Book Smart

Dick Ringler and “Beowulf” go back a long time — maybe not the entire 1,000-plus years of the epic poem’s existence, but a substantial while, certainly.

“I taught ‘Beowulf’ in the English department for many years,” Ringler says. “I decided about 10 years ago to try producing a translation that would better reflect the meter of the original Old English than other available translations. I hoped that if I was successful the translation would lend itself to oral presentation.”

Ringler gave his version a three-hour first pass several years ago at what was then the Elvehjem Museum (now the Chazen). WHA Radio producer Norman Gilliland was in that audience and was mesmerized.

“I was so taken with the power, the sweep and the sheer poetry of Dick’s presentation that I thought it cried out for music and sound effects,” he says, “and for voices playing the various characters.”

And so was born the audio project, which went into production. Most of the actors come from American Players Theatre in Spring Green and the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis, as well as some familiar voices from Wisconsin Public Radio.

“They all had their work cut out for them, because they had to pull off fairly subtle characterizations while adhering strictly to the meter of Old English, which Dick has recreated syllable by syllable for his translation,” Gilliland says.

The action — and there is plenty of it in “Beowulf” — follows the exploits of the young Geatish hero. During the course of the epic, Beowulf is called upon to slay not only Grendel, the horrific creature who has been terrorizing the court of the Danish king, but Grendel’s mother as well. He vanquishes both, but not easily.

Both Ringler and Gilliland find Beowulf and King Hrothgar the epic’s most compelling characters.

“Hrothgar has the deep wisdom and wide horizons of his many years and experiences, and Beowulf combines physical prowess and mental acuity in a way that is absolutely essential for a successful hero,” Ringler says.

“You have to sympathize especially with Beowulf as he ages some 50 years and becomes less confident that he’ll survive his final confrontation with the fire-breathing dragon,” Gilliland says, adding that despite the special effects, today’s listeners and readers will find that “Beowulf” resonates perfectly with contemporary society.

“As much as ever, this story rings true in the 21st century. Courage, loyalty, leadership, the pain of separation, the love of beauty, the mystery of life and death -— it’s all there in the story,” he says.

Adds Ringler, “Despite the fact that this poem was composed more than 1,000 years ago and comes from a society and culture very different from our own, it has so much to teach us about how to live life in a moral and meaningful way. Ringler will teach “Beowulf” this fall in a six-session course for the Department of Liberal Studies and the Arts. For more information, visit http://www.madison.com/communities/lsa/.

Ringler’s translation is available free from the Library System’s digital collection.