Chapter 11

Then high over the roofs the holy Ruler 590 Shines on the souls of the saved and the loyal. Radiant fowls follow around him Brightest of birds, in bliss exulting, The chosen and joyous ones join him at home, Forever and ever, where no evil is wrought 595 By the foulest fiend in his fickle deceit; But they shall live in lasting light and beauty, As the Phoenix fowl, in the faith of God. Every one of men's works in that wondrous home, In that blissful abode, brightly shines forth 600 In the peaceful presence of the Prince eternal, Who resembles the sun. A sacred crown Most richly wrought with radiant gems, High over the head of each holy soul Glitters refulgent; their foreheads gleam, 605 Covered with glory; the crown of God Embellishes beautifully the blessed host With light in that life, where lasting joy Is fresh and young and fades not away, But they dwell in bliss, adorned in beauty, 610 With fairest ornaments, with the Father's angels. They see no sorrow in those sacred courts, No sin nor suffering nor sad work-days, No burning hunger, nor bitter thirst, No evil nor age: but ever their King 615 Granteth his grace to the glorious band That loves its Lord and everlasting King, That glorifies and praises the power of God. That host round the holy high-set throne Makes then melody in mighty strains; 620 The blessed saints blithely sing In unison with angels, orisons to the Lord: "Peace to thee, O God, thou proud Monarch, Thou Ruler reigning with righteousness and skill; Thanks for thy goodly gifts to us all; 625 Mighty and measureless is thy majesty and strength, High and holy! The heavens, O Lord, Are fairly filled, O Father Almighty, Glory of glories, in greatness ruling Among angels above and on earth beneath! 630 Guard us, O God of creation; thou governest all things! Lord of the highest heavens above!" So shall the saints sing his praises, Those free from sin, in that fairest of cities, Proclaim his power, the righteous people, 635 The host in heaven hail the Redeemer: Honor without end is only for him, Not ever at all had he any birth, Any beginning of bliss, though he was born in the world, On this earth in the image of an innocent child; 640 With unfailing justice and fairest judgments, High above the heavens in holiness he dwelt! Though he must endure the death of the cross, Bear the bitter burden of men, When three days have passed after the death of his body, 645 He regains new life through the love of God, Through the aid of the Father. So the Phoenix betokens In his youthful state, the strength of Christ, Who in a wondrous wise awakes from the ashes Unto the life of life, with limbs begirded; 650 So the Savior sought to aid us Through the loss of his body, life without end. Likewise that fowl filleth his wings, Loads them with sweet and scented roots, With winsome flowers and flies away; 655 These are the words, wise men tell us, The songs of the holy ones whose souls go to heaven, With the loving Lord to live for aye, In bliss of bliss, where they bring to God Their words and their works, wondrous in savor, 660 As a precious gift, in that glorious place, In that life of light. Lasting be the praise Through the world of worlds and wondrous honor, And royal power in the princely realm, The kingdom of heaven. He is King indeed 665 Of the lands below and of lordly majesty, Encircled with honor in that city of beauty. He has given us leave _lucis auctor_, That here we may _merueri_ As reward for good _gaudia in celo_, 670 That all of us may _maxima regna_ Seek and sit on _sedibus altis_, Shall live a life _lucis et pacis_, Shall own a home _almae letitiae_, Know blessings and bliss; _blandem and mitem_ 675 Lord they shall see _sine fine_, And lift up a song _lauda perenne_ Forever with the angels. _Alleluia!_

680. This and the following lines are imitated from the original in which the first half line, in Old English, alliterates with the second half line, in Latin. The Latin is here retained. The meaning of the lines is this: "The Author of light has given us leave that we may here merit as a reward for good, joy in heaven, that all of us may seek the mighty kingdom and sit on the high seats, may live a life of light and peace, may own a home of tender joy; may see the merciful and mild Lord for time without end, and may lift up a song in eternal praise, forever with the angels. Alleluia!"

THE GRAVE

[Text used: Kluge, _Angelsächsisches Lesebuch_, reprinted from Arnold Schroeer, _Anglia_, v, 289.

Translation: Longfellow. Discussion of this translation in _Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprache_, xxix, 205.

It is probably the latest in date of any of the Anglo-Saxon poems.]

Before thou wast born, there was built thee a house; For thee was a mould meant ere thy mother bore thee; They have not made it ready nor reckoned its depth; No one has yet learned how long it shall be. 5 I point out thy path to the place thou shalt be; Now I shall measure thee, and the mould afterwards. Thy house is not highly timbered. It is unhigh and low; when thou lyest therein, The bottom and side boards shall bind thee near: 10 Close above thy breast is builded the roof. Thou shalt dwell full cold in the clammy earth. Full dim and dismal that den is to live in. Doorless is that house, and is dark within; Down art thou held there and death hath the key. 15 Loathly is that house of earth and horrid to live in. There thou shalt tarry and be torn by worms. Thus thou art laid, and leavest thy friends; Thou hast never a comrade who will come to thee, Who will hasten to look how thou likest thy house. 20 Or ever will undo thy door for thee. . . . . . . . . and after thee descend; For soon thou art loathsome and unlovely to see: From the crown of thy head shall the hair be lost; Thy locks shall fall and lose their freshness; 25 No longer is it fair for the fingers to stroke.

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 Æthelstan, king of Wessex. The allies met in the south of Northumbria. Æthelstan 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 hoard 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 Æthelstan the king, of earls the lord, Bracelet-giver of barons and his brother as well, Edmund the Ætheling, honor eternal Won at warfare by the wielding of swords 5 Near Brunnanburg; they broke the linden-wall, Struck down the shields 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 hoards 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, God'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 shields, 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 ship 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 ship; 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 hoary 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 flashing 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 ships, 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 Ætheling; to their kinsmen's home, To the wide land of Wessex --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 hoary-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 Ætheling_: Edmund the Ætheling (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.]