Ashley Baker

AEGL 288-002
Survey of British Literature I
“The Wanderer: Behind the Words”
On my honor as a USCA student, I have completed my work according to the
principles of Academic Integrity. I have neither given nor received an unauthorized
aid on the assignment/examination.
 The Anglo-Saxon poem, ‘The Wanderer,’ is a complex poem dealing with an

overwhelming sense of isolation, loneliness, nostalgia, and a return to faith. In the modern day

translation of the poem, care is taken to preserve the lyrical quality of the words to pay homage

to the oral traditions of the ancient bards. This lyrical quality lends a sense of loneliness and a

sense of nostalgia to the poem.

The speaker of the poem, the actual wanderer, is no longer at home in the world. He was

once a knight to a great Lord. He had food to fill his belly, comrades to fight beside him, and

honor to protect. He had companionship with his fellow knights when he needed it, but as a good

soldier, he kept his emotions to himself.

Now, the wanderer no longer serves the Lord and his fellow knights are dead. He has no

great hall to rest his feet and little food to nourish him. As he is wandering the English

countryside, he cannot help but look back on his life. He conveys the emotion of loneliness by

using words to describe the wanderer as “sad-faced” and describes the landscape as bleak and

wintry. He is separated from his countrymen and alone to face the open road.

In the Norton Anthology Introduction, the author states that, “…the retainers are

obligated to fight for their lord to the death, and if he is slain, to avenge him or die in the

attempt.” The wanderer no longer has a sense of self because while his Lord and fellow knights

died, he is still alive to face the shame of not avenging his Lord. Though the poem details a sense

of overwhelming isolation and loss, the wanderer pledges to turn to God the Father as a source of

comfort and respite. He seeks to develop faith and through God and his mercy, he will be able to

have his burdens eased.

 A prevalent theme of the poem is the ubi-sunt theme, or the what has gone before theme.

As the wanderer contemplates putting his faith in God, he thinks back to his former life and

cries, where has my old life gone. Where are my friends, my Lord, my treasures, and my honor?

He understands that the days of revelry are long over and he will probably never find the same

contentment again. He will be lucky if in the future he finds a Lord to serve and protect. He is

utterly alone with no home, no friends, no safety, and no peace. He has himself and God and the

nights are lonely between the two.

The theme of the wandering knight was a common theme to the Anglo-Saxon culture.

War was simply a way of life along with hard work and protecting ones honor. Communities

were small and the Lord or King was the center of the hub surrounded by his knights who

protected the land and followed the King’s wishes. When the King and his knights were gathered

in the mead hall celebrating their latest conquest, food, drink, and entertainment were plenty.

Bards related stories of bravery, courage, and death to those who would listen in the oral

tradition. These stories celebrated the culture, the warrior spirit and united the men together with

a common thread. This oral tradition of warrior stories also helped to cement the togetherness of

the conquered English. Although they were conquered by the Anglos, Saxons, Jutes, and later the

Normans, they could still pass on their history and traditions through oral recitations.

The Wanderer resonates even to this day because the theme of isolation and loneliness is

such a common emotion. The poem blends the gritty aspects of life in an ever-changing world

filled with war and poverty with faith and Christianity. These two themes blend so well that the

poem flows well and retains its original lyrical quality.