The Seafarer

The Seafarer is one of a group of Anglo-Saxon poems found in the Exeter Book, Codex Exoniensis, donated to the library of Exeter cathedral by Leofric, the first Bishop of Exeter. Compiled around 970, it is the largest surviving collection of Old English literature. The poem tells the story of life's apparent futility through the words of a lone mariner. There have been many interpretations of the poem since the mid-nineteenth century, but Amy Riach's strong and expressive new translation is unique in that it empowers the voice of the title character. Riach's translation is accompanied by Jila Peacock's magisterial monoprints - which she made for a multimedia piano trio based on the poem - to create a formidable publication that celebrates the happy marriage of text and image.