Part 15 (1/2)
III. POEMS FROM THE CHRONICLE
THE BATTLE OF BRUNNANBURG
[Critical edition: Sedgefield, _The Battle of Maldon and Six Short Poems from the Saxon Chronicle_, Boston, 1904, Belles Lettres Edition.
Translation: Tennyson; Pancoast and Spaeth, _Early English Poems_, p. 81.
Date: It appears in the Chronicle under the year 937.
Danes living north of the Humber conspired with their kinsmen in Ireland under the two Olafs, together with the Scottish king Constantine and the Strathclyde Britons under their king Eugenius, against aethelstan, king of Wess.e.x. The allies met in the south of Northumbria. aethelstan encountered them at Brunnanburg and defeated them.
The site of Brunnanburg has not been identified. The best claim is probably for Bramber, near Preston, in the neighborhood of which, in 1840, was found a great h.o.a.rd of silver ingots and coins, none later than 950. This was possibly the war chest of the confederacy. _Dyngesmere_ has not been identified.
More than half the half-lines are exact copies from other Anglo-Saxon poems.]
Here aethelstan the king, of earls the lord, Bracelet-giver of barons and his brother as well, Edmund the aetheling, honor eternal Won at warfare by the wielding of swords 5 Near Brunnanburg; they broke the linden-wall, Struck down the s.h.i.+elds with the sharp work of hammers, The heirs of Edward, as of old had been taught By their kinsmen who clashed in conflict often Defending their firesides against foemen invaders, 10 Their h.o.a.rds and their homes. The hated ones perished, Soldiers of Scotland and seamen-warriors-- Fated they fell. The field was wet With the blood of the brave, after the bright sun Had mounted at morning, the master of planets 15 Glided over the ground, G.o.d's candle clear, The Lord's everlasting, till the lamp of heaven Sank to its setting. Soldiers full many Lay mangled by spears, men of the Northland, Shamefully shot o'er their s.h.i.+elds, and Scotchmen, 20 Weary and war-sated. The West-Saxons forth All during the day with their daring men Followed the tracks of their foemen's troops.
From behind they hewed and harried the fleeing, With sharp-ground swords. Never shunned the Mercians 25 The hard hand-play of hero or warrior Who over the oar-path with Anlaf did come, Who sailed on a s.h.i.+p and sought the land, Fated in fight.
Five chieftains lay Killed in the conflict, kings full youthful, 30 Put to sleep by the sword, and seven also Of the earls of Anlaf, and others unnumbered, Of sailors and Scotchmen. Sent forth in flight then Was the prince of the Northmen, pressed hard by need, To the stem of his s.h.i.+p; with a staunch little band 35 To the high sea he hurried; in haste the king sailed Over the fallow flood, fled for his life.
Also the sage one sorrowfully northward Crept to his kinsmen, Constantinus, The h.o.a.ry war-hero; for him was small need 40 To boast of the battle-play; the best of his kinsmen And friends had fallen on the field of battle, Slain at the strife, and his son left behind On the field of fight, felled and wounded, Young at the battle. No boast dared he make 45 Of strife and of sword-play, the silver-haired leader, Full of age and of evil, nor had Anlaf the more.
With their vanquished survivors no vaunt could they make That in works of war their worth was unequalled, In the fearful field, in the flas.h.i.+ng of standards, 50 In the meeting of men, and the mingling of spears, And the war-play of weapons, when they had waged their battle Against the heirs of Edward on the awful plain.
Now departed the Northmen in their nailed s.h.i.+ps, Dreary from dart-play on Dyngesmere.
55 Over the deep water to Dublin they sailed, Broken and baffled back to Ireland.
So, too, the brothers both went together, The King and the aetheling; to their kinsmen's home, To the wide land of Wess.e.x --warrior's exultant.
60 To feast on the fallen on the field they left The sallow-hued spoiler, the swarthy raven, Horned of beak, and the h.o.a.ry-backed White-tailed eagle to eat of the carrion, And the greedy goshawk, and that gray beast, 65 The wolf in the wood. Not worse was the slaughter Ever on this island at any time, Or more folk felled before this strife With the edge of the sword, as is said in old books, In ancient authors, since from the east hither 70 The Angles and Saxons eagerly sailed Over the salt sea in search of Britain,-- Since the crafty warriors conquered the Welshmen And, greedy for glory, gained them the land.
31. _Anlaf_: the Old English form of ”Olaf.”
52. _Heirs of Edward_: the English, descendants of Edward the Elder.
58. _The aetheling_: Edmund the aetheling (or prince) of line 3.
THE BATTLE OF MALDON
[Critical edition: Sedgefield, _The Battle of Maldon and Six Short Poems from the Saxon Chronicle_, Boston, 1904, Belles Lettres Edition.
Date: It appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 991.
”_The Battle of Maldon_ treats not of legendary heroes of the Germanic races but of an actual historic personage, an English hero and patriot fallen in battle against a foreign invader a very short time before the poem was made. A single event in contemporary history is here described with hardly suppressed emotion by one who knew his hero and loved him.
There is none of the allusiveness and excursiveness of the _Beowulf_; we have here not a member of an epic cycle, but an independent song. Very striking is the absence of ornament from the _Battle of Maldon_; all is plain, blunt, and stern.”--Sedgefield, _The Battle of Maldon_, pp.
vi-vii.]
. . . . . . . . . . was broken; He bade the young barons abandon their horses, To drive them afar and dash quickly forth, In their hands and brave heart to put all hope of success.
5 The kinsman of Offa discovered then first That the earl would not brook dishonorable bearing.
He held in his hand the hawk that he loved, Let him fly to the fields; to the fight then he stepped; By this one could know that the knight was unwilling 10 To weaken in war, when his weapons he seized.
Edric wished also to aid his chief, His folk-lord in fight; forward he bore His brand to the battle; a brave heart he had So long as he held locked in his hand 15 His board and his broad sword; his boast he made good, Fearless to fight before his lord.
Then Byrhtnoth began to embolden the warriors; He rode and counseled them, his comrades he taught How they should stand in the stronghold's defence, 20 Bade them to bear their bucklers correctly, Fast by their hands without fear in their hearts.
When the folk by fair words he had fired with zeal, He alighted in a crowd of his loyal comrades, Where he felt that his friends were most faithful and true.
25 Then he stood on the strand; sternly the messenger Of the Vikings called in vaunting words, Brought him the boast of the b.l.o.o.d.y seamen, The errand to the earl, at the edge of the water: ”I am sent to thee by seamen bold; 30 They bade me summon thee to send them quickly Rings for a ransom, and rather than fight It is better for you to bargain with gold Than that we should fiercely fight you in battle.
It is futile to fight if you fill our demands; 35 If you give us gold we will grant you a truce.
If commands thou wilt make, who art mightiest of warriors, That thy folk shall be free from the foemen's attack, Shall give of their wealth at the will of the seamen, A treasure for tribute, with a truce in return, 40 We will go with the gold again to our s.h.i.+ps, We will sail to the sea and vouchsafe to you peace.”
Byrhtnoth burst forth, his buckler he grasped, His spear he seized, and spoke in words Full of anger and ire, and answer he gave: 45 ”Dost thou hear, oh seamen, what our heroes say?
Spears they will send to the sailors as tribute, Poisoned points and powerful swords, And such weapons of war as shall win you no battles.