| These are the first 5 lines of Beowulf: Hwæt! Wé Gárdena in géardagum þéodcyninga þrym gefrúnon hú ðá æþelingas ellen fremedon. Oft Scyld Scéfing sceaþena þréatum monegum maégþum meodosetla oftéah It's a long stretch to say it's the same language as modern English, so shouldn't be counted as "literature in the English language". It could however count as literature written by the English people. For a comparison, these are the first 5 lines of Chanson de Roland CARLES li reis, nostre emperere magnes, Set anz tuz pleins ad estet en Espaigne: Tresqu’en la mer cunquist la tere altaigne. N’i ad castel ki devant lui remaigne; Mur ne citet n’i est remés a fraindre, Relative to modern French and English, the French of Chanson de Roland is comparable to the English of Chaucer. |