Beowulf: It is clear that the poem as we now have it wasn't sung to a fixed tune as we would call it today. There are anywhere from 4 to 8 stressed syllables per line. In his notes to his translation, 1963, Burton Raffel suggested that the poem was an extended version of an old song. Robert P. Creed in the 'Afterword' suggested it was chanted and the harp mentioned was played only when the chanter or reciter was silent (catching his breath orn resting).