The Wanderer Poem: Exploring Wisdom and Religion in the Anglo-Saxon Tale

When I read "The Wanderer" I thought of how incredibly alone this man was, with only his memories and sorrow to keep him company. This poem offers a forlorn image of the world but also reminds us of how all we know of this world is fleeting and the only real substance lies in our faith in God. Throughout the poem the wanderer talks of his hardships and how he finally found a sort of virtue in his suffering and comfort in his faith.

The themes of wisdom and religion throughout the poem are apparent in how the wanderer speaks of his experiences on this earth. First of all, the wanderer speaks of his sorrow, which was a result of being bereft of his lord and kinsmen and left to wander in solitude for the rest of his days. Through this sorrow he gains a sort of wisdom of this world and how earthly triumphs and joys are but fleeting. He says that "he, sorry hearted, must for a long time move by hand along the waterways, the ice-cold sea, tread the paths of exile" (4a).

The wanderer understands that he is fated to travel alone and is resigned to this, but it does not make the pain any less harsh. He also grieves over his lord in the lines, "Since long years ago I hid my lord in the darkness of the earth, and I, wretched, from there traveled most sorrowfully over the frozen waves" (24a). From this sorrow he realizes the brokenness of this world and how sudden and fleeting life is.

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The wanderer reflects on those fleeting memories when he "thinks in his mind that he embraces and kisses his lord and on his knees lays his hands and his head" but then wakes up and realizes he was just dreaming (40a). It is then that he understands the depths of his sorrow, which is that he will never see his lord again and says, "Then are the heavier the wounds of the heart, grievous with longing for the lord" (48a).

The wanderer also is wise in that he relates his experience with all of mankind. He remarks that "Indeed I cannot think why my spirit does not darken when I ponder on the whole life of men throughout the world, how they suddenly left the floor, the proud thanes" (56a). These lines show how fleeting beauty and glory is, and how much faith was put on these earthly pillars of strength. He also says that "therefore man cannot call himself wise, before he has his share of years in the world" (64a).

In this way men can only hope to understand the truths of this world if they have had their share of the sorrow and toil that goes along with it. This poem also has a sense of religion in that the wanderer finds comfort and mercy through God in the end. The wanderer finds that the only solution to life's misery is to place one's faith in God and trust Him instead of earthly treasures and figureheads. He says that "It is better for the one that seeks mercy, consolation from the father in the heavens, where, for us, all permanence rests" (112a).

Amid the sorrow of lost friends and fleeting glory, there is the ever-present pillar of strength which is God and how we can only find true joy through Him. The wanderer speaks of his sorrow because is it that which has brought him to his place of understanding and faith. In conclusion, "The Wanderer" contains elements of wisdom and religion which are conveyed through the man's experiences and sorrow. Without his many years on the earth; the blazing moments of triumph and the desolate aftermath, he could not understand how short our lives are and how eternal God's glory is. "The Wanderer" offers the thought that only through hardship can we truly gain wisdom and learn to place our faith in God.

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