Sometime back, I wrote about a poem I first read in my 11th grade English Literature class, “To a Mouse” by Robert Burns. This class opened up a whole new world for me. The teacher was so knowledgeable and passionate about English Literature. She brought poetry and prose to life. She made many trips to England to visit the places where the romantic poets and others lived and where they wrote their stories or poetry. She brought this passion and love for English Literature to every class. She was one of those people in my life that opened a door for me. I will share many more stories with you about my time in one of my favorite classes, but this time, I want to share my thoughts on a particular heroic poem we studied: Beowulf.
The thing that struck me about Beowulf from the first time I read it was the role Wiglaf played in the epic tale. Of course, Beowulf is the hero. The fearless warrior saves the day not once but twice by slaying the monsters Grendel and then Grendel’s mother. After these heroic deeds, Beowulf becomes king and rules for fifty peaceful years. And so the tale could end here with Beowulf, a true hero and a great leader. But, just as with mankind, there is more to the story. There is a continuum. As Sonny and Cher would say, “The Beat Goes On.”
As I read the part at the end of this remarkable tale, I had a picture in my mind’s eye of Beowulf giving his all once again to slay the dragon but slowly failing and Wiglaf running up the hill to help his master, his mentor, with the sunlight shining down through the dark clouds on him, Wiglaf – the hope of the future. I have always wished I could recreate this scene on canvas. To capture the solemn yet triumphant feeling of mankind passing the torch, so to speak, to the younger generations, the new saviors of our grand journey, the hope of the future.
Alas, I’m no artist. I do well with three-dimensional sculpture-type work but just can’t seem to get the proper perspectives onto the surface of a page. Perhaps, someone out there would like to capture this moment on paper.
Wiglaf running up the hill to help his master, his mentor, with the sunlight shining down through the dark clouds on him.