Paul Kingsnorth - The Wake

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