Abstract
The element silicon (Si) and its chemical compounds are widely described in the sciences and in the arts. This section of the SpringerNature journal SILICON is entitled POETS’ CORNER and it is a place where the artistic aspects of silicon-based materials are to be found. In this article, we will look back to Anglo-Saxon times for descriptions of silicon in a poetic setting. Specifically, we shall work our way through three translations into Modern English of the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf and then discuss the references to silicon that are cited therein. These Modern English terms will be put in the context of how they are defined in a 21st century encyclopedia. This is article is the fourth to be published in the ongoing series of articles that are given in POETS’ CORNER.
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Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank Dr. H. N. Cheng for his kindness, for his encouragement and for sharing his deep love of poetry with the world (and with the community of professional scientists through the American Chemical Society).
This article was written during the year (1st October 2015 – 31 st July 2016) that I spent on sabbatical at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, England. I would like to express my gratitude to the faculty and staff in Oxford for facilitating my visit(s) and for being such kind hosts. In particular, I would especially like to thank the Revd. Dr. Michael Lloyd (Principal, Wycliffe Hall) for kindly inviting me to join the thriving Hall community in Oxford as an Academic Visitor for the Oxford academic year 2015–2016. I also thank the Revd. Dr. Simon Vibert, the Revd. Dr. Andrew Atherstone, the Revd. Dr. James Robson, Mr. John Michaux, Ms. Kerstin Jeapes, Ms. Sarah Hope, Ms. Robyn Wyncoll, Ms. Gemma Culverwell, Ms. Trish Coleman, Ms. Kristina Masih and Mr. Chris Leftley for facilitating my series of visits to Wycliffe Hall during the three years 2014–2016. I would like to thank Dr. William D. Hawthorne and Dr. Siddharth V. Patwardhan for providing me with accommodations and with victuals (often at short notice) and with their good company at the times during 2015–2016 when my travel arrangements in the United Kingdom became somewhat of a challenge. Thanks also go to Ms. Meg Hawthorne for her boundless energy and enthusiasm.
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This section of SILICON is entitled POETS’ CORNER and it is accompanied by a deeply respectful bow in the direction of the South Transept of Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom.
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Clarson, S.J. Beowulf and Silicon. Silicon 9, 459–464 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-017-9560-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12633-017-9560-y