Forty-two of us gathered to read the entire epic poem out loud: all 3,182 lines, translated by Seamus Heaney, and brought to life by Oxford students’ reading—and by the collective spirit of poetry and community.
As we read lines like these (Thank you, Theo), I felt the awe and wonder of the first English epic:
“But death is not easily / escaped by anyone: / all of us with souls, earth-dwellers / and children of men, must make our way / to a destination already ordained / where the body, after the banqueting, / sleeps on its deathbed” Beowulf 1001—06
October 15, 2023 | 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Next Year: The Iliad, translated by Emily Wilson!
