When A Medieval Poet Reflects On Roman Ruins

The lives of those who came before have fascinated humans for as long as we can tell. Looking at and contemplating the relics of those who are long gone has long inspired us to think and create. The same was true in the middle ages, where the remains of the Roman world could often be seen and invoked awe. For one Anglo-Saxon poet in the 8th or 9th century, this awe inspired the writing of a poem which is older to us than those ruins where to them. It's a poem which I think about every time I see ancient ruins myself, and which I wanted to share with you today.
Follow me on Instagram: / studium.historiae
Works cited and recommendations for further reading:
-Beaston, Lawrence. "The Ruin and the Brevity of Human Life." Neophilologus 95, n3 (July 2011): 477-489.
-Doubleday, James. "'The Ruin': Structure and Theme." The Journal of English and Germanic Philology 71, n3 (July 1972): 369-381.
-Klinck, Anne L. The Old English Elegies: a Critical Edition and Genre Study (McGill-Queen's University Press, 1992) [includes the Old English text if ever you want to tackle that]
-Mitchell, Bruce, Fred C Robinson. A Guide to Old English (Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2007).
-Olsen, Alexandra H., ed. and trans., Burton Raffel, trans. Poems and Prose from the Old English (Yale University Press, 1998) [includes an alternate translation]
-Williamson, Craig, trans. The Complete Old English Poems (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2017) [includes the translation I recited in the video]
All images used in this video are either my own, in the public domain, under fair use, or under creative commons (whence they shall be credited appropriately)
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Outro music: Laid Back Guitars by Kevin MacLeod, CC BY-SA 4.0
incompetech.com/music/royalty-...
#medievalhistory #medieval #middleages #history #educational #poetry #anglosaxon #ruins #rome #antiquity #england #englishliterature #reflection

[@studiumhistoriae]

Hello everyone! I did something a little different this time. I wanted to make a shorter/quicker video so that the gap until my next longer video wouldn't be so long. I hope you enjoy!

[@themmeferal]

My scientific opinion on this as an undergrad: dark souls core

[@johnnzboy]

Thanks for introducing us to this oddly touching poem, and for providing some insight into what the poet might have intended - very interesting indeed.

[@bcpyc]

I absolutely love this channel. All the topics you choose are super interesting. Thank you

[@ReaperCH90]

thanks, a very interesting topic. Reminds me of the time when I realized that the pyramids were more ancient for the history heroes of my childhood, like Ceasar, Cleopatra and Asterix & Obelix, than these people were to me.

[@godofcheese291]

Thou returns at last

[@TriBgarage]

Very interesting. When I lived in England, I preferred walking through ruins vs modern or restored sites, as it let my imagination sore. I always felt the same. Pride/Nationalism is very good, until overwhelms and destroys.

[@sirperduwyn]

New subscriber. Enjoyed it

[@sleepyjo9340]

Anglo Saxon: Wow this place is really cool, it must've been awesome living here
Romans: This place is cold and damp, and we hate it here

[@KGTiberius]

Dust Contemplation needs to return to modern English. Good word.

[@ConradAinger]

Was the author of The Ruin aware that, broadly speaking, his own ancestors had put an end to that very civilisation the ruins of which lay before him?

[@user-yk8cf1bt4j]

I still haven’t watch the video but can you make a video about people’s reaction when Beethoven releases a new song and whether it’s similar like us on drake vs Kendrick