St. Pachomius Library

St. Cædmon the Melodist

VII Century
St. Cædmon (reposed c. 680) is the first known poet of the vernacular in English. He is thought to have been a Celt, who was already old at the time he came to Whitby to tend the animals. Too shy to join in the communal singing after meals, he slipped out to work with the animals. One night, according to Bede, Cædmon fell asleep and had a vision in which he learned a hymn; when he awoke, he knew the song and could recite it perfectly. After his performance, Hilda urged him to become a monk. Cædmon remained illiterate but retained his ability to versify. He listened to the lessons the monks read and reworked them into English verse, which made the Scripture accessible to the laity. His verse form is said to have been the traditional, oral form of the Anglo-Saxons. His only surviving poem is the "Hymn of Creation," the poem he learned in his dream.
Karen Rae Keck

WORKS:
- Codex Junius 11 A manuscript of religious poetry (Genesis A & B; Exodus; Daniel; Christ and Satan) compiled in the X Century. Although the authorship is disputed, some or all of these poems may be the work of the illiterate herdsman who (at the command of angels, according to Bede) founded English literature. Geo. W. Kennedy translation, 1916. --- OMACL

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