The Wake (30 page)

and thu was hiere

what does thu mean

thu was here gebur when the frenc cum to my hus

annis she does not loc at me now only locs in to the fyr and for sum time is still and then she specs

yes she saes i was here

i sees aelfgar and tofe locan at me but i does not loc at them

then thu will tell me i saes tell me now of it

annis saes naht

annis i saes i wolde cnaw what cum to my wif

well at this annis she loccd at me and her eages was lytel and it was lic she was locan in me for sum thing. why wolde i asc her why wolde she tell me why wolde i belyf her belyf any folcs

buccmaster she saes and she specs soft to me lic i is a cilde buccmaster we did not cnaw where thu had gan

i gan to get aels i saes i telt odelyn i gan to get aels for foda

she locs at me again then and then she specs. well she saes it seemed lic a good daeg i will always see it in my heorte. the heofon was wid and clene that daeg

it was i saes it was

well it was only a daeg she saes lic any other daeg and we was doan things in the hus. odelyn began weafan on her loom she was macan a rug and i gan down to the barn to fecc milc from the cu so i was not in the hus when

she stops then

i milcd the cu she saes and i cum out of the door of the barn and from there i seen two men cum to the hus on two hors. i colde see from there that these was not men from the ham or any men i had efer seen and they did not loc lic they brought us good things

annis stops specan again and locs at the fyr

i did not go to the hus buccmaster she saes. i gan baec in the barn so i colde not be seen and i loccd ofer

tell me i saes tell me wifman

what to tell she saes slow. they gan in thy hus buccmaster and i hierde wepan then callan from odelyn and still i loccd when i sceolde haf gan to help or to get help but i did not cnaw what i wolde do. there was wepan and callan from odelyn and i colde not stand to hiere it but then it stopped and then there was stillness i colde hiere fugols callan in the holt

and then

after sum time i seen the fyr gan up in the thaecc of thy hus buccmaster and it teorned the heofon blaec and that mofd me that woc me and i gan from the barn in to the holt and i ran to the ham

at this i saed naht what colde i sae

i got to the ham saes annis still locan at the fyr i got to the ham thincan to call men to cum for odelyn but there was mor of these folcs in the ham and mor beornan and then i cnawan what had cum and what colde i do what colde i do

grimcell then he puts his hand on her sculdor though he saes naht

thu ran then i saes. annis locs at me her eages deorc

i ran she saes lic thu ran. lic all who wolde lif run from the frenc lic the hara from the hund. i ran to the holt i ran to folcs i cnawan and here we is now here we is under the treows of angland

and all hunds i saes

and all lifan saes grimcell

and we will feoht saes tofe we will cwell these hunds lic we has cwelled many in this place

that night we slept in the small holt by my hus me and my men that is tofe aelfgar siward and godric. grimcell i wolde not let him stay with us not to sleep he was not triewe and he did not want to stay he wanted to go in to the ham to see his eald place and if there was any mor folcs there. of course there wolde not be i telt him all was gan but he wolde go and i was glad for he was an esol who colde not see my triewth

but annis staed and she slept with us around the fyr by my eald beorned hus not far from the grassed graef of my wifman and it was this that macd my ire rise lic that fyr had done. this gebur had let my odelyn die when she colde haf cept her alyf. if she had not been in the barn with the fuccan cus it colde be the ingengas wolde haf fuccd and cwelled her and not my wifman or she colde haf gan to the ham and raised sum men to cum well i does not cnaw but she was lifan while odelyn was gan and this was not right. she was here again walcan about and talcan wifman scit and locan at me lic sum wyrm and my odelyn in her graef

what is a man to do in these times what was a man to do with all this scit. now i seen why harald cyng had been fucced by ingengas anglisc folcs they was not triewe not straight always they was plegen games. none was right none was triewe and i was feelan lic i wolde run from this from these men this wifman all these ingengas from all these lytel folc what wolde not hiere me run into the fenn and lif there on aels and all the world colde go to fuccan hel

i slept thincan these things and i did not dream no mor of my dead sistor and of this i was blithe. when i woc in the mergen all the others was waecened. it was cuman to the end of sumor and in the heofon colde be felt the first sign of the cold that was to cum. the fyr was up and i colde hiere muttran as i woc and i stood and gan ofer to see what this muttran was for i feart they was talcan of me

well they did not efen loc up so cene was they to hiere what this fatt gebur annis had to sae. she was sat by the fyr and tofe aelfgar and godric was satt round her locan at the ground. only siward was not sittan there he was at the ecg of the fyr drincan from a cuppe locan ofer at them and not locan blithe

annis was talcan to aelfgar as i cum up to them. on the ground around her was small twigges of berc and on eacc was carfan scapes and when i seen them i cnawan what she was doan and i did not efer cnaw when she was in my hus that she colde do this

no annis is saen to aelfgar this thing can not be done thu sees this rune here it is called ea it is the rune of death of the graef it saes that if thu tacs that path it will be the end

then what saes aelfgar

then we moste throw again saes annis and we will see what it is that thu is called to do. and she gathers up the twigs to throw again on the ground

what is this i saes runes what is a gebur doan with runes

annis locs up at me there is naht in her eages. i was gifen the runes by my mothor she saes it has always been with my folcs

these is the runes of the eald gods i saes of the eald hus these things is from before the crist

and the crist is agan them saes siward who is not with them but sittan awaeg. the crist is agan them the preost and the circe is agan them i has telt them these is deorc things

well thu is talcan scit then i saes these is eald triewe things but they is not things for geburs

well i is no gebur now saes annis locan up at me then in sum ire i is no gebur of thine buccmaster of holland i is a free wif now and i will throw my runes where i will. i was gifen this by my cynn and i does not need to asc thu if i may do my worc no mor. then to aelfgar she saes we will stop this now we needs the stillness of the land for it

i locs at her then and i is wundran what she is for i has nefer triewely cnawan this gebur. what was she doan in my hus was she throwan runes for my wifman was they ascan the eald gods about me was she tellan her to go agan me what was they doan while i was gan

well i colde not thinc for then there was sounds in the treows and the esol grimcell cum in to where our fyr was. he was bade wel cum by others but not by me and again i seen this werod was broc it was weac and i moste stand again to get my men baec for i moste do the gods will

grimcell he cums and sits straight down at the fyr and tofe gifs him a baerlic loaf and water and he begins to eat and then he specs

so what is to be done here he saes

done i saes

what will thu men do he saes specan to all not only me

what this werod does is no thing of thine cottar thu has left us

grimcell he does not efen loc at me only cepes specan

the fyrd in eorfic was a weac thing he saes but still men is risan all ofer the land. so many grene men is there now that the bastard cyng him self is afeart and he has brought a new law agan us

a law saes tofe what law

it is a geld saes grimcell for all those who cwells frenc in angland. so many frenc is bean cwelled by grene men that the cyng secs to stop this by use of gold. thu may cwell any anglisc thu lics and our cyng does not gif one scit but if thu cwells a frenc man thu moste gif gold. this fine it is called the murdrum

murdrum saes aelfgar this is good it means we is cwellan many

the cyng is afeart saes grimcell all saes so the bastard is afeart of the anglisc risan agan him and they is risan now in all places. here in the fenns great hereweard is risan with a fyrd and the bastard talcs of cuman at him imself so great is he now

hereweard hereweard fuccan hereweard again

ah i saes here we is again great hereweard this ghast who we all hears of but is nefer seen

oh he is seen saes annis i has met those who has seen him

many sees him now saes grimcell for he gathers a fyrd in elge and macs a castel agan the frenc and efry daeg his men gan out and cwells frenc so that they is afeart all ofer the blaec fenns

ah i saes smercan another fuccan fyrd grimcell let us hope it is as great as the last one thu wolde tac my men to that fyrd that ran when they seen the bastard cuman ten miles away. i was hopan to ire grimcell hopan to stand agan him before my men but he wolde not rise

tell us of hereweard tofe saes to annis and i sees he is a cilde still

hereweard saes annis is a thegn of elge he is a great tall man and all who sees him is mofd by him. his cenep is long and yeolo and he is strong as a cyng in war

he has led fyrds in other lands saes grimcell he has led many men

yes i saes and he is one mile high and macd of gold and breathes fyr also thu is all esols to lysten to this

he builds a castel saes annis not fuccan lystnan at the abbodrice of the crist in elge

at the abbodrice of the crist

he macs it a place for anglisc men to cum and eat and spec together and gather to feoht the bastard saes grimcell. he has a great hall where all eats together and in the castel all daeg they trains to feoht and macs waepens and sum gan out efry daeg to bring down any frenc they finds

the abbodrice of the crist

none can cum to him until he calls them saes annis for none cnawan the fenns around elge lic him and if the frenc cums they will be
drencced in the fenns

he sets fyrs saes grimcell fyrs all ofer

fyrs saes tofe what fyrs

fyrs from his great mouth of course i saes

fyrs in the fenns saes annis he puts ele on the secg if there is frenc there and he lights it and the fyr gan down efen to the blaec eorth and it beorns for daegs and nights and the frenc is afeart and many is drencced

he will beorn the bastard saes grimcell and he is callan for anglisc men to cum to him in elge and mac a great fyrd and he is not lic the northern men or the ingenga scots who is weac and afeart he is a triewe anglisc man and he will feoht

tofe i sees is locan lic a cilde who has seen a ghast or a god

i is goan to him saes grimcell

what i saes. i had telt my self i wolde not spec to grimcell no mor but i colde not help this

i is goan to hereweard saes grimcell. since i cum baec to the fenns i has hierde micel about him and i wolde be with him he is a triewe ealdor and leads a triewe werod

well of course grimcell does not loc at me but i cnawan what he is saen and he is not now the only one who saes this

i will go also saes godric for it is time now to feoht. he does not loc at me neither the cunt

and i saes siward. now all of them is agan me and this is what weland had saed this is what i had always cnawan and in sum ways this macs things good for now i cnawan i owes them no triewth. only aelfgar and tofe saes naht i seen them locan at me but i cnawan what they is thincan and i cnawan also what i moste do

well this is good i saes for this is what i had cum to tell thu all this mergen. i is goan to tac thu to hereweard

to the castel of the crist

thu saes grimcell and i is blithe to see i has fryhted him into specan with me

i leads this werod cottar i saes and i has telt thu all we is goan huntan well now we gan we will go to elge

huntan what saes annis

this is worc for my werod i saes not for wifmen nor geburs. now men we is goan to elge for i wolde spec to hereweard angland needs great ealdors now who leads great werods and he will see what i has to bring him

he will saes godric who is already standan

well i saes then cum men tac thy things for we is goan to elge

thu gan to him

thu will see what i will do

thu gan to gif thy weac small self to great hereweard

thu will see what i will do weland smith and no mor will thu spec lic this

is this so

this is so

well there is sum thing new in thu this daeg cilde

i is no cilde

then what is thu

i is buccmaster of holland thu will see what i will do

i did not cnaw where the path wolde lead that daeg but i cnawan it was the right path. i felt that daeg sum new thing had cum in to me and weland he seen it too. as we ciccd ofer the fyr on my eald land by the graef of my cwen odelyn by the hus of my grandfather and all his cynn as we macd ready to leaf i seen in my heafod again the fugol what had cum to me that daeg two sumors ago and i was thincan again of the words i saed then. sum thing is cuman i had saed sum thing is cuman i had felt it then and i felt it now. in the eald holt of the brunnesweald i had lost the way for i is a man of the water not the wood but here in the blaec fenns here where i was grown from here now again i was cum in to my self

and so we gan for elge all of us aelfgar siward godric tofe and grimcell and this annis also. they had thought to leaf me but they wolde not leaf me now and together we all walced down the fenn ways

well i cnawan the gods wolde gif me a gift this daeg and i will tell thu now what it was and how it ended. lif is gan from angland now and from all this deorc world so why not spec why not tell there is naht left in this dead land for any good man to lose