The Wake (5 page)

with odelyn i had three cildren fyrst oswiu my cilde fyrst son to his father and his folc oswiu who did not lif a year. the fenn fefor toc him lic it tacs many but he was not weac only yonge yonge cilde my cilde in the duns will we meet after this lif is gan. then dunstan cum then eadberht true sons of the fenn they growan to be men growan to cnaw this world but not to lif through what the bastard brought. these was my cynn i will haf blud for their blud i is not done i will haf my wergild in frenc blud

but lysten i was talcan of that sumor when efry thing gan wrong let me spec of it to thu now let me tell thu of weodmonth. in weodmonth there is worc to be done all ofer and for my two geburs then there was no time to be slac on my land there is no slac. heges there was to be macan my barn to mac new timber to heaw in the holt other things also but abuf all things weods to be tacan from the ground. not for naht was this cnawan as weodmonth to the eald folc of angland. i had my gebur asger tacan weods from my ground all daeg in this time from the flax feld from the bean rows from the lines of waet all daeg wolde he be walcan my land with his hoe and this for asger was a good thing for he was dumb lic a hund and liccd small things he wolde sing as he teorned the turf

this daeg i will tell thu of asger was in my waet felds with his hoe singan and gamel he was with me in the grene holt we was cuttan timber for the year to cum.
we wolde cut this and taec it to my barn for one year so that it wolde burn triewe. of course we did not cnaw then that in one year there wolde be no barn here for this timber no hus neither to warm with it no fyr but the fyrs of ingengas all on angland all on what we was. no and we did not cnaw neither that in one year the holt not the hus wolde be our dwellan lic we was swine only fuccan swine in our own land

but this daeg we was in the holt a lytel holt this was only for in the fenns the ground is ealonds in the water and the treows there has not micel ground to grow deorc and wide. the wilde holt is where our folc cum from the wilde grounds is what our folc is and in the grene holt walcs grim when the daeg is short and there rides weland and ing of the waegn and erce is all around the eald gods of our folc is deop in the ground and the treows. but it is also triewe to sae that sum lytel holt lic this is good for our swine and is good to cut timber in without fearan the aelf what walcs in the great holts and will sinc his shot in thu for thy cuman. for the aelf needs micel ground to lif so the lytel holt is safe from him and is safe also from nightgengas what stalccs the deorcness when the sunne is gan and from all scuccas what has a mynd to cwell any anglisc who is dumb in not fearan the wilde lic he sceolde

so we was in the holt and asger in the waet feld and odelyn and her gebur annis was in the hus doan sum wif things lic weafan or macan loafs or brewan ealu a good brewer was odelyn our ealu was better than that of most in the ham and all cnawan this. also on that daeg my two sons was worcan on my barn. these boys well though i was still callan them boys due to my bean their father they was men now. eadberht had seen feowertiene sumors and dunstan eahtiene or seofontiene they was men and fit for worcan on my ground and so i had them worcan. dunstan sceolde be gifan to sum wif by this time i had saed this to odelyn many times but dunstan was wilde and wolde not settle he wolde spec of lands other than angland wolde spec of goan to the land of the frenc goan to scaldemariland and of feohtan in fyrds for gold. he wolde spec of feohtan wyrms and denes and sum times i wolde beat him for this rott and tell him he was a socman of holland an anglisc man the man for who i tilled my ground and cept the sweord of my grandfather but though i wolde beat him efen with staefs he wolde not spec lic a man

eadberht though he was not wilde eadberht he was lytel where dunstan was a long man and where dunstan wolde feoht with me until i beat him eadberht wolde sae naht only sitt loccan. dunstan i belyf he thought eadberht weac but still he wolde stand with him agan any man and when eadberht spac he wolde lysten

so we was in the holt and asger in the feld the wifs in the hus the yonge men at the barn and all of us then we hierde the sound what cum up the path from the ham the path what went then by us and into the fenn ofer to bacstune and then to the wilde lands. this was the sound of many men and so we cum cwic from our worc to the hus for we cnawan this sound may be sum ingenga cum to cwell us or sum scucca from the fenn or sum out laws from the holt cum for they had hierde of the wundor of my wif or the wundor of my land

but it was not this the sound was many men from the ham and sum from other parts and they was cuman to my land and they was waepened these men but not waepened lic a triewe feohtan man. sum they had scramasaxes rusted from their fathers sum had eald speres nefer used others they bore sithes or efen hoes and those without hoes or who colde not gif them up from their land had only staefs and on to this staef was tied with line a stan. and with these men was an other who i had nefer seen and this man he was not sum esol gebur he was a feohtan man and upon his heafod he was wearan a seolfor helm that was bright lic the daegs light and at his side a triewe sweord

my sons and my geburs we was standan by my hus my wifman and annis was standan in the door loccan and i was thincan to get my grandfathers sweord but sum of these men i cnawan. jalf the gebur was there and others from the ham and then also i seen ecceard for he was with this feohtan man who was saen naht but who was langer than all in his stillness

buccmaster saes ecceard this man is sent from the cyng to holland. harald cyng is callan out the fyrd from the folc of this scir as thu cnawan is his right by anglisc law. harald cyng he calls all anglisc men fit and of feohtan age to cum to him for angland is threatened from ofer the sea and its men must feoht for angland

this is no good ecceard i saes it is weodmonth

buccmaster saes ecceard all moste send men it is the word of the cyng all moste send their strength in this time thu will see many hus in this ham is now with no men at all

we has timber to heaw i saes a barn to mac good i is a socman of these parts i has three oxgangs who will worc my ground the fuccan swine

then this feohtan man he steps toward me in his helm of light sum dumb swine he may be under this helm but wearan it he locs of sum greatness

he locs at dunstan and eadberht and he saes thu will cum go bring what thu has. he locs at my geburs and to gamel he saes thy cyng is in need of thu bring what thu has. he locs then at me and at asger and he saes naht then he teorns baec and he macs his lytel band to teorn baec with him along the path in to the fenn

ecceard locs at me lic he is with me but he is not with me he is doan what he is bid by other men again for this is his worc in his lytel lif

it may be there will be no feohtan buccmaster he saes they will be baec for the haerfest for this is the duty upon the cyng

i saes fucc the cyng but so ecceard only colde hiere and he locs at me then in sum ire and saes naht and teorns and walcs with the fyrd down the path and naht mor he specs. ecceard has always been a hund he will tac scraps from any man who has them and no care will he gif to who is fedan his fatt mouth

well then all is madness on my land. gamel has gan from me he is walcan the path baec to his hus to tac what lytel things he has and go after the fyrd. in my hus my sons dunstan and eadberht is macan around with their things also and odelyn is frettan lic a moth who can not reach the bright mona through wattle. ah my boys she is saen my sons thu is yonge to be feohtan ah my husbond she saes to me do not let these boys cum to harm

of what is thu specan i saes does thu thinc i can cepe these boys they is men why does thu not asc the cyng to cepe them it is no tasc of mine. i was in a great ire i was thincan that no man in angland is left alone no mor that my grandfather was right that all was cuman apart around us that sons and geburs can be toc away by sum hore in a helm without efen gold bean gifen. if ingengas is cuman we sceolde feoht them on our ground in our way not in sum other land for the will of harald of wessex

then dunstan is stood by me he has a sacc with his things in and in his eages there is blud. eadberht he is mofan slow lic there is sum curse upon him lic sum deorc wyrd gathers him in but dunstan he is lic a fyr risan to the heofon

father he saes i sceolde tac the sweord

of course i cnawan of what he is specan for he is locan at my grandfathers sweord all on the beam of my hus lic in his own time

i is a feohtan man now he saes i is feohtan for angland i sceolde haf a sweord

thu is goan to a fyrd with sum herd of geburs i saes thu is not aelfred. this sweord is not sum cildes thing thu has not nefer swung it efen it is as long as thu

it is a sweord for cwellan ingengas saes dunstan this is what thy grandfather telt thu

do not fuccan spec to me of him i saes to dunstan and i macs my words hierde then in my hus loud. thu did not cnaw him all thu has seen is his graef this is not a sweord for the fyrd where will thu be cilde in sum fuccan feld in wessex loccan at the sea all daeg. this sweord is for when this hus moste be feoht for it is not to be tacan from my land

dunstan then he locs at me and in his eages there is ire agan me i has seen this many times but also it seems there is sum other thing what is not ire but is sum thing smaller
.
odelyn is locan at me lic i is doan sum misdaed but it is her misdaed locan at me this way before my cildren

to dunstan and eadberht then i specs lic a father sceolde. go i saes and do what is ascd and do naht mor and cum baec. tac what thu needs from the barn there is sithes there and axes. cum baec cwic for there is worc to be doan and thy mothor will pine as mothors do. dunstan then he locs at me both these things still in his eages and i wundors what this feoht will mac him and i saes go then or they will cum baec for thu and both my sons after grippan their mothor lic cildren again both my sons is tacan from my hus and one of them only saes faren wel

i stood loccan at them go and sean also my dumb gebur asger goan baec to the waet feld locan for weods and singan as if naht had cum and when all had gan from my sight i teorned baec in to my hus. here was odelyn only standan and at her side her gebur annis who was not lic my wif in no way. odelyn was thynne but annis scort and fatt and while odelyns haer was gold annis had blaec haer with all graeg in a widewe was she her husbond had been sum gebur and when the fenn fefor toc him she had naht and cum to worc for me for what i colde gif her

thu sceolde haf gifen him the sweord saes my wifman

she cnawan this was a misdaed as soon as it was specan

sceolde i saes

it is only my thought she saes it is naht my husbond

again i saes sceolde. now she macs with annis to go baec to her loom lic she had saed naht lic there was naht in the air but she cnawan there was

thu fuccan tells me what i sceolde sae to my son i saes what i sceolde do in my hus

she saes my husbond it was only my dumb thought

thy dumb thought and thy dumb locan i saes thy locan at me before my sons lic thu is tacan waepens agan me

i wolde nefer tac waepens agan thu she saes but this is not enough if she belyfs words will right her lies she does not cnaw who is mastor of this hus. i saes to her that she is settan me up for a liar and a dumb esol in front of my cildren and what does she thinc she is doan and she saes naht only locs down at her feet lic a hund lic always and stands still to mac her self lytel. she has no pryde and pryde is neded in a wifman i saes and i strics her about the nebb that will teacc thu to haf sum pryde in thyself i saes. sum times this is enough with her and no mor is needed but this time she saes naht does not efen loc at me it is lic i had done naht. well this is not right and it is triewe i was in a great ire now lic any man wolde be my sons was gan my gebur gan also and i was thincan of how this man in the helm loccd at me

loc at me when i is specan to thu wifman i saes i is the man in this hus i has lost two sons and a gebur to sum cunt in a helm this ground will fall asunder and thu is with those who wolde mocc me. i will not be mocced by no fuccan wifman who sceolde stand with me and i strics her again and she falls then and she strics her heafod on the stans what is weightan down the warp threads of her loom and she is on the flor hwinan lic a cat in a water pael all blud and spit and annis runnan round her lic an ael on a glaif and she is weac weac it is a sad sight to see

what wolde thu do without me i saes who wolde teacc thu these things who wolde teacc thu to be a wifman. but as she has no pryde she does not answer

i is the eald one

dweller in the beorgs

i walcs the high lands

i macs the hwit hors and the hwit man

i is forger of wyrd and waepen

cweller of cyngs

i walcs through deop water to cum to thu

name me

at this time with my sons and my best gebur gan it seemed to me that all was lost but in triewth naht had begun efen and if i was triewe to my self efen then i wolde haf saed so. sum thing was cuman still the fenn was tellan me this and the fugols and the treows and though sum lytel thing had cum it was only the first sparc of the great fyr

well this fyr has cum now it has cum and it has beorned high and strong and for many years and it has eten all angland in it and now angland is but a tale from a time what is gan. if thu can thinc on what it is lose efry thing thu is thinc on this and if thu belyfs thu wolde do sum thing other than what i done if thu thincs thu wolde be milde or glad to those who wolde heaw away thy lif from thu then thu is sum dumb esol who lifs may be in sum great hus with all warm fyrs and rugs and sum cymly wif and has nefer suffered naht

but as there is a time after angland so there was a time before and i thincs of this sum daegs when i is moste weary and i thincs of when my grandfather toc me to see where the eald gods lifd before the crist cum. this place was sum way from our hus it toc us one half of a daeg to reach this place i was still a yonge cilde and until we had cum to it i did not cnaw what we was doan for my grandfather he wolde not sae he was a man who wolde not sae. he had toc me from my fathers hus early in the daeg it was in the month of litha when all is bright when blosms is open and buterefleoges is floteran on them. we was in his boat again and on to the water of the fenn and in litha with all bright and hued wyrmfleoges and all the heofon writhan with lif and with the risan sunne on the nebb of the water the fenn what can be so blaec and deop and cold on this mergen was a thing of great wundor