Paul Kingsnorth - The Wake

when will i be free saes the cilde to the stag

and the stag saes thu will nefer be free

then when will angland be free

angland will nefer be free

then what can be done

naht can be done

then how moste i lif

thu moste be triewe that is all there is

be triewe

be triewe

the winter was longer than any winter there has efer been and deoper. we gan baec to the hus we had macd in the holt and this we macd warm gathran wud and cepan it in the hus cepan the fyrs high cwellan brocs and foxes for mete and for hydes. the foda we toc from creatas tun was gan soon and we toc to sendan tofe out for mor he wolde go to hams around the holt and loc for what colde be tacan for we thought that mor feohtan with anglisc folcs was not to be sought. sum times he cum baec with melu with baerlic or with smocd mete sum times with aeppels once efen with a sceop what he had toc from a barn and there was micel specan among us of whether this was right but it was cold cold that winter and wool and mete was dear to us

all the time we was also secan frenc folcs to cwell and drif from this scir for now we was grene men triewe and growan in strength. ofer that winter we cwelled six frenc men we toc them from roads where they walced and from hams where they worcced we held them and we slit them and cut them all ofer and we spoc to them as they bled dyan on the ground we spoc to them of angland and its ways of our land and its folc of how they was fuccan hunds hunds and how their ingenga deoful folc wolde be sent to hel. it colde not be cnawan if they hierde us for they spac not our tunge but we telt them we telt them of their synns. when they was gan we toc from them clothes and any foda and gold they had and their bodigs we wolde leaf nacod in the straet or hangan from treows if we had line to sae to all frenc folcs go and to all anglisc rise

aelfgar and gamel was soon seen to be triewe for they was strong in cwellan and toc frenc lifs lic wihts in ire sum fyr beorned in them and tofe and grimcell they was lit by it. all this time i was leadan these men with my sweord by me always and they was locan up to me as their ealdor yes it was all in their eages in these times we was thincan we colde do all things efen tac the bastard himself from his fatt frenc hors and cut his fuccan throta lic a sceop

at this time all hams near the brunnesweald cum to hiere of us of the grene men in the holt and sum folcs wolde cum locan for us to spec or loc or tell us of where frenc was and how we colde tac them and cildren wolde cum to see these great feohtan men of the wuds. well tofe he lufd this and was macd great by it his heafod growan and growan and sum times i wolde need to tac him down from the heofon he had gan to. well i was hopan many folcs wolde cum to feoht with us but in that time only one mor man cum and in triewth it wolde be better if he had not for this man was dumb. a great tall man and wide and strong he was but of dumb ways he colde not spec lic other folcs and seemed to spec to the ground mor than he spoc to men

this man cum to us saen he was a man of the holt and lifd lic the treows and was scunned in his ham and he wolde feoht with us. in the mergen he wolde rise from by the fyr where we slept and gan to the holt and cum baec his nebb all blaec with aesc or eorth and sae i is of the holt and he wolde sae no mor for the daeg. his nama he telt us was was wluncus though i has nefer hierde an anglisc nama lic this it was as dumb as the man what held it

so we was six now six and the gleoman but the gleoman did not stae when the cold began to cum he gan walcan again as gleoman does to places he colde get foda and ealu and warm fyrs and fuccan for his tales. he telt us he wolde cum baec in sum months when he cum through again and bring us tidans from other parts of angland but i did not thinc he wolde cum again and in triewth i was hopan not for this man was smercan all the time he was not a grene man he was not triewe

but he did cum baec and though i was not blithe it seemed grimcell was for him and this ulf they was freonds of old and this telt me that grimcell was a man who did not cnaw men and i seen again why i was ceosan. but in the winter on a cold daeg when our fyrs was high and wluncus was locan out for frenc men his nebb all blaec with fyr aesc muttran to the fugols the gleoman cum in to our part of the holt raisan his hand in gretan and bringan ealu. he cum from a place wluncus was not locan and this esol did not efen see so if he had been frenc we wolde haf been cwelled and i telt wluncus this in sum ire and he ran off then to the holt lic a cilde wepan triewely he was a fuccan dumb man

but the gleoman he brought ealu and so we macd the fyr high and we satt then and dranc for we had drunc no ealu in wices and the gleoman he telt us of what he had seen in angland. he telt us not lic a gleoman ridlan but lic a man specan and we lystened for his tales was blaec. the frenc he saed was in all places now and they was locan to see what they colde get from all anglisc men. they had raised geld in all places and they was macan men gif geld for all free things what had been their rights. geeyome the bastard he had macd a law gifen all the land in angland to him and nefer had there been succ a great synn done and micel of this land he had gifen to his frenc brothors and freonds and the scuccas what cum with him to cwell our great cyng at sanlac and now they was macan their new thralls bow to them

blaec these tales was for sure. tales of frenc men tacan the ceaps from tuns and hams and puttan them in their castels and tacan geld for efry small thing sold at them. tales of hams torn down to build these castels and of anglisc men macd thralls to mac them lic esols or oxen. tales of men gifan geld to walc their swine in their own holt or to plough their own feld. many wifmen there was in angland now with no husbonds for they had been cwelled feohtan and these wifmen they had their husbonds land for this is the way of things in angland but frenc men was tacan these wifmen and weddan them at point of sweord so this land wolde be theirs in law. mynsters saed the gleoman was fillan all ofer angland with wifmen runnan from this deorc thing

and men all ofer was bean thralld. all ofer the scir of lincylene saed the gleoman socmen who was free men who was the freest men in angland was hafan their land toc and bean macd to worc on it for the new frenc thegns lic thralls and this was puttan them in ire and in great deop sadness. one tale the gleoman telt of us a socman he cnawan well from a ham in the north who was a strong and good man worcan always for his folc but the frenc cum they toc his land and they macd him worc lic a gebur for his new lord. they toc his great hus what he had macd and macd him sleep in the byr with the oxen and this man he colde do naht and wolde be a thrall for efer. his yonge cilde a yonge son he died in the cold of the winter slepan in this byr and this man he colde tac no mor and his wifman cum in to the stincan byr one daeg and he was hangan from the beam lic a sacc of baerlic

there was a great stillness after we had hierde these tales and triewely it was good that we had ealu. for this to cum to socmen of my scir this was a thing what macd my blud rise in my heafod it macd me tac my sweord in my hand there wolde be blud there moste be blud. then aelfgar he spac

what is being done gleoman he saed what is anglisc folc doan

well saes the gleoman they is doan many things thu cnawan does thu not what they is doan. sum is in the ground sum still on it rottan in the regn sum is gan from this land gan east of rome where they feohts in the fyrds of ingenga cyngs and dreams of angland. sum is gan north to the land of the scots where malcolm cyng bids them wel cum as free folc. sum stays in their ham and in their hus and macs best of what is gifen to them by their wyrd. then there is them what has ceosan neither to stay nor leaf but who is gan to fenn and holt and becum grene lic the leafs and the grass who lifs lic the fox and the wulf who is wilde lic the hafoc and the crow with teeth what tears from the enemi small bite and small bite and small bite until all the mete is gan