The Little Garden of Walahfrid Strabo: A Carolingian Poem in Verse Translation

• Composed in the tumultuous decades following the reign of Charlemagne, the garden poem of Carolingian monk Walahfrid Strabo (c.809–849) has long charmed readers with its timeless descriptions of late-winter labors and its suggestions for the medicinal uses of various plants. This new translation, rendered in engaging metrical verse printed alongside the original Latin text, makes Walahfrid’s best known work fully accessible in English for scholars and casual readers alike. A concise introduction provides background and context, while extensive notes offer interpretation and commentary for those who wish to explore the poem further. A glimpse into the mind of a monk who was deeply entangled in the politics of his day, Walahfrid’s “Little Garden” may be tantalizingly brief, but as a trove of classical learning, Christian allegory, ninth-century plant lore, and charming personal observations, it overflows with the great human complexity of its era.

Walahfrid Strabo, Carolingian, Gardening poem, Charlemagne, Hortulus

• Jeff Sypeck taught medieval literature at the University of Maryland University College from 1999 to 2009. His other books include Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800 and an annotated translation of a Carolingian calendar poem by Wandalbert of Prüm.