The Wake (25 page)

well then i saes well then we moste go. this ham is a good place and triewe and the gods will cepe thu. we thancs thu wulf for thy foda and ealu and for thy litha games and now we gan to tac the castel at stan ford and angland will be free again

at this men roars and wafs as we gan in to the holt. ten of us there was now with the gleoman and we walced and loccd lic a triewe fyrd with me at its heafod buccmaster of holland its ealdor and cyng my sweord on my belt and in my heorte the hwit wulf and the great ealdor of all men locan at me with his one eage beornan in to my sawol

stan ford was half a daeg through the holt we gan baec to earninga straet and gan south. my men my werod was specan light and strong and was in high sawol after our time in the litha ham. tofe was specan blithe to this osbern it was lic they was great freonds after only one mergen. gamel and grimcell and the gleoman was specan and smercan wluncus was singan to him self and to the treows and swingan his sithe and i spac a lytel with these two men siward and godric from the ham to see if they was right and they seemed to me to be triewe anglisc men

by middaeg we had cum to the tun. we gan from the straet in to the holt for many folcs was near now and who colde cnaw who was frenc and who anglisc who triewe and who a weasul. we gan to the ecg of the treows we ten men and from the grene we loccd out at the blaec

this was a thing lic i had nefer seen. this tun was greater than any place greater than the greatest ham in the fens and the hus and the barns and the circe here was greater also. so many hus was there in stan ford that i colde not tell and so many folcs also and so micel sound. smoc was in the heofon and folcs mofd specan and wagns and hors and ox was in the straets and there was sound in all parts the sound of specan and fyrs and the sound of wheels teornan of hors mofan the sound of the smith and the ceap

it was hard to lysten so micel sound was there. the gleoman then he telt us to go with him for he cnawan where to go in the holt to see the part of the tun what we moste see. the gleoman on this mergen he was cene it was not lic him moste times he stood baec i was wary but i toc my men for he did cnaw this place and we moste see what we colde do. the gleoman toc us then through the treows around the tun and micel time it toc for it seemed so great. mor hus we cum to and then to a circe what was not lic any circe i had efer seen. the circe in bacstune was of wud and eorth and thaecc and was small and deorc smellan of folcs and of straw and of the stencan candels of the preosts. here the circe was macd of wud and of stan and had a lytel torr and on the torr a cross of wud goan up to the heofon. it was lic the crist was in the ground it self and wolde nefer be mofd

we cept mofan past the ceap and past mor hus and it was not long before we seen the great wound what had been done to this tun. we cum through the treows round past a great hus what locd lic the hus of a thegn with a barn and a hall and then we seen it. it was lic sum wilde wiht had toc a great bite from this place and many folcs with it

what is this saes tofe in wundor what is this

it is hel saes osbern

it is the frenc saes gamel

mof slow now saes the gleoman there is many frenc here with hors and gar and sweord

what we seen was a great aemty place in the tun. we colde see that it had once been a place where folcs was lifan for we seen parts of hus and barns and halls but they had been tacan down and left flat for this was now to be sum thing what had nefer been seen in angland before and we colde see what this thing wolde be

we seen a great place of flat ground where the hus of the folcs had been and all around this was a high wall of wud and the top of this wud was scearp none colde climb it. ofer to the other side of the flat part of the tun there rose a great hyll of eorth with steps in it and up these steps climbed many folcs of the ham they was tacan things to the top of this hyll where there was was an other wall and in it was risan a great torr. locan on as the folcs worced was many frenc on hors with gars and sweords and it colde be seen they was macan these folcs worc though they was not wantan to

this is the deofuls worc saes grimcell and he specs for all

is these anglisc folcs macan this fuccan frenc castel i saes to the gleoman

they is anglisc he saes. thirtig hus was beorned by the frenc to mac the place where this castel wolde be. they has macd thralls of anglisc folcs from stan ford and macd them raise the walls and the hyll. they will mac a great torr of wud and will haf hus and halls where the anglisc hus was. in the torr they will cepe twentig of their cnihts on hors and within the walls they will haf the ceap of the tun and micel foda and hors and here they will lif and no anglisc efer will be able to mof them

thralls macs the castel to mac them selfs thralls saes gamel

and o i is ired we is all so ired so broc to see this. we has hierde of the frenc of what they done and sum of their yfel we has seen with our eages but this is a thing from an other world from a blaec place from hel itself. naht has there efer been in angland lic this naht efer in the world and standan there i feels we is lost all lost now for efer

we will tac them i saes we will tac them slit them cwell all these frenc fuccers we will beorn their fuccan torr it will beorn so high that the bastard him self will see the heofon alight with the fyr

none saes naht to this only locs on at the wound what is bledan as we locs

what will we do saes tofe

i locs on and i feels weac then standan there in the treows locan at this great synn upon our land. what will we do saes this cilde and he is right to asc but what can i sae. he locs at me ealdor of his werod ring gifer leader of these men and he saes what will we do well i is ascan the same. i is ascan my self i is ascan weland and the eald gods but i hieres naht but the sound of anglisc in thrall to frenc for efer. there is cnihts here cnihts on hors with sweords and what can we do wluncus with his sithe and two yonge boys and a man who can not walc an eald gleoman sum cottars what is we to do agan this

then the gleoman specs and in me i felt sum thing risan in my heafod i seen the hwit wulf it saed no it saed do not but i did not cnaw then what this meant i did not cnaw until it was far gan

i cnaw a hus saes the gleoman a hus what is aemty sum times it is used by the frenc for cepan things but there is no folcs there. if we go there we will be near to the castel we will see the cnihts and what is bean done there we colde thinc better of what to do

well lic an esol i saes yes then i saes lead us gleoman and the gleoman he tacs us around the holt away from the cnihts and he tacs us down a path and to an eald hus what is mor lic a barn the thaecc all fallan in sum straw and broc sithes and sicls on the ground

this is a good place he saes loc through the walls and thu can see the castel. well i locd a lytel but colde see naht but the gleoman then he is cene to go i sees o it stanc it stanc i sceolde haf seen

i is goan to see what is cuman he saes there is folcs i cnaw in this ham i can spec to them they will tell me what to do i will cum baec and tell thu how to tac these frenc

then he is gan cwic cwiccer than he has efer gan and we is left standan in this eald hus lic esols

i can not see the castel saes osbern locan through the slits in the walls

this is wrong saes aelfgar it is wrong buccmaster

tac thy weapens i saes tac them out cum

we gan to the door of the hus then and it was good that we did for if we had cept inside soon we wolde haf been mete. we gan to the door and gan out slow and we seen cuman to us from the castel three frenc cnihts on hors with sweords and gars and two others on foot and with them the fuccan gleoman walcan not lic a thrall but lic a freond

the fuccan gleoman i saes that cunt i cnawan it i saed so

he has sold us saes gamel

go to the holt saes grimcell run to the holt. who was he bean the cyng here well it colde not be spoc of now for we was runnan runnan. the cnihts seen us and they cum on us they cum down cwic

sound of callan and sound of sweords and of callan and wepan of hors and men runnan it was all cwic and i colde not see. i had my sweord in my hand they was cuman at me they had hierde of me of my greatness i was ring gifer they wolde want to tac me. i mofd behind a hus then out again to the treows then from them all of my men runnan then feohtan then runnan again. tofe before me i sees he is runnan from a cniht on foot he has his scramasax i cum from behind this cniht and with my sweord i strics him in the sculdor he calls and is down in blud i can not cwell him i has not time i moste cepe mofan to the treows all is mofan to the treows

the cnihts on hors is mofan cwic betweon and around us with sweords swingan and sum of them strics my men i sees blud but i is mofan all is mofan so cwic i can not see. i gan under a small hege in to a place where there is cycens and ofer another hege i teorns. baec on the ground i sees this cilde osbern he is under a frenc hors all in blud he is not mofan. i sees that grimcell and aelfgar has got to the treows and is callan for others i sees tofe runnan but teornan with his scramasax. i sees gamel he tries to run but his scanc it will not run he is slow there is cnihts cuman down on him

i teorns and i runs to my men i wolde haf toc mor of these frenc toc them all with welands sweord i colde haf done but we was sold and i moste get to my men. and then it was i was gifen a great gift. i teorned and gan cwic ofer the hege and i mofd behind a hus for the cnihts had seen me and one was cuman on his graeg hors so i run behind a hus and then another and in then behind the door of a small barn so none colde see me and there in that small place behind the door also was another man

he seen me cum in and he leapt and macd a noise and it was the gleoman the fuccan gleoman hidan from what he had macd. i seen this and i seen cwic that the gods had gifen me a gift. he tries to go from me but we is both in this small place behind this door what can he do. i tacs my sweord and i can not mof it micel but i mofs it up hard from the ground in to his beallucs and pulls up hard and he calls loud and falls and the door mofs out and i seen cnihts then loc at me and one of them starts to cum. i tacs my sweord cwic and the gleoman lies on the ground screaman his beallucs out blud on his hands and i raises the sweord and swings it down hard on to his heafod and his nebb i nearly cutts off and a sound he macs not lic the sound of no man and writhes lic a cut wyrm fucc thu cunt fucc thu

and then i gan i run to the treows my men is callan to me good men they is if there is any good men now in the world but it colde be there is not. the last thing i sees in stan ford is wluncus mad wluncus who talcs to the treows and he has his sithe up lic death itself and he is leapan lic a mad man teornan round and round lic in a game from the other worlds and he is cuttan all who cums near him and he is macan a sound lic a hafoc in flight callan callan for blud blud blud

i gan to the treows and those of us what was in there we gan cwic deoper in to the holt. two frenc men followed us but we was good in the holt we cnawan it we used the treows to cum on them and we got them we got them down on the ground and when we got them we stabbed them we cut them we ciccd and fuccd them with so micel ire that there was no bodigs left only mete in strips the fuccers the fuccers the cunts

we cept mofan cept walcan for sum time until we was deop in the holt until we was sure no mor frenc wolde cum. then we satt down all of us by a great ac and saed naht for a long time

well these was my men i was ring gifer i moste cepe them safe and triewe. after sum time i stood slow and loccd around. osbern was gan the yonge cilde under a frenc hors tofe cept talcan of him wepan and greotan to him self. wluncus had not cum baec he of the game of death and gamel lame gamel that man who had tacan frenc style on sanlac who had feoht with harald cyng had seen the bastard him self gamel was gan. aelfgar his freond i seen locan at the ground lic he was aemty lic all of him now was used no small part was left. ten of us there had been in the mergen at the litha ham in the holt. ten of us smercan drencan ealu leafan to calls of anglisc folcs it had been the same daeg but it seemed a lif baec. ten of us and now there was six

trust none

fucc thu

thu is ired thu specs lic an esol

where was thu i called thu cums and thu is gan and when i is needan thu there is naht

thu needed no other so strong so blithe

i is strong we was blithe

thy blitheness blinded thu esol thu was sold

i cnawan he was not triewe

drincan laughan smercan lic a wifman

the first daeg of litha

thu is no ealdor no cyng not lic the other

i was ceosan i

always thu is weac

leaf me then go go

thu was warned thu did not lysten

i colde not see it was not

can thu do naht is thu a cilde. trust none trust no man

my men is triewe

there is no triewe men now

none

trust the gods trust the land do not trust men

thy sweord was strong

do thy worc

i cnawan what i moste do when i was a cilde i cnawan it i leorned then what men is. lic woden i was hung upon the treow and beaten sent away teorned away lic woden i was gifen the triewth of what men is. at stan ford again i seen that triewth high and clere in a blue heofon

i cnawan what i moste do when my grandfather died. sum times thy wyrd is gifen to thu and thu moste walc with it efen if it may tac thu to the deorcest parts of all the worlds. gifen my wyrd i was the first time when i seen my grandfather lyan long and hwit on his bier and when i hierde my father tellan me what he wolde do to win baec his name in the ham lic sum hund who has been ciccd and wolde crawl to his mastor hwinan and hwinan

my dumb yfel father all wrong things cum from him. my grandfather colde see in to the cracs in the world he had eages that seen beyond what others see he seen into the seofon worlds and when his bodig was still on the bier i cnawan he had gan to that land