Elegiac Lyric. A lyric is a short, musical poem that tells the emotions of a speaker. An elegiac lyric is a kind of lyric that expresses grief over death or loss. As you read, try to determine for what the speaker is expressing grief.
Aphorism. An aphorism is a short saying or pointed statement. Anglo-Saxons often summed up an important idea from a poem in an aphorism. As you read, try to identify the aphorism.
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Many people have debated whether “The Wife’s Lament” is secular (focusing on worldly things) or whether it explores Christian themes. It is hard to say, as the details of the plot in the poem are sketchy. Some have suggested that the poem was based on a story that would have been known to Anglo-Saxon readers or listeners.
“The Wife’s Lament” does explore a fear that Anglo-Saxons explore repeatedly in their literature—exile. Early Anglo-Saxons lived in small, closely knit groups. Many of the people in a group would be blood relatives. Life was harsh enough as part of a group, but someone who was cut off from the group or made an outcast would have a hard time surviving. Old English poems often celebrate ties to family, ruler, and community and emphasize how terrible it is to be exiled from these important parts of life.
How would it feel to be a stranger, alone, in a faraway land? What would you miss about home?
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