hip that is present in the original quite aswell as beer-drinking. Michael Alexander, in 1973, focuses on the same senseof beorpege (117), but takes some narrative liberties in his translation: thehorn had gone round (G.117). This translation captures the spirit of the original,but fails to maintain the form of the Old English in favour of a modern narrativemetaphor. It must be noted, however, that Michael Alexander later glossesbeorpege(117) as beer-drinking in the 1995 transcription of Beowulf. Thereis a lot more variation present over the last century in the translations ofwonsceaft wera (120) than in the fairly consistent pattern of beorpege (117). Some of the translation variations include: desolation of men (A.120), the evilhaps of men (B.120), of human hardship (C.120), Tempest or mortality(D.120), misery of men (E,F,I,K.120), and dark-shaft of men (L.120). Ofthese translations, misery of men proves to be the most common and acceptedinterpretation of wonsceaft wera (120) in Modern English. However, I believethat my own translation, dark-shaft of men (L.120), more accurately representsthe intention of the Old English wonsceaft wera (120). Much of the poetic andnarrative meaning in Beowulf is derived from the association of word structuresand symbolism interweaving throughout the Old English text. My translation,dark-shaft of men (L.120), expresses the same intent as misery of men, butfollows more closely the form and structure of the Old English poet. Thedark-shaft represents misery in the dark shaft of a bloodied weapon, the darkand mysterious shafts of wells and pits, and the dark shaft that encloses in uponthe light as death grips a dying man. This translation echoes the form andmeaning of the original, providing a level of depth that is absent in the pattern ofmodern translations. The general pattern among the translations of Grendelsapproach to the hall seems to be fairly consistent over time, with variationbetween...
