He tells of the sorrow he has to endure due to his soli-
tary state, though he keeps his sad thoughts inside.
Lines 19–29a give the wanderer’s personal history.
Since he lost his friends and his lord a long time ago,
he tried to seek another lord.
The text continues with a description of the experi-
ences of all lonely voyagers. Realizing his loss, the
wanderer recalls all the joys that have vanished. He
falls asleep and dreams of the times when he was still
in the service of his lord, but awakens to the realization
that only sea birds keep him company. At this point
the wanderer expands the theme to the whole of exis-
tence. Some scholars argue that with the change of
subject, a new speaker is introduced. Since the poem
shifts into the area of wisdom literature, it is often
assumed that the following passage is spoken by an
anonymous wise man. Apart from the change of tone,
the reappearance of the personal pronoun I is the only
piece of evidence to support this assumption.
The speaker goes on to defi ne a wise person, but he
does so through the negative—that is, listing what a
wise one’s characteristics should not be. The wanderer
next speaks about the destruction of human artifacts,
recalling the style found in The RUIN. Some scholars sug-
gest this passage refers to doomsday, but the non-Chris-
tian motifs, such as the Beasts of Battle who carry away
the nobles, indicate otherwise. The next speech starts
with an UBI SUNT motif, asking where past joys have
gone. The speaker reminds the audience that nature will
endure while human-made creations fall; only the per-
son who seeks the grace of God will fi nd security. The
second part of the poem implies a strong contrast
between this world and the heavenly kingdom.
One of the major concerns of past scholarship has
been the number of speakers. It is now generally
accepted, though not unchallenged, that the fi rst seven
lines of the poem serve as an introduction. The wander-
er’s monologue would therefore begin in line 8 with the
fi rst mention of the personal pronoun ic [I]. A second
monologue begins in line 92, after the introduction of
one who has “thought wisely.” Whether this is a new
speech or a speech within the speech of the wanderer,
who might have become a wise man himself, is still sub-
ject to debate. The end of the speeches is in line 110,
followed by a conclusion that sees the heavenly king-
dom as the only place of security. Another possibility is
to see the whole poem as the wanderer’s monologue.
A great deal of scholarship has considered the ques-
tion of religion in connection with “The Wanderer.”
The poem shows elements of both the Christian and
non-Christian. The lord-retainer relationship, espe-
cially in the dream sequence, and elements such as the
Beasts of Battle are typical features of Germanic poetry.
Yet many of the stylistic elements give the poem a
Christian tone. Passages like the one in which the poet
states that wisdom comes with years of experience are
reminiscent of homiletic works (e.g., ll. 64–72). So
does the ubi sunt motif, which is widely used in homi-
lies. Many scholars conclude that “The Wanderer,” like
BEOWULF or The BATTLE OF MALDON, is a blend of Ger-
manic and Christian elements.
Due to the poem’s theme, scholars often associated
it with the works of BOETHIUS. The poet’s descriptions
of the decaying world and the hardship that humans
have to endure are typical elements of a Boethian
poem, as is the confi dence that God will lead everyone
to a good end.
“The Wanderer” is often related to the poem “The
SEAFARER,” with which it has several features in com-
mon. Like “The Wanderer,” “The Seafarer” is divided
into two main parts. One refers to the life of the
speaker, in this case the seafarer, and the other refers
to life in general. The decay of the world of men as well
as the search for bliss and joy in God are also themes of
that poem. Thus, similar to “The Wanderer,” the
poem’s second part is to be regarded as a part of the
genre of wisdom literature. It is these aspects that make
both these poems into typical representatives of the
elegy genre.FURTHER READING
Beaston, Lawrence. “The Wanderer’s Courage.” Neophilolo-
gus 89, no. 1 (2005): 119–137.
Cross, J. E. “On the Genre of The Wanderer.” Neophilologus
45 (1961): 63–75.
Dunning, Thomas P., and Alan J. Bliss, eds. The Wanderer.
London: Methuen, 1969.
Fowler, Roger. “A Theme in The Wanderer.” Medium Aevum
36 (1967): 1–14.
Leslie, Roy F., ed. The Wanderer. Manchester, U.K.: Man-
chester University Press, 1966.“WANDERER, THE” 457