Paul Kingsnorth - The Wake

buccmaster he saes buccmaster of holland it is early to see thu

what of it ecceard i saes

he saes naht gretans that is all my freond

the star is gan ecceard

the star is gan buccmaster and sum thing has cum

saltmen

they has cum with tidans

the star did not beorn for saltmen this fugol did not call for saltmen

well loc buccmaster they is here

saltmen has cum on this mergen to the ham from the pans at offerthun on the saltpath from the east. they pans salt from the wid sea and they tacs it all across holland they cuts it efry man cnawan this they is not to be trusted but still it is bought to cepe the mete of the swine through the winter

there is two saltmen i cnawan i has seen them before but now there is sum other man i has not seen before and it is this one what is specan and all is gathred round him. he is a thynne fello eald in his loc a long cenep but no beard he is lic sum ghast. nebb long and hwit haer thynne he is not yonge and i sees cwic that he is no saltman neither though he has cum with them. this is a gleoman a teller of tales bringer of tidans from other places

if this gleoman does bring tidans he first has dumb folc to spec to so i moste stand and lysten to his rot and his raedels or they will be restless for they is dumb folc in this ham and to laugh is all they wants they wolde be blithe to haf naht but laughter and fuccan and ealu all their lytel lifs

ah i is a freond to all wifmen saes this gleoman he is holdan this lytel throng with his words

my stem is hard he saes in a bed it is standan proud

all these esols they laughs hard at this

i is haeric under neath

coughan and spittan

and now sum girl she tacs me in her hand she holds me hard she runs her hwit hand along my hard stem

they is almost ceocan now

and she peels me and she tacs my heafod in her mouth

the gleoman is blithe with himself here. it moste be the same in all hams all ofer angland when he specs this raedel. sum of these geburs they is almost rollan on the ground it is hard not to cicc them

and lo i will mac that girls eages water

a pintel cries sum dumb gebur thu is a pintel

thu is dumb saes his freond this is what thu is meant to thinc it is a raedel

a hund saes sum other is it a hund

a fuccan hund thu is a hund

i is saes the gleoman puttan an end to this with a roll of his eald heafod a leac

a leac a leac saes all these fools as if they had always cnawan. well i will not listan to mor of this scit i is a socman with three oxgangs

gleoman i saes does thu bring tidans

this gleoman then he locs at me and his eages is strong this one he is not a dumb man

tidans i saes what of this haeric star what of angland

of angland he saes now what is angland

do not be dumb i saes i is a socman of these parts i is not sum gebur to be mocced with raedels tell us what tidans of angland now that we has seen such things in this land

of angland he saes i can tell thu naht. i colde tell thu of hams in wessex in the land of the golden wyrm and of the hwit clifs in the south where they locs ofer the sea in fear and i colde tell thu of the holtmen of the andredesweald who belyfs they is safe beneath the great ac treows. i colde tell thu of the great blaec duns what macs a line betweon mierce and the wealsc and i colde tell thu also of where the tees runs a deop deorc ea what foams ofer the fells of the north where the hams of the folc is cold beneath. i colde tell thu of west wealas where the folc specs a tunge spoc by no anglisc and where blaec folcs in scips from hot lands tacs their men efry daeg to be thralls far from this ground in their land of dust. but i colde not tell thu of angland for this word is too lytel for all the folc of this land to lif within

these gleomen they thincs they is great men

lysten gleoman i saes i is ascan thu of angland and its wyrd. tell us what others macs of this haeric star in other lands tell us if sum thing is cuman

what of the cyng saes ecceard and sum geburs they locs at him then lic this is not a thing to sae

tell us without thy raedels i saes

it is not wise to mocc raedels saes this gleoman locan at ecceard and i raedels is what thu is macd from. but if thu wolde haf sum tidans then tidans i sceal bring to thu for i see why thu is ascan

what of the cyng saes ecceard again

well saes this gleoman smercan sum well i has not spoc with the cyng this daeg but harald of wessex is still cyng as efer he was but his eages locs to all strands in north and south and his men locs for scips for lic eald aethelraed this cyng has those wolde haf his corona and this haeric star is their light

tell us saes sum gebur

what can i sae that men does not cnaw by now saes this gleoman. two men they thincs to be cyng of angland they thincs to tac harald cyng to hel and wear his corona. one is the duc of the frenc geeyome he is called a man of sum deorcness a bastard he is a strong man in his land but his land is lytel and his folc is thralls and weac from his strength. he may cum it is saed he may cum with sum scips from the south but he is too lytel to haf this cyngdom he is a duc only who wants mor than he may haf. he wolde do well to thinc on what harald cyng done to the wealsc

and what of the other saes ecceard

ecceard saes this gleoman ecceard of holland thu is gerefa of this moste great ham now what can i tell thu that thu cnawan not. this other man he is the cyng to be afeart he is the man what harald cyng waits for. he builds his fyrd and he waits on his scips cuman from the cold blaec sea to the gold strands of angland he is the landwaster

the landwaster calls jalf the gebur who is this landwaster. this is all scit this is sum game efry man in angland cnawan of who the gleoman specs but when a gleoman cums there is things men will do for they thincs it is what is done and all of us moste stand and lysten

ah the landwaster saes the gleoman and now he is all lic it is sum raedel again or sum tale of the eald times not lic the tidans what i was ascan him for. loc now he is bendan his cneows and raisan his arms and locan from lyft to right around all the men of the ham lic he is around a fyr in sum dim holt talcan of wyrms and the gold of the geets.

harald landwaster he saes cyng of the denes he who dwells in high blaec fjords lord he is of those cold lands. he is ten foot high born sum saes of a wyrm and with the strength of one and with an ax what cuts through three men with one swing and cuman he is cuman from the north with a thousand long scips to tac the corona of our harald cyng and to rule us hard lic a cold beast from the ys lands

now i has things to do this mergen there is madder to be sawan and how is i to saw madder when my geburs is pissan them selfs in the ham due to sum gleoman specan of wyrms and ys and ten foot men i is not needan this

gleoman i saes when thu has ended with thy cildes tales colde thu tell us if there is any thing thu cnaws that is not a raedel or a game for dumb men. in these parts we has seen things we has seen many fugols of the deoful they has filled the heofon and has been specan to me for i is a socman and we has seen the haeric star cuman low ofer us. now sum thing is cuman all here cnawan this and i is locan for sum wise man who can tell me of what is to cum now is thu that man

now the gleoman locs at me again and now he does not smerc. well he saes well great socman of these parts here is the tidans from angland. this haeric star has been seen in efry part and all has been afeart of it. if it is tidans of war or of death what thu is ascan me for there is naht i can gif thu but this. harald cyng is raisan his flota in the south and soon he will raise the fyrd too and in this ham thu may be called. for tostig the brothor of the cyng who was sent out of angland for his synns he is cum baec with scips he harries the south strands and who cnawan if he is with the frenc duc or the landwaster or with others who cnawan but here is the the tidans for thu socman. sum thing is cuman yes it is cuman from the sea. saw thy flax plough thy ground fucc thy wifman drinc well for sum thing is cuman to thu from ofer the waters and this year will be lic no other in the lifs of all men in this land