Bright's Anglo-Saxon Reader/The Battle of Maldon

[This poem was preserved in but one MS., Cotton Otho A xii, which was destroyed in the fire of 1731; fortunately, Thomas Hearne had copied and published it in 1726. The variants therefore refer to Hearne's text.]

[...] brocen wurde;hēt þā hyssa hwæne hors forlǣtan,feorr āfȳsan, and forð gangan,hicgan tō handum, and tō hige gōdum.Þā þæt Offan mǣg ǣrest onfunde,þæt sē eorl nolde yrhðo geþolian:hē lēt him þā of handon lēofne flēoganhafoc wið þæs holtes, and tō þǣre hilde stōp:be þām man mihte oncnāwan þæt sē cniht noldewācian æt þām wīge, þā hē tō wǣpnum fēng.Ēac him wolde Ēadrīc his ealdre gelǣstan,frēan tō gefeohte; ongan þā forð berangār tō gūþe: hē hæfde gōd geþanc,þā hwīle þe hē mid handum healdan mihtebord and brād swurd; bēot hē gelǣste,þā hē ætforan his frēan feohtan sceolde.

Ðā þǣr Byrhtnōð ongan beornas trymian,rād and rǣdde, rincum tǣhtehū hī sceoldon standan and þone stede healdan,and bæd þæt hyra randas rihte hēoldonfæste mid folman, and ne forhtedon nā.Þā hē hæfde þæt folc fægere getrymmed,hē lihte þā mid lēodon þǣr him lēofost wæs,þǣr hē his heorðwerod holdost wiste.

Þā stōd on stæðe, stīðlīce clypodewīcinga ār, wordum mǣlde,sē on bēot ābēad brimlīþendraǣrende tō þām eorle, þǣr hē on ōfre stōd:

'Me sendon tō þē sǣmen snelle;hēton ðē secgan þæt þū mōst sendan raðebēagas wið gebeorge; and ēow betere isþæt gē þisne gārrǣs mid gafole forgyldon,þonne wē swā hearde hilde dǣlon.Ne þurfe wē ūs spillan, if gē spedaþ tō þām:wē willað wið þām golde grið fæstnian.Gyf þū þat gerǣdest, þe hēr rīcost eart,þæt þū þīne lēoda lȳsan wille,syllan sǣmannum on hyra sylfra dōmfeoh wið frēode, and niman frið æt ūs,wē willaþ mid þām sceattum ūs tō scype gangan,on flot fēran, and ēow frīþes healdan.'

Byrhtnōð maþelode, bord hafenode,wand wācne æsc, wordum mǣlde,yrre and anrǣd āgeaf him andsware:

'Gehȳrst þū, sǣlida, hwæt þis folc segeð?hī willað ēow tō gafole gāras syllan,ǣttrynne ord and ealde swurd,þā heregeatu þe ēow æt hilde ne dēah.Brimmanna boda, ābēod eft ongēan,

50 sege þīnum lēodum miccle lāþre spell,þæt hēr stynt unforcuð eorl mid his werode,þe wile gealgean ēþel þysne,Æþelrēdes eard, ealdres mīnes,folc and foldan; feallan sceolonhǣþene æt hilde. Tō hēanlīc mē þinceðþæt gē mid ūrum sceattum tō scype gangonunbefohtene, nū gē þus feor hideron ūrne eard in becōmon.Ne sceole gē swā sōfte sinc gegangan;ūs sceal ord and ecg ǣr geseman,grim gūðplega, ǣr wē gofol syllon.'

Hēt þā bord beran, beornas gangan,þæt hī on þām ēasteðe ealle stōdon.Ne mihte þǣr for wætere werod tō þām ōðrum;þǣr cōm flōwende flōd æfter ebban,lucon lagustrēamas; tō lang hit him þūhte,hwænne hī tōgædere gāras bēron.Hī þǣr Pantan strēam mid prasse bestōdon,Ēastseaxena ord and sē æschere;ne mihte hyra ǣnig ōðrum derian,būton hwā þurh flānes flyht fyl genāme.Sē flōd ūt gewāt; þā flotan stōdon gearowe,wīcinga fela, wīges georne.Hēt þā hæleða hlēo healdan þā bricge

wigan wīgheardne, sē wæs hāten Wulfstān,cāfne mid his cynne, þæt wæs Cēolan sunu,þe ðone forman man mid his francan ofscēatþe þǣr baldlīcost on þā bricge stop.

Þǣr stōdon mid Wulfstāne wigan unforhte,Ælfere and Maccus, mōdige twēgen,þā noldon æt þām forda flēam gewyrcan,ac hī fæstlīce wið ðā fȳnd weredon,þā hwīle þe hī wǣpna wealdan mōston.Þā hī þæt ongēaton and georne gesāwonþæt hī þǣr bricgweardas bitere fundon,ongunnon lytegian þā lāðe gystas,bǣdon þæt hī ūpgang āgan mōston,ofer þone ford faran, feþan lǣdan.Ðā sē eorl ongan for his ofermōdeālȳfan landes tō fela lāþere ðēode.Ongan ceallian þā ofer cald wæterByrhtelmes bearn (beornas gehlyston):

'Nū ēow is gerȳmed, gāð ricene tō ūs,guman tō gūþe; God āna wāthwā þǣre wælstōwe wealdan mōte.'

Wōdon þā wælwulfas (for wætere ne murnon),wīcinga werod, west ofer Pantan,ofer scīr wæter scyldas wǣgon,lidmen tō lande linde bǣron.100 Þǣr ongēan gramum gearowe stōdonByrhtnōð mid beornum; hē mid bordum hētwyrcan þone wīhagan, and þæt werod healdanfæste wið fēondum. Þā wæs feohte nēh,tīr æt getohte; wæs sēo tīd cumenþæt þǣr fǣge men feallan sceoldon.Þǣr wearð hrēam āhafen, hremmas wundon,earn ǣses georn; wæs on eorþan cyrm.Hī lēton þā of folman fēolhearde speru,gegrundene gāras flēogan;bogan wǣron bysige, bord ord onfēng.biter wæs sē beadurǣs, beornas fēollonon gehwæðere hand, hyssas lāgon.Wund wearð Wulfmǣr, wælræste gecēas,Byrhtnōðes mǣg; hē mid billum wearð,his swuster sunu, swīðe forhēawen.Þǣr wearð wīcingum wiþerlean āgyfen:gehȳrde ic þæt Ēadweard ānne slōgeswīðe mid his swurde, swenges ne wyrnde,þæt him æt fōtum feoll fǣge cempa;þæs him his ðēoden þanc gesǣde,þām būrþēne, þā hē byre hæfde.Swā stemnetton stīðhicgendehyssas æt hilde; hogodon geornehwā þǣr mid orde ǣrost mihteon fǣgean men feorh gewinnan,wigan mid wǣpnum; wæl fēol on eorðan.Stōdon stædefæste; stihte hī Byrhtnōð,bæd þæt hyssa gehwylc hogode tō wīgeþe on Denon wolde dōm gefeohtan.Wōd þā wīges heard, wǣpen ūp āhōf,bord tō gebeorge, and wið þæs beornes stōp;ēode swā anrǣd eorl tō þām ceorle:ǣgþer hyra ōðrum yfeles hogode.Sende ðā sē sǣrinc sūþerne gār,þæt gewundod wearð wigena hlāford;hē scēaf þā mid ðām scylde, þæt sē sceaft tobærst,and þæt spere sprengde, þæt hit sprang ongēan.Gegremod wearð sē gūðrinc; hē mid gāre stangwlancne wīcing, þe him þā wunde forgeaf.

Frōd wæs sē fyrdrinc; hē lēt his francan wadanþurh ðæs hysses hals; hand wīsodeþæt hē on þām fǣrsceaðan feorh gerǣhte.Ða hē ōþerne ofstlīce scēat,þæt sēo byrne tōbærst; hē wæs on brēostum wundþurh ðā hringlocan, him æt heortan stōdǣtterne ord. Se ēorl wæs þē blīþra,hlōh þā mōdi man, sǣde Metode þancðæs dægweorces þe him Drihten forgeaf.Forlēt þā drenga sum daroð of handa,150 flēogan of folman, þæt sē tō forð gewātþurh ðone æþelan Æþelrēdes þegen.Him be healfe stōd hyse unweaxen,cniht on gecampe, se full cāflīcebrǣd of þām beorne blōdigne gār,Wulfstānes bearn, Wulfmǣr sē geonga,forlēt forheardne faran eft ongēan;ord in gewōd, þæt sē on eorþan lægþe his þēoden ǣr þearle gerǣhte.Ēode þā gesyrwed secg tō þām eorle;hē wolde þæs beornes bēagas gefecgan,rēaf and hringas and gerēnod swurd.Ðā Byrhtnōð brǣd bill of scēaðe,brād and brūneccg, and on þā byrnan slōh:tō raþe hine gelette lidmanna sum,þā hē þæs eorles earm āmyrde;fēoll þā tō foldan fealohilte swurd,ne mihte hē gehealdan heardne mēce,wǣpnes wealdan. Þā gȳt þæt word gecwæðhār hilderinc, hyssas bylde,bæd gangan forð gōde gefēran;ne mihte þā on fōtum leng fæste gestandan;hē tō heofenum wlāt:'Ic geþancie þē, ðēoda Waldend,ealra þǣra wynna þe ic on worulde gebād.Nū ic āh, milde metod, mǣste þearfe þæt þū mīnum gāste gōdes geunne,þæt mīn sāwul tō ðē sīðian mōteon þīn geweald, Þeoden engla,mid friþe ferian; ic eom frymdi tō þēþæt hī helsceaðan hynan ne mōton.'Ðā hine hēowon hǣðene scealcasand bēgen þā beornas þe him big stōdon,Ælfnōð and Wulmǣr bēgen lāgon,ðā onemn hyra frēan feorh gesealdon.Hī bugon þā fram beaduwe þe þǣr bēon noldon.Þǣr wurdon Oddan bearn ǣrest on flēame,Godrīc fram gūþe, and þone gōdan forlētþe him mænigne oft mēar gesealde;hē gehlēop þone eoh þe āhte his hlāford,on þām gerǣdum þe hit riht ne wæs,and his brōðru mid him, bēgen ærndon,Godrinc and Godwīg, gūþe ne gȳmdon,ac wendon fram þām wīge and þone wudu sōhton,flugon on þæt fæsten, and hyra fēore burgon,and manna mā þonne hit ǣnig mǣð wǣre,gyf hī þā geearnunga ealle gemundon,þe hē him tō duguþe gedōn hæfde.Swā him Offa on dæg ǣr āsǣde,on þām mæþelstede, þā hē gemōt hæfde,200 þæt þǣr mōdiglīce manega sprǣcon,þe eft æt þearfe þolian noldon.Ðā wearð āfeallen þæs folces ealdor,Æþelrēdes eorl; ealle gesāwonheorðgenēatas þæt hyra heorra læg.Þā ðǣr wendon forð wlance þegenas, unearge men efston georne:hī woldon þā ealle ōðer twēga,līf forlǣtan oððe leofne gewrecan.Swā hī bylde forð bearn Ælfrīces,wiga wintrum geong, wordum mǣlde,Ælfwine þā cwæð, hē on ellen spræc:

'Gemunað þā mǣla, þe wē oft æt meodo sprǣcon,þonne wē on bence bēot āhōfon,hæleð on healle, ymbe heard gewinn;nū mæg cunnian hwā cēne sȳ.Ic wylle mīne æþelo eallum gecȳþan,þæt ic wæs on Myrcon miccles cynnes;wæs mīn ealda fæder Ealhelm hāten,wīs ealdorman, woruldgesǣlig.Ne sceolon mē on þǣre þēode þegenas ætwītanþæt ic of ðisse fyrde fēran wille,eard gesēcan, nū mīn ealdor ligeðforhēawan æt hilde; mē is þæt hearma mǣst:hē wæs ǣgðer mīn mǣg and mīn hlāford.'

Þā hē forð ēode, fǣhðe gemunde,þæt hē mid orde ānne gerǣhteflotan on þām folce, þæt sē on foldan lægforwegen mid his wǣpne. Ongan þā winas manian,frȳnd and gefēran, þæt hī forð ēodon.

Offa gemǣlde, æscholt āscēoc:'Hwæt þū, Ælfwine, hafast ealle gemanode,þegenas tō þearfe: nū ūre þēoden līð,eorl on eorðan, ūs is eallum þearfþæt ūre ǣghwylc ōþerne byldewigan tō wīge, þā hwīle þe hē wǣpen mægehabban and healdan, heardne mēce,gār and gōd swurd. Ūs Godrīc hæfð,earh Oddan bearn, ealle beswicene:wēnde þæs formoni man, þā hē on mēare rād,on wlancan þām wicge, þæt wǣre hit ūre hlāford;for þan wearð hēr on felda folc tōtwǣmed,scyldburh tōbrocen: ābrēoðe his angin,þæt hē hēr swā manigne man āflȳmde!'

Lēofsunu gemǣlde and his linde āhōf,bord tō gebeorge, hē þām beorne oncwæð:'Ic þæt gehāte, þæt ic heonon nelleflēon fōtes trym, ac wille furðor gān,wrecan on gewinne mīnne winedrihten.Ne þurfon mē embe Stūrmere stedefæste hælæð250 wordum ætwītan, nū mīn wine gecranc,þæt ic hlāfordlēas hām sīðie,wende fram wīge, ac mē sceal wǣpen niman,ord and īren.' Hē ful yrre wōd,feaht fæstlīce, flēam hē forhogode.

Dunnere þā cwæð, daroð ācwehte,unorne ceorl, ofer eall clypode,bæd þæt beorna gehwylc Byrhtnōð wrǣce:'Ne mæg nā wandian sē þe wrecan þenceðfrēan on folce, nē for feore murnan.'

Þā hī forð ēodon, feores hī ne rōhton;ongunnon þā hīredmen heardlīce feohtan,grame gārberend, and God bǣdonþæt hī moston gewrecan hyra winedrihten,and on hyra fēondum fyl gewyrcan.

Him sē gȳsel ongan geornlīce fylstan;hē wæs on Norðhymbron heardes cynnes,Ecglāfes bearn, him wæs Æscferð nama:hē ne wandode nā æt þām wīgplegan,ac hē fȳsde forð flān genehe;

hwīlon hē on bord scēat, hwīlon beorn tǣsde;ǣfre embe stunde hē sealde sume wunde,þā hwīle ðe hē wǣpna wealdan mōste.Ðā gȳt on orde stōd Ēadweard sē langa,gearo and geornful; gylpwordum spræc,þæt hē nolde flēogan fōtmǣl landes,ofer bæc būgan, þā his betera læg:hē bræc þone bordweall, and wið þā beornas feaht,oð þæt hē his sincgyfan on þām sǣmannumwurðlīce wrec, ǣr hē on wæle lǣge.

Swā dyde Æþerīc, æþele gefēra,fūs and forðgeorn, feaht eornoste,Sībyrhtes brōðor and swīðe mænig ōþerclufon cellod bord, cēne hī weredon;bærst bordes lǣrig, and sēo byrne sanggryreleoða sum. Þā æt gūðe slōhOffa þone sǣlidan, þæt hē on eorðan feoll,and ðǣr Gaddes mǣg grund gesōhte:raðe wearð æt hilde Offa forhēawen;hē hæfde ðēah geforþod þæt hē his frēan gehet,swā hē bēotode ǣr wið his bēahgifanþæt hī sceoldon bēgen on burh rīdan,hāle tō hāme, oððe on here crincgan,on wælstōwe wundum sweltan;hē læg ðegenlīce ðēodne gehende.

Ðā wearð borda gebræc; brimmen wōdon,gūðe gegremode; gār oft þurhwōdfǣges feorhhūs. Forð þā ēode Wīstān,Þurstānes sunu, wið þās secgas feaht;hē wæs on geþrange hyra þrēora bana,300 ǣr him Wīgelīnes bearn on þām wæle lǣge.Þǣr wæs stīð gemōt; stōdon fæstewigan on gewinne, wīgend cruncon,wundum wērige; wæl fēol on eorþan.Oswold and Ealdwold ealle hwīle,bēgen þā gebrōþru, beornas trymedon,hyra winemāgas wordon bǣdonþæt hī þǣr æt ðearfe þolian sceoldon,unwāclīce wǣpna nēotan.Byrhtwold maþelode, bord hafenode,(sē wæs eald genēat), æsc ācwehte;hē ful baldlīce beornas lǣrde:

'Hige sceal þē heardra, heorte þē cēnre,mōd sceal þē māre, þē ūre mægen lȳtlað.hēr līð ūre ealdor eall forhēawen,gōd on grēote; ā mæg gnorniansē ðe nū fram þīs wīgplegan wendan þenceð.Ic eom frōd fēores; fram ic ne wille,ac ic mē be healfe mīnum hlāfordebe swā lēofan men, licgan þence.'

320 Swā hī Æþelgāres bearn ealle bylde,Godrīc tō gūþe; oft hē gār forlētwælspere windan on þā wīcingas,swā hē on þām folce fyrmest ēode,hēow and hȳnde, oð þæt hē on hilde gecranc.Næs þæt nā sē Godrīc þe ðā gūðe forbēah