Hisperic Style in the Old English “Rhyming Poem”
James W. Earl
The “Rhyming Poem” is a bizarre verse experiment combining rhyme scheme common in Latin hymnody with stringent use of Old English alliterative meter. It has been thought that the poet, his unsuccessful effort to carry out self-appointed metrical task, strained language breaking point, producing poem crackpot, incompetent, and quickly corrupted. more likely, however, poet was being linguistically inventive manner many such experiments Carolingian Hiberno-Latin poetry. Such obscurantism only exaggerates quality already present much verse, notably latter part Exeter Book , where found, also Norse Irish verse. Considering several poetic traditions coexisting Anglo-Saxon England, it surprising example genre English.
Publications of the Modern Language Association of America