At first glance, which of the example translations seems to most closely approximate Old English? Why do you say that? Go through the translations and find examples of kennings. Look closely at three of the translations – Kennedy, Raffel and Heaney. Which one do you like? Defend your choice? All of the translated versions listed are excerpts from the same part of the poem – the entrance of Grendel. What does Raffel say about Grendel? How is he described in the poem? Has Grendel visited before? Explain. The last line of each translation alludes to an upcoming event. What is it? What have you learned about the challenges facing translators of text? Do these versions seem similar or different? Why/how? Do the versions still seem poetic?