Paul Kingsnorth - The Wake

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

thu has seen my sweord i saes we can send them baec to the sea

ah we can not saes grimcell who is druncen

what is this saes gamel then why feoht why not stay in thy hus

i has no hus the frenc beorned it

as they beorned mine i saes so we will beorn them

i will beorn them saes grimcell specan slow beorn and hang and gutt them lic fisc i will do this all my lif but we will not mac them leaf now their grip is too tight on anglands throta