodude ond geþane reodode<br />
nihtes nearwe. Nysse ic gearwe<br />
be þǽre [rōde] riht ǽr me rūmran geþeaht<br />
þurh ðā mǽran miht on mōdes eaht<br />
wīsdōm onwrēah. Ic wæs weorcum fäh,<br />
synnum āsǽled, sorgum gewǽled,<br />
bitrum gebunden, bisgum beþrungen,<br />
ǽr mē lāre onlāg, þurh lēohtne hād,<br />
gamelum tō gēoce...<br />
2. Render the following into modern English prose: 5<br />
þā bearn mē on mōde (ic trūwige þurh Godes gife) þæt ic ðās bōc of Ledenum<br />
gereordc tō Engliscre sprǽce āwende, nā þurh gebylde micclre lāre, ac forpan<br />
þe ic geseah ond gehýrde mycel gedwyld on mangeum Engliscum bōcum, þe<br />
ungelǽrede menn þurh heora bilewytnesse tö miclum wīsdōme tealdon. Ond<br />
mē ofhrēow þæt hī ne cūpon nē næfdon pā godspellican lāre on heora<br />
gewritum, b −u ton pām mannum ānum ðe pæt Leden c −u ðon, ond buton pām<br />
bōcum ðe /Elfrēd cyning snoterlīce āwende of Ledene on Englisc, pā synd tō<br />
hæbbenne.<br />
Beam= : [it ] came; trūwian= to trust; gife= grace; gereord= language; gebyld=<br />
=<br />
confidence; gedwyld= error; bilewytness simplicity; tellan= consider;<br />
ofltrēowan= to sadden.1
3. From the passages in Question nos. 1 and 2, cite examples of the following: 10<br />
(a) Breaking before l+cons. & r+cons.; explain what has broken into what; 1<br />
(b) two instances of i-mutation, one in a noun and one in a verb; explain what<br />
has mutated into what; 1<br />
(c) two instances of the subjunctive; explain why each one has been used; 4<br />
(d) one instance of the inflected infinitive; explain why it has been used; 2<br />
(e) two Scandinavian loan-words and two hybrids, one combining<br />
Scandinavian and English, the other Greek and English. 2<br />
4. (a) Compare ‘Cyncwulf and Cynchcard’ with ‘The Martyrdom of /Elfheah’ to<br />
bring out the essential differences between narrative prose which is incompetently<br />
written and that which is well-written. 10<br />
Or<br />
(b) Show how the institution of the comitatus has been presented from different<br />
poinls-of-view in ‘Beowulf and Grendel’s Mother’, ‘The Fall of the Angels’ and<br />
The Dream of the Rood. 10
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