| from "THE BATTLE OF MALDON" | lines 1-41 | ||||||||||
| Anon. | prose trans. S.A.J.Bradley(from Anglo-Saxon) | ||||||||||
| ... brocen wurde. Het þa hyssa hwæne..... hors forlætan, feorr afysan, ..... and forð gangan, hicgan to handum,..... and to hige godum. Þa þæt Offan mæg..... ærest onfunde, þæt se eorl nolde.....yrhðo geþolian: the let him þa of handon..... leofne fleogan hafoc wið þoes holtes,..... and to þære hilde stop; be þam man mihte oncnawan..... þæt se cniht nolde wacian æt þam wige, ..... pa he to wæpnum feng. Eac him wolde Eadric..... his ealdre gelæstan frean to gefeohte; ..... ongann þa forð beran gar to gupe: .....he hæfde god geþanc, þà hwile þe he mid handum..... healdan mihte bord and brad swurd; ..... beot he gelæste, þa he ætforan his frean..... feohtan sceolde. | ... should be broken. Then he commanded each one of the soldiers to set his horse loose, to drive it far away and to proceed on foot, and to turn his mind to his hands and a doughty disposition. As soon as Offa's relatives observed that the earl was not willing to put up with slackness then from off his hand he let his beloved hawk fly towards the forest and addressed himself to the fighting. By that it could be understood that the young man had no intention of flinching at the fray when he took up weapons. Besides him, Eadric too had a desire to serve his chief and lord in the conflict, so he proceeded to carry his spear forward into battle. He was possessed of a doughty will - as long as he was able to hold with his hands shield and broad sword: he was fulfilling a pledge when he was -called on to fight in front of his lord.
| Ða þær Byrhtnoð ongann..... beornas trymian, | rad and rædde,.....rincum tæhte hu hi sceoldon standan, ..... and þone stede healdan, and bæd þæt hyra randas..... rihte heoldon fæste mid folman, ..... and ne forhtedon na. Þa he hæfde þæt folc..... fægere getrymmed, he lihte þa mid leodon,..... þær him leofost wæs, þær he his heorðwerod..... holdost wiste. Then Byrhtnoth began to place the men in array there; he rode about and gave instructions, taught the soldiers how they were to stand and maintain the position and urged them that they should hold their shields properly, securely with their fists, and that they should not feel scared at all. When he had suitably placed the army in array he then dismounted among the people where it pleased him best to be, where he know his -troop of household retainers to be most loyal.
| Þa stod on stæðe, ..... sfiðlice clypode | wicinga ar, .....wordum mælde, se on beot..... abead brimliþendra ærende to þam eorle, ..... þær he on ofre stod: Then there appeared at the waterside and fiercely shouted out a messenger from the vikings who swaggeringly announced a message from the ocean-wanderers to the earl where he was standing on the foreshore.
| 'Me sendon to þe..... sæmenn snelle; | heton ðe secgan, ..... þæt þu most sendan raðe beagas wið gebeorge; ..... and eow betere is þæt ge þisne garræs..... mid gafole forgyldon, þonne we swa hearde..... hilde dælon. Ne þurfe we us spillan, ..... gif ge spedaþ to þam: we willað wið þam golde..... grið fæstnian. Gyf þu pæt gerædest, ..... þe her ricost eart, þæt þu þine leoda.....lysan wille, syllan sæmannum..... on hyra sylfra dom feoh wið freode, ..... and niman frið æt us, we willaþ mid þam sceattum..... us to scype gangan, on flot feran, .....and eow friþes healdan.' 'Bold seamen have sent me to you. They have bidden me to tell you that you must speedily send rings in return for protection and it will be better for you that you should buy off this armed assault with tribute than that we should participate in such cruel conflict. There is no need for us to kill each other: if you are wealthy enough for the purpose, we are willing to fix a truce in exchange for the gold. If you, who are most influential here decide upon this, that you are willing to ransom your people, pay the seamen a sum of money - upon their own assessment - -in exchange for quiet, and accept peace at our hands, we will take to our ships with the levied moneys, set sail and keep the peace with you.'
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Transl. copyright © David Campbell Publishers Ltd., 1982 - publ. Everyman
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