Soul and Body
Encyclopedia
Soul and Body refers to two anonymous Old English poems: Soul and Body I, which is found in the Vercelli Book
, and Soul and Body II, found in the Exeter Book
. It is one of the oldest poems to have survived in two manuscripts of Old English, each poem slightly different than the other. Despite the poems' differences (in structure and length, for example), the Soul and Body poems address similar themes, themes about the duality of human nature.
, and Wulf and Eadwacer
. The following summary of the text and analysis of the poem pertains exclusively to Soul and Body II.
points out "several aspects of the poems’ eschatology show signs of Irish influence," most significantly the overtly Christian reference to the soul’s disproval of its body’s actions, as well as the ultimate destiny for mankind and his soul. Furthermore, the language of the poem is West Saxon in nature, and lends itself to an “Irish-influenced Mercian literary school” of thought, or the common thought found in the kingdom of Mercia, one of the ancient, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms found in what is now Great Britain (425). Based on language patterns and thematic elements, Soul and Body II was most likely copied in the late 9th or early 10th century. Soul and Body II was active "plausibly during the reign of Æthelstan".
Ironically, the body’s silence only emphasizes its harsh reality; the body will not be able to speak with God in the final days because of its sinful behaviors while alive on earth. Not once, but twice does the soul chastise its body for its “firenlustas” (lines 31 and 41) or literally its “appetite for sin,” specifically material wealth and earthly possessions (175). Furthermore, the efforts of the soul—and ultimately the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection—have been in vain, since the body has perverted any chance of both the soul and the body enjoying eternal life in heaven. As one can see at the end of the poem, the Christian message of unity and judgment comes full circle, with the modern English translation stating “to every man among the wise this may serve as a reminder". Thus, Soul and Body II is the self-judgment of the soul and its condemnation of its body.
Vercelli Book
The Vercelli Book is one of the oldest of the four Old English Poetic Codices. It is an anthology of Old English prose and verse that dates back to the late 10th century...
, and Soul and Body II, found in the Exeter Book
Exeter Book
The Exeter Book, Exeter Cathedral Library MS 3501, also known as the Codex Exoniensis, is a tenth-century book or codex which is an anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry. It is one of the four major Anglo-Saxon literature codices. The book was donated to the library of Exeter Cathedral by Leofric, the...
. It is one of the oldest poems to have survived in two manuscripts of Old English, each poem slightly different than the other. Despite the poems' differences (in structure and length, for example), the Soul and Body poems address similar themes, themes about the duality of human nature.
The manuscript
The two versions of Soul and Body are found in two separate poetry collections. The first is found in the Vercelli manuscript, and is entitled, by modern scholars, as Soul and Body I. The other account is found in the Exeter manuscript, and is entitled, also by modern scholars as Soul and Body II. Both poems serve the same purpose, asking the committed and penitent Christian reader to call to mind his bodily actions on earth in relation to his soul’s afterlife. A sense of exigency is found in both poems, imploring the body to live according to the soul’s fate and not the desires of the flesh. S.A.J. Bradley argues that, "[Soul and Body II’s] position in the Exeter Book is in a group of poems of wisdom, lore and intelligent conceits” (358). Moreover, Soul and Body II is comparable with other like-poems found in the Exeter manuscript such as DeorDeor
"Deor" is an Old English poem found in the late 10th century collection the Exeter Book. The poem consists of the lament of the scop Deor, who lends his name to the poem, which was given no formal title. Modern scholars do not actually believe Deor to be the author of this poem.In the poem, Deor's...
, and Wulf and Eadwacer
Wulf and Eadwacer
Wulf and Eadwacer is an Old English poem of famously difficult interpretation. It has been variously characterised, as an elegy, as a riddle, and as a song or ballad with refrain...
. The following summary of the text and analysis of the poem pertains exclusively to Soul and Body II.
Place and time
The author or poet of Soul and Body II is unknown; however as Michael LapidgeMichael Lapidge
Michael Lapidge D.Litt. is a Canadian historical linguist, fellow of Clare College, Cambridge and Fellow of the British Academy A lecturer in Anglo-Saxon studies at Cambridge from 1974 onwards, Lapidge was Elrington and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon from 1991 to 1998...
points out "several aspects of the poems’ eschatology show signs of Irish influence," most significantly the overtly Christian reference to the soul’s disproval of its body’s actions, as well as the ultimate destiny for mankind and his soul. Furthermore, the language of the poem is West Saxon in nature, and lends itself to an “Irish-influenced Mercian literary school” of thought, or the common thought found in the kingdom of Mercia, one of the ancient, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms found in what is now Great Britain (425). Based on language patterns and thematic elements, Soul and Body II was most likely copied in the late 9th or early 10th century. Soul and Body II was active "plausibly during the reign of Æthelstan".
Summary of the poem
Soul and Body II is the soul’s damning address to its body. It is clear, as Douglas Moffat notes, that there is an identifiable first-person speaker throughout the entire poem; the speaker is the damned soul who is addressing his earthly body. The soul has a strong “contempt for the rotting corpse” from which it came (Frantzen 77). The purpose of the poem is to remind the reader of the sinner’s fate. The soul demands an answer from its body, because as the soul believes, the body is largely, if not completely, responsible for their shared, horrific fate (Ferguson 74). Despite the body being “dumb ond deaf” (line 60), the soul reminds its body to plead its case before God at the Last Judgment.Ironically, the body’s silence only emphasizes its harsh reality; the body will not be able to speak with God in the final days because of its sinful behaviors while alive on earth. Not once, but twice does the soul chastise its body for its “firenlustas” (lines 31 and 41) or literally its “appetite for sin,” specifically material wealth and earthly possessions (175). Furthermore, the efforts of the soul—and ultimately the reality of Christ’s death and resurrection—have been in vain, since the body has perverted any chance of both the soul and the body enjoying eternal life in heaven. As one can see at the end of the poem, the Christian message of unity and judgment comes full circle, with the modern English translation stating “to every man among the wise this may serve as a reminder". Thus, Soul and Body II is the self-judgment of the soul and its condemnation of its body.
Religious overtones and their significance
Critical assessors of Soul and Body II agree that the religious theme of the poem is quite obvious; the soul addresses its body in relation to the Final Judgment of both the soul and its body on the last day.Sources
- Anderson, James A. “Deor, Wulf and Eadwacer, and The Soul's Address: How and Where the OE Exeter Book Riddles Begin.” The OE Elegies: New Essays in Criticism and Research. (1983): 204-230.
- Bradley, S.A.J. Anglo-Saxon Poetry. London, UK: Everyman Paperbacks, 1982.
- Ferguson, Mary Heyward. “The Structure of the Soul’s Address to the Body in OE.” Journal of English and Germanic PhilologyJournal of English and Germanic PhilologyThe Journal of English and Germanic Philology is an academic journal of medieval studies founded in 1897 and now published by University of Illinois Press. Its focus is on the cultures of English, Germanic, and Celtic-speaking parts of medieval northern Europe. Previous editors include Albert S....
69 (1970): 72-80. - Frantzen, Allen J. “The Body in Soul and Body I.” Chaucer Review 17 (1982): 76-88.
- Hill, Thomas D. “Punishment According to the Joints of the Body in the OE Soul and Body.” Notes and QueriesNotes and QueriesNotes and Queries is a long-running quarterly scholarly journal that publishes short articles related to "English language and literature, lexicography, history, and scholarly antiquarianism". Its emphasis is on "the factual rather than the speculative"...
. 213 (1968): 409-410. - Krapp, George P, and Elliot V.K. Dobbie. The Exeter Book. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 1936.
- Lapidge, Michael. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 1991.
- Moffat, Douglas. The Old English Soul and Body. Wolfeboro, NH: Boydell & Brewer, 1990.
- Pulsiano, Phillip, and Elaine Treharne. A Companion to Anglo-Saxon Literature. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2002.
- Smetana, Cyril. “Second Thoughts on Soul and Body I.” Mediaeval Studies. 29 (1967): 193-205.