The Seafarer

“The Seafarer” is a 126-line Anglo-Saxon poem written from the first-person perspective of a man who spent much of his life at sea. The original manuscript, whose author is unknown, is part of the Exeter codex, a tenth-century anthology of Anglo-Saxon poetry. In it, the narrator recounts his difficult life as a seafarer and the intense wanderlust he felt in spite of his suffering. The tale evolves into a didactic, theological metaphor for the challenging journey of a pious Christian—ultimately suggesting that a miserable life of humility and hardship is the righteous path to heaven.