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The Exeter Book

The manuscript source for “The Seafarer,” the book contains a broad selection of Old English verse. It is believed to date to the tenth century CE and is a major source of information about Early English literary culture.

Swan

A waterfowl mentioned in the early part of the poem (ll. 19-20), the bird has traditional associations with royalty in England. Its song is also associated with finality; that it “sometimes served as [the narrator’s] music” (l. 20) suggests that the narrator may have seen many people die.

Gannet, Curlew, Seagull, and Tern

A series of seabirds mentioned in the early part of the poem (ll. 20-24), the fowl rely upon the ocean for sustenance and are largely itinerant (especially the tern). The narrator describes them as supplanting or substituting for the substance that would be received in towns and halls; they are companions to the...

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This section contains 510 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample