The Wanderer
"The Wanderer"
Summary
The wanderer asks the Lord for pity and understanding, but sometimes he must take to the sea and become an exile. This is fate, and it cannot be avoided.
The wanderer remembered hardship, death, and the ruin of kinsmen, and said that he knew that he would have to think upon these things in his loneliness and isolation. He will not talk to anyone about what is in his heart. He knows that it is dignified for a man to keep his feelings and thoughts to himself, no matter what he might be thinking. Those who are weary in their hearts know they cannot stop fate and that no good comes from expressing their desires; it is clear that most who seek glory and fame have something painful concealed within.
The wanderer said he restrained his feelings even though he was mournful because he was exiled from his country and kinsmen after the death of his lord. He left his home and sailed the rough waves with the coldness of winter in his heart, seeking a new lord who would take him into his hall and take care of and entertain him, as he was friendless.
Those who have experienced exile know how cruel this sorrow can be. The wanderer's body is frozen and he is full of memory of halls and treasure and how his lord cared for him. All of the joys are now passed away. Any man who does not have the counsel of his lord is filled with sadness, and when he sleeps he dreams of the earlier days when he laid his hands and head upon his lord's knees. The lonely man then must wake to the dark waves, sea-birds, and frost and snow.
Upon waking his sorrow is heavier and he remembers his kinsmen. He joyfully welcomes them and then watches them swim away again. Their spirits cannot bring song to him. His sorrows multiply because he must send his heart over the waves over and over again.
The wanderer does not know why he does not experience darkness when he thinks about the warriors who had to leave the lord's hall. The world passes away and men can only gain wisdom
Summary
The wanderer asks the Lord for pity and understanding, but sometimes he must take to the sea and become an exile. This is fate, and it cannot be avoided.
The wanderer remembered hardship, death, and the ruin of kinsmen, and said that he knew that he would have to think upon these things in his loneliness and isolation. He will not talk to anyone about what is in his heart. He knows that it is dignified for a man to keep his feelings and thoughts to himself, no matter what he might be thinking. Those who are weary in their hearts know they cannot stop fate and that no good comes from expressing their desires; it is clear that most who seek glory and fame have something painful concealed within.
The wanderer said he restrained his feelings even though he was mournful because he was exiled from his country and kinsmen after the death of his lord. He left his home and sailed the rough waves with the coldness of winter in his heart, seeking a new lord who would take him into his hall and take care of and entertain him, as he was friendless.
Those who have experienced exile know how cruel this sorrow can be. The wanderer's body is frozen and he is full of memory of halls and treasure and how his lord cared for him. All of the joys are now passed away. Any man who does not have the counsel of his lord is filled with sadness, and when he sleeps he dreams of the earlier days when he laid his hands and head upon his lord's knees. The lonely man then must wake to the dark waves, sea-birds, and frost and snow.
Upon waking his sorrow is heavier and he remembers his kinsmen. He joyfully welcomes them and then watches them swim away again. Their spirits cannot bring song to him. His sorrows multiply because he must send his heart over the waves over and over again.
The wanderer does not know why he does not experience darkness when he thinks about the warriors who had to leave the lord's hall. The world passes away and men can only gain wisdom