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Caedmon and Cynewulf

It is discovered that Caedmon and Cynewulf symbolize the two different

schools of English poetry both of which were Christian in philosophy and
motivation and somewhat cloying in the core of their methodology. Despite the
fact that both of these schools' creators are now described to be firmly rooted in
their respective eras and have a distinctly paganic attitude to life, they still must
be regarded as the beginning of an innovative new kind of Old English poetry.

Caedmon is one of the earliest English poets whose full name is not
known. He was one of the twelve Anglo-Saxon poets of medieval literature.
Caedmon's only surviving work was The Hymn of Caedmon, one of the earliest
works in Old English. Along with the Ruthwell Cross and Franks' Larch, it is
one of three examples of Old English poetry and the earliest discovered
example of poetry in the Germanic language.

Caedmon is also creditable for a number of poems on religious subjects,

sometimes referred to as the "Canon of Caedmon," namely: "Genesis,"
"Exodus," "Daniel," and "Christ and Satan." Although there are no precise
historic data concerning his biography, it is believed that Caedmon died
between 670 and 680. In 1966 a memorial floor stone was erected in
Westminster Abbey's Poets' Corner in memory of Caedmon.

An Anglo-Saxon folk poet Cynewulf, allegedly a monk, was also a well-

known contributor to English poetry of that era. He was one of four Anglo-
Saxon poets whose works have survived and one of the few known by his name
since his poetry had his signature "woven" into the text and in runic alphabet.

He rose to fame as a result of his writings on religion and was regarded as

a leading poet of Christian Old English. His four religious’ poems, "Destiny of

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Apostles," "Juliana," "Helen," and "Christ II," also named as "Ascension," are
all survived in two eleventh-century manuscript volumes. Several more works
are also said to be written by him, although none of them have any supporting
evidence of having Cynewulf as an author.

What is also worth mentioning about Cynewulf is that each of those four
poems he wrote was lengthy up to several thousand poetic lines -- for
comparison, the "Hymn of Caedmon," one of the oldest known lyrical works of
Anglo-Saxon literature as we know it, contains only nine lines.

It is indisputable that both Caedmon and Cynewulf largely contributed to

the development of Anglo-Saxon Christian poetry. While Caedmonian poetry
can be described as old Christian poetry, Cynewulf stands as the so-called new
Caedmon and represents a group of poems that are broader in size and the
narrative than those typically attributed to Caedmon.

The difference between them, regarding all the bits of historical

information one can use, is that one of these poets is a native speaker with
spontaneous inspiration, while the other is an artist with scholarly education and
artistic imagination. Their approach to religious topics, conveyed in the poetry
is also to some extent different: The poetry of Cynewulf depicts church calendar
events, in contrast to the solely biblical themes of Caedmon's poems.

Therefore, the Cynewulfian verse is more similar in spirit to the

continental medieval church. There are many female saints. Cynewulf enjoys
the beauty of nature, especially the sea and storms, and he stands out in
particular for his interest in concepts and feelings. Religious poetry transitions
from Biblical paraphrasing to the devotional and mystical with Cynewulf
Anglo-Saxon. His writings exhibit a lyrical fervor and narrative vigor that are
missing from Caedmon's poetry.

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 Moreover, the poetry of Cynewulf clearly represents a step forward from
the Caedmonian school. While Cynewulf is a soul's self-ravelation in the pursuit
of spiritual life, Caedmon's poetry is more like hymns in praise of the creator
and his creation. The inspiration for Christianity in Cynewulfian poetry extends
beyond just Christ. The poet is evidently primarily interested in the accounts of
saints and martyrs who were new testament inspirations. In contemporary
poetry, Christ is praised as a savior, and the poetic spirit is more elegiac than
epical. Once more, Caedmonian poetry is narrative and tells the creation story
as well as other biblical tales. Thoughtful and lyrical, as seen in the Dream of
the Rood, Cynewulfian poetry is reflective.

There is also the distinction between the two in regard to the poetic style.
Caedmon’s natural poetry is simple, straight forward and definitely easily
convincing. But Cynewulf is a poetic artist and his poetry is rich in artistic
graces. In variety profundity and sonority, Cynewulfian poetry is believed by a
number of scholars to superior to Caedmonian.