Many of the inconsistencies between Tennyson's translation and the literal translation can be traced to Hallam Tennyson's prose version of the poem. In fact, quite a few of Tennyson's phrases come directly from Hallam's translation. Here are a few examples:

Tennyson:  "Gaining a lifelong glory in Battle"
Hallam:  "lifelong glory they gain'd in the strife"

Tennyson:  "Hew'd the lindenwood
Hack'd the battleshields"

Hallam:  "they hew'd the battle-shields of lindenwood"

Tennyson:  "Sons of Edward with hammer'd brands"
Hallam:  "with hammer'd brands they hew'd them- these sons of Edward"

Tennyson:  "All the field with blood of the fighters
Flow'd..."

Hallam:  "the field flow'd with blood of warriors"

Tennyson:  "Lamp of the Lord God,
Lord Everlasting,
Glode over earth til the glorious creature
Sank to his setting."
Hallam:  "The bright lamp of God the everlasting Lord, glided over earth, even until this noble creature sank to his setting."

Tennyson:  "Fiercely we hack'd at the flyers before us"
Hallam:  "Quickly they hack'd at the fliers from behind."

Tennyson:  "...over the weltering waters
Borne in the bark's bosom."
Hallam:  "over the weltering waves, in the bark's bosom"

Tennyson:  "Saving his life on the fallow flood"
Hallam:  "On the fallow flood he saved his life."

Tennyson:  "Many a carcase they left to be carrion,
Many a livid one, many a sallow skin,
Left for the white-tail'd eagle to tear it, and
Left for the horny-nibb'd raven to rend it, and
Gave to the garbaging war-hawk to gorge it, and
That gray beast, the wolf of the weald."
Hallam:  "Many a carcase they left behind them, many a sallow skin for the swarthy raven with horny beak to tear; the livid corpse they left behind them for the ern with white tail to gorge as carrion, for the greedy war-hawk, and for that gray beast, the wolf of the weald."

Tennyson:  "Haughty war-workers who
Harried the Welshman when
Earls that were lured by the
Hunger of glory gat
Hold of the land."
Hallam:  "When haughty war-smiths overcame the Welshmen, and earls full of the lust of glory gat hold of the land."


Last modified 1996