The most important bond in Anglo- Saxon society was that between a lord and his retainers. In “The Seafarer” the old sea captain is loyal to the sea. He has been away from land for many years being alone and separated from the rest of the world. He has no love but the sea, but at the same time he hates the sea. He regrets being on the sea for so long, for not finding a wife or making friends and being popular. The separation in “The Seafarer” is from the land. The land is symbolic for his lord, and he has been exiled from it. In “The Wife’s Lament” the woman is loyal to her husband. She was exiled from her husband, or lord, by his friends. They did not like the wife and they cast her away onto an island, where now she has a foot in the grave.
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