The Wake (23 page)

in the holt time mofs in ways not lic those in the hams but still it colde be seen that the world was teornan to the light for the treows was buddan grene and the blosms was cuman up on the ground. we gan down the straet for it colde be three or four daegs and we gan by hams in this time what was doan all the things of the month of thrimilci when the cow is milcd three times in a daeg. we seen dices bean dug and madder and flax bean sown and harrowan bean done and all of this macd me thinc again of my land and efry time a spere gan in to my heorte

sum there is who mofs and sum who stays it now seems to me and i was one who stayed. i had my land i cnawan my ham and my folcs i was a great man there i had growan from that eorth lic a treow and then lic a treow i was tacan up by the roots and cast on hard ground. sum there is who wolde be cast all ofer sum who mofs lic the gleoman from place to place sum lic my dunstan who dremed of ingenga lands sum lic beorners or out laws who macs mofan their place but i was not one for i had seen what mofan was and mofan is sorness mofan is fear. stayan is right stayan where the gods has put thu if all folcs wolde stay then all things wolde be in their right place i telt this to my father

it was the third daeg of walcan down this straet and we was nearan stan ford. efry night we slept in the holt sum way from the straet and on this mergen when we woc the gleoman saes he wolde tac us to a ham what was near. we was needan foda and sum other small things and he telt us he cnawan of a ham what wolde gif wel cum to grene men for this ham was agan the bastard and all the frenc

can thu feel in the heofon what has cum this daeg saes the gleoman as we gan through the grenan holt

in the heofon i saes

it is litha he saes it is the first daeg of litha

litha saes the men litha this is good

will there be maedens in grene saes aelfgar in this ham

maedens with blosms saes gamel

maedens saes tofe

all ofer angland all ofer this world the cuman of litha is a thing to be sang for and sang to. this grene daeg is the byrth of the sumor and the beginnan of all the wundors that erce brings to folcs when the frost is gan when the daegs is bright when the ground is breathan and in its breath is the warmth of what is new

in our ham on the first daeg of litha there wolde be micel singan steppan drencan and lufan in the holts and the felds and for me this was both a swete thing and a deorc one. my grandfather had telt me about the eald ways of biddan the sumor wel cum in the times of the eald gods and the first folcs and sean what folcs done now i colde see micel of this still. i colde see the feccan of the grene in to the ham and the macan of the pal from a great treow what wolde be brought to the ham and folcs wolde sing by this. all of this had cum from the words of the eald gods from the luf of treow and holt what our eald folcs had but now it was a game only and a game what was locd ofer by the preost who wolde bring his bocc and bury the eald grene ways with the ingenga words of the crist

still it was litha and litha is grene and warm and for us men what had been in deorc wuds wet and cold and with deorc heortes for this long winter it was a thing to feel good for. we gan with the gleoman to where he toc us and we gan slow for we had been so long in the holt and was so wary of frenc and of anglisc who seen us as hunds or things to be feart that we did not thinc this ham wolde be as blithe to haf us cum as this gleoman had saed. but this time this last time the gleoman telt a truth for what we had when we cum to this ham is sum thing i will haf with me always

we had gan away from the straet and down a path in to the holt. here the holt was light for it was worcd wud and swine wud so there was sum great acs and aesc treows but many mor small thynne haesels and lyms what was cut and growan again lic lines up to the heofon. many wyrmfleages was flutteran around and fugols was singan high and the sunne was cuman through the grene treows whose leafs was yonge and light there was sound all around and the holt smelt clene lic the lif of this land in the times before men. all of us was walcan lic it was a new year lic we was cum again in to this world

we cum to the ham after an hour on this traec it was a small place in a lea in the holt. eight or nine thaccd hus satt around a place where there was a cross of wud for the crist and his folc had been here efen here to the deops of this eald holt. there was small places cut in to the ground where holt had been and many swine mofan about free. hunds was sittan in the sunne and folcs was doan as folcs does. near to the ham there was an ea it colde be hierde runnan through the treows and wifmen was down there talcan as they talcs ofer and ofer. all of this smelt of smoc and the cuman grene

when the folcs here seen us cuman it was not lic in sum other hams where they gan still or mofd away no here they cum to us in blitheness. sean the gleoman then locan at us all blaec with aesc and the stenc of the holt and they seen what we was and was smercan at us when they cum. a gang of maedens cum mor lic yonge wifmen than maedens they was of beuty and good sceap and carryan leafs carryan the grene they cum to us and withigs they put around all of our throtas from the gleoman to tofe and i and efen to dumb wluncus withigs of grene of the leafs of the holt of litha

grene withigs for grene men they saes for sumor is in angland and angland will be again in sumor

these maedens is laughan and smercan at us and my men is laughan and smercan at them on account of hafan been lifan in the holt far from wifmen for too long they is weac they has not the strength what cums from the heorte. then we sees through them cuman a man not too old not too yonge but who seems strong. it is clere he is the gerefa here and that he is triewe not lic most

who is leaden these men he saes

i is buccmaster of holland i saes these is my men what of it

well buccmaster of holland he saes i is wulfhere who is called wulf i is gerefa of this ham and thu is bid wel cum here as men of angland as free men. this is a ham of free folcs we has not had sight of frenc yet for we is small and apart and we is still and this is how we will cepe it. but all here lufs freodom and stands agan the ingenga and we is blithe now that thu has cum to us for thu is the men who will mac us free again. now cum eat drenc plege with us for it is the first daeg of litha and lif is cum again to the land

i locs on this daeg now in the small ham in the brunnesweald as the last daeg that was good in all of my lif. it was the last daeg also when our men was free it was the last daeg that we was yonge lic cildren in the grene land before we was tacan to another place before what i was and what i was to do was gifen to me clere. long it was now since i had gan down to the treows under the mere but it was only now that their triewth cum to me in the light of the new time

it was a daeg of wundor and all folcs around us it seemed was triewe for these was the last good folcs in angland. if all folcs in all hams had been lic this there wolde haf been no frenc we wolde haf been full again but this is not the world it is not the world of men

in this small world though in this holt on that daeg all was good. the yonge wifmen we had seen gan off in to the holt gathran the grene and bringan it baec to the ham. yonge men wolde mac to go with them but they wolde scuf them away lic in plege and they wolde go gathran while the yonge men sat in the ham. then they wolde cum baec from the holt and bring with them all the leafs and blosms of the grene world and they wolde mac a great game of gifen them around

they wolde walc these yonge wifmen up and around the yonge men and loc at them all the time smercan and specan low lic they was locan ofer them deop. sum of these yonge men was smercan also and laughan but sum was almost locan afeart. then these girls they wolde gif the grene to efry yonge man and what they gifen wolde haf meanan that wolde be the ordeal of holt and ham upon them

to one man they wolde gif a nettle and this wolde mean he was a stunt and other men wolde laugh and laugh at this and he wolde loc ired. to another yonge man then they wolde gif the blosm of the blaec thorn and this wolde lead to much smercan and whistlan for this man was faford by the girl who had gifen it. another yonge man wolde be gifen the rowan for freondscip and then another the alor for his loose tunge. all yonge men in the ham was gifen sum grene thing to marc his place there while the ealdor men and wifmen locd on laughan

well we was standan locan on at this when one yonge wifman who was not of great beuty but seemed good and triewe she cum up to us and smercan she gaf to tofe a stocc of the blaec thorn what is also cnawan as sloe. sean this sum yonge men of the ham whistled and smercd though others locd sore. amongst my men there was micel smercan then and gamel hit tofe on the baec and saed it is time cilde for thu to becum a man now and tofe gan red lic the haw thorn in blotmonth

after this the yonge wifmen gan ofer to a waegn what was by the cross of wud and this they began to bury in grene leafs and in blosms. the yonge men gan off to the holt together and we gan with the gerefa and sat in the ham on bences where his wifman gaf us ealu and hunig cicels and we was eatan and drencan in the sunne and all the world then only for that small time was in stillness and beuty and efen in my heorte all was still

we spac to wulf the gerefa then and i telt him of what we had been and done and i telt him of the many frenc we had cwelled of our great strength and of the luf we had been gifen by all anglisc folcs. i did not tell him about cwellan the gerefa at creatas tun for there was no need to bring in small things on a great daeg. i gaf him also my sweord welands sweord to loc on and he locd on it with awe as all triewe men does and then he seen what cynd of man i was i still is efen here efen now without my sweord without naht

sum time later as we was still eatan and talcan the yonge men cum baec and with them they was draggan the litha pal. they had gan and cut down a tall treow an ac what was yonge yet strong and they had cut off all side scots and brought now the stocc in to the ham. micel callan and singan was there as folcs seen them and sum of the ealdor men gan to help then as they toc the pal to the place where the cross was where a hole had been macd in the eorth. the men then they tied lines to the pal near the corona and steered the pal in to the hole and stood it up and glad my heorte was when i seen how micel higher than the cross it stood. the lines was pegged out then so the pal did not fall and the yonge wifmen who had done macan the grene waegn cum ofer and begun tyan blosms and leafs to the pal also

oh i can sae these words and try to tell what it was lic there but naht can gif to thu what was in my heorte as i seen all of this cuman in to place. sum folcs who is dumb thincs the world is only what can be seen and smelt and hierde but men who cnawan the world cnawan there is a sceat a sceat of light that is betweon this world and others and that sum times and in sum places this sceat is thynne and can be seen through. on this daeg in this ham the sceat was thynne and scriffran in the light wind and through it i colde see all that the world triewely was beyond this small place of small men and deorc and strong and of great beuty and fear was what i saw

the pal reacced up to the heofon and grew grener as the yonge wifmen worccd on it and all stood locan on and a stillness cum down on this ham what had been so loud and we all loccd on at these yonge wifmen tyan the leafs and blosms to the pal and slow slow grew up a great treow and it reaccd to the heofon it called up it saed cum for we is in need in these grene daegs and through this pal then cum sum thing what i colde feel so strong that i colde almost see it climban up the pal up the stocc of this new treow. sum thing from erce sum strength it was climban climban up from the ground and it gan up the pal and from the corona it spread out in to the heofon abuf this small ham abuf us abuf me and i colde see all the hues of its cuman

oh it was the last daeg of the world

he specs my nama the horned man he cums to me now in the beorg of light the light is behind i sees only his scap he cums near and now he specs again buccmaster he saes and dim now i sees dim i sees his nebb grim it is and he saes the treow buccmaster the treow waits for thu and when we is ready thu will hang

the eald grene game went on in that ham all of the daeg after noon. the yonge men and wifmen stepped around the pal singan and plegen then the ealdors did so while the yonge rested. the waegn what was now grene with lif was tacan around the ham with men and wifmen leapan on and off and the wifs wolde throw blosms at folcs as the waegn was drawn not by hors or by ox but by yonge men laughan and mofan slow. there was drencan and there was folcs plegen harp and pipe and singan the litha songs. sum of these songs is songs of the circe thancan the crist for the gift of sumor but most is ealdor songs of the time before his cuman

by the time the deorc began cuman in all was blithe in this ham. my men we had droncan micel and eaten also. there was good swine mete and baerlic loafs there was cicels and broth and micel good ealu and there was efen ciseraeppels what had been cept for this daeg. after a winter in the holt it was lic lifan again and we ate lic wihts that daeg lic wihts of the holt after the snow

cum the efen the litha fyr was macd great and high in a place on the ecg of the holt by the ham and my men we satt there with wulf and folcs from the ham. the gleoman was away specan rott and raedels to yonge folcs for the luf and the gold they wolde gif him and tofe also was gan. aelfgar saed he seen him gan to the holt with the yonge wifman who had gifen him the blosm and we was all laughan at this and talcan of him wieldan a sweord at last lic he had spoc of for so long. all was well and blithe and my heorte was still lic the heofon on that night

we spac all of us for micel of that night we spac full of ealu and mete as the gerefas wifman filled our cups and plates. we spac of the felds and what was growan in them we spac of this ham and others we spac of litha and luf and of what we was and wolde be. most of all we spac of angland and of the frenc

so buccmaster saes wulf the gerefa tell me triewe can we drif the frenc out