he saes naht locs at the ground
this is my werod and we has worc to do and this other man this great cyng this fuccan hereweard he may do his own fuccan worc but i will not hiere naht of him again for it is not our worc cilde it is not our worc
none saes naht then tofe locs at the ground small and the gleoman locs at me and grimcell locs at me lic he oft does with no loc in his eages at all
well then i saes lic naht had been saed well then we moste go from this path for sum may cum here who does not wysc us well. we is goan south
cum saes grimcell to the gleoman and he saes it strong he does not asc me does not loc at me. the gleoman locs at him
where was thu goan saes grimcell to him cum with us for sum time efen if the time is only a scorte one. gif us as we walcs tales and tidans from the land
the gleoman locs at him for a scorte time then at me and tofe and he saes well i will cum then i will cum with thu for a lytel for i wolde cnaw where thu has been and what thu has seen and many things i has to sae what thu may find good to hiere
now thu has hierde
who is he
thy brothor and thy enemi
i is stronger
let us see
upon a hyll stands a treow but this treow it has no stics no leafs. its stocc is gold on it is writhan lines of blud red it reacces to the heofon its roots is deop deop in the eorth. abuf the hyll all the heofon is hwit and below all the ground is deorc. the treow is scinan and from all places folcs is walcan to it walcan to the scinan treow locan for sum thing from it. abuf the tree flies a raefn below it walcs a wulf and deop in the eorth where no man sees around the roots of the treow sleeps a great wyrm and this wyrm what has slept since before all time this wyrm now slow slow slow this wyrm begins to mof
well because we is grene men and because we is as great as any fuccan hereweard we walcs now down the straet and not in the treows lic hunds. we walcs all of us and with me leadan and with my sweord on my belt we walcs tall lic we is the fyrd we is goan to be
where does thu go to ascs the gleoman as we is walcan. this one he locs at me lic he is all the time smercan it seems lic he is all the time smercan yet there is no smerc on his nebb
what is the ham that is most near i saes to him
creatas tun is two miles on this straet he saes
then we will go to creatas tun and there we will spec to the folc and we will tell them we is men of the holt and we is gathran to mac a fyrd agan the frenc and we will asc the men of the tun to cum with us
it is a small place there is not many folc
many small places will gif us many good folc
yes saes tofe yes we gan gathran and he is blithe as a man who goes gathran a wif in litha
is there frenc there saes grimcell to the gleoman we does not want to see frenc
thu has seen too many frenc yes saes the gleoman and cwelled one i thinc
who telt thu this i saes
folcs specs saes the gleoman and folcs thincs the frenc thegn of these parts sum wices ago was cwelled by folcs from the holt
and what does thu thinc gleoman i saes and i saes it strong but still he is smercan it seems to me
i is only a gleoman he saes only a scop what does i cnaw
what does thu cnaw
if any was to asc i wolde sae that to tac and cwell a yonge frenc thegn in the holts of angland is a great thing and that many folcs here specs of it when there is no frenc near them and they is in awe of the folcs who done this though also in fear. for of course it is also a dumb act an act of blud but at a time when all angland is in blud who can spec of this in succ words
folcs specs of it saes tofe folcs of these wuds. he is in a great thryll now
i has hierde folcs in hams spec of it saes the gleoman and i has hierde frenc also spec of it they is in ire and perhaps also in sum fear
fear saes tofe the frenc in fear
of course they does not cnawan who to fear saes the gleoman and the folcs of the hams does not cnawan who to thanc
none cnawan naht saes grimcell
sum saes this thegn was cwelled by aelfs saes the gleoman
aelfs i saes aelfs with lines
but most saes the gleoman is thincan he was cwelled by hereweard
hereweard i saes fuccan hereweard. o i is in ire to hiere of this again who is this fuccan hereweard hereweard always folcs is lic sceop
he ires thu saes the gleoman to me
thu fuccan ires me gleoman i saes with all thy words all thy specan of fuccan hereweard it was not he cwelled the thegn it was us it was me
well saes the gleoman well
with a line saes tofe
ofer his fuccan frenc throta saes i
well saes the gleoman
is thu fuccan smercan
smercan saes the gleoman well no i is not smercan
fuccan hereweard i saes who specs of him why does folcs always spec of him
folcs is folcs saes the gleoman they needs tales of great men it cepes me eatan
tell them tales of us saes tofe tell them tales of us cwellan the thegn
do not saes grimcell do not. does thu want to feoht one hundred frenc men tofe do not spec of us lic this we is men only
we walced on we walced towards creatas tun but i was in ire thincan of this hereweard and of all this specan of him and of how a socman with three oxgangs can cum to be lower than a gleoman sleepan in the fuccan holt lic a brocc or a fox. well i had to thinc of weland i had to thinc of his words always for i cnawan i was ceosan i cnawan i moste be triewe
the daeg was wanan and i was needan to thinc on what had cum and on what wolde cum now and so i telt my werod to stop that night in the holt and when the mergen cum we wolde go in to creatas tun and we wolde tell them of our greatness of our deed with the frenc thegn and we wolde call on men of that ham to cum with us to feoht. i wolde gather many folcs and what moste be done then wolde cum to me or weland wolde cum to me and gif me my lead when my werod was great and my sweord again free for feohtan lic my grandfather had meant it to be
we macd a fyr then and we satt and we ate sum of the last of tofes swine what we had cwelled and smocd sum time before and also we ate sum swamms what by now was growan in the holt. after this we wolde be needan mor foda and we moste thinc on this if we was not to be eatan bits of fugol and fox and the leaf from the treow
well when thu sits a gleoman by a fyr and gifs him foda he starts to spiw out raedels and soon enough this ulf he was doan so. tofe and grimcell they was laughan and grimcell well i had not seen him laughan efer
a yonge man saes the gleoman macs for the ecg of the hus where he sees the thing he wants and with his hands he lifts up her gyrdel and under it he throsts sum thing long and hard. well this yonge man he worcs his will and the both of them they shacs then this man he cwicns and then is tyred. he falls baec but his worc is done and under the gyrdel sum thing is growan what this yonge man will be blithe to see in times to cum
tofe and grimcell they is both laughan now and the gleoman this time he is smercan for real. i does not cnaw of what he is specan
buccmaster calls the gleoman tell us what was this yonge man doan
no gleoman i saes i does not do games
tofe cilde saes the gleoman thu can tell us can thu not for thu is a great man of this world. tofe then he is gan red lic a berie and only laughs
ulf saes grimcell thy raedels runs out this one i has hierde before the man is ceornan buttere
buttere saes tofe and he almost falls ofer laughan. nefer has i seen why men pleges lic this when they sceolde be strong. i is sat around this fyr for the heat but i is clenan my sweord not plegen. well at this time i was needan a piss so i left my sweord and i gan in to the holt and when thu gan from a fyr in to the deorc of the holt the deorc seems deoper than at any other time and hard it is to see any thing. as i gan in to the holt sum small way i hierde a sound near me and i was thincan i sceolde not haf left my sweord by the fyr that again i has let weland thinc small
of me for always he is locan on
but the sound was small it was not the sound of a man i locd down as my eages began to see in to the blaec and i seen a fox mofan away from me in to the holt. i thincs naht of this only that he had seen our swine mete and now had seen me and was runnan but as i cum to a treow and begun to piss i seen this fox stop walcan. this fox he stopped walcan and he teorned and he locd at me and in his eages there was sum mad thing. this fox his eages was not the eages of a wiht they was the eages of a man and it was a man i had cnawan but what man i colde not sae. this fox he stood and locd at me for sum time it was lic he cnawan me lic he was locan for me lic he wolde spec to me but then he teorned and he mofd in to the blaec holt and was gan
well i gan baec to the fyr then and i was in deop thought and i hierde the gleoman specan to tofe and grimcell as i cum and he was specan soft
he is waecnan saed the gleoman he is waecnan while others in angland sleeps and it is saed by the folcs of these parts that he is cum to waecen us all and lead us agan
who i saes cuman up to the fyr. well the gleoman locs at me then and in his eages this time there is no smercan but his eages mofs cwic at sean me
of who is thu specan i saes. tofe and grimcell only locs at the fyr
sitt down buccmaster my freond saes the gleoman now his words cuman again sitt down and i will tell thu of eadric the wilde
eadric the fuccan wilde i is not an esol i cnawan of who these folcs was specan when i was gan i cnawan what they was doan that they was not triewe to me. but at this time hafan seen this fox and wundran on what this thing was i saed naht but i did not forget no i did not
tell us of eadric saes tofe
eadric is a great wilde man saes the gleoman a great wilde man of the west. i has met folcs from the west of angland from the lands near the wealsc lands for this is where eadric was bred. on the ecg of the wealsc lands is great duns and hylls what gan so high they is in the heofons and thu can stand on these great roccs and under thu is cloud and abuf thu only the sunne in the heofon
how is this saes tofe in wundor
well lifan in these fenns cilde thu has not efer efen seen a dun saes the gleoman but o great and high they is with great hwit eas what foams down them so wide and fast that no man efer can cross them. on the other side of these great roccs and eas is the lands of the wealsc and good it is that these duns and eas cepes them from us for they is a deorc folc lic dweorgs they is full of blaec yfel and mad ways and ire against all anglisc. well in these duns and by these eas and in the great deorc holts of those lands this is where eadric lifs
this eadric a man of parts he was in his lands yes a little lic thu buccmaster of holland a man with a great hus micel thought of. a great thegn was eadric it is saed but he wolde not gif in to the laws of the bastard and so the frenc cum and they toc his lands and his hus and he gan in to the holt and he sworn he wolde tac all baec. well eadric he has been gathran a werod yes lic thu buccmaster micel lic thu and this great werod he has been leadan out from the holt when none cnawan he was cuman and micel frenc blud has he spilt. many frenc folcs he has cwelled on the roads and sum of them great men sum of them efen cnihts he has cwelled them and their hors
o saes tofe then there is grene men all ofer
o all ofer yes saes the gleoman great werods of grene men lic thu yes and this eadric well it colde be he is the greatest of them all for sum wices ago he beorned a frenc castel
a castel saes grimcell what is a castel
if thu moste asc this saes the gleoman then it is good for sean one of these things wolde fill thu with fear. he is talcan it up again as gleoman do here i is clenan my sweord to cepe from specan at him scarp lic
i has seen a castel near these parts saes the gleoman at stan ford where the frenc has macd one and it is a fearsum thing. a great hyll they macs from the eorth they macs anglisc folc build it then on the hill they macs a great tor and round it a wall and gates high and strong and in this castel is cnihts on hors and all the land near them they can see. and if any anglisc specs agan them or does not gif geld or does not gif their land or wifmen to the frenc when telt well these cnihts they cums out with sweords and floods the land with anglisc blud
these ingengas they is deofuls i saes deofuls
this is an yfel thing saes tofe
well eadric saes the gleoman he seen also this yfel and in the night he toc his men to a castel near his lands and they put fyr to it it and in the castel many frenc cnihts beorned. well the frenc now they hunts eadric all ofer but he is in holt and on hyll and they can not find him for he cnawan his land and they is afeart of it and now of him
then it is true anglisc is risan saes grimcell it is not only words. as he specs he seems to lif lic he has not done for sum wices efen since he put ecceard in his graef
anglisc is risan saes the gleoman they is risan all ofer but they is awaitan an ealdor. harald cyng his brothors his eorls many thegns all is cwelled or fled so who will lead us now. all ofer men locs for a cyng and when a cyng cums well then they will rise lic the winter sea and then it may be there will be no mor frenc castels in angland and no mor frenc cnihts not efer
in the mergen it was lic i had gan baec
in the mergen we woc we lit the fyr and we ate and spac about what we wolde do. when we had spac and when i had telt my werod what we sceolde do in this place and why we was goan then we cyccd the fyr ofer and we macd our way through the holt and out to where the light cum in around the ham. this was a small ham smaller than ours but still it toc me baec to the eald lif for this ham was worcan and lifan
we cums from the holt and to the ecg of the ham and we cum past swine rootan where the treows gan smaller and then through felds of beans lic what i was growan in my felds and peas also and leacs. there was aeppel treows then and a small ea and the heofon smelt of ealu and smoc and treows and folc. there was eight hus there small for small men but still it macd me loc baec on what i had been and what had been tacan
and what i was felan then well it was felt mor deop when i seen what was in the ham for it seemed that the haerfest mass was happnan. long had we been in the holt and hard it was to tell the passan of the year in the treows but now here i colde see it was haligmonth the month of the haerfest and it was lic a spere in my heorte. then i colde feel deop the need for my land the need to worc it and be with it and i colde feel deop what was tacan from me. what had cum to my land i was thincan was it now becum treows again was it still blaec with aesc did sum other man cum to tac it was he frenc or anglisc. was there any left in my eald ham did any lif there. ah succ wundor there was in my land what had been the land of my grandfather and of his so micel worc in that ground so micel of my cynn and now
well now i loccd at tofe and at grimcell and at ulf the gleoman i loccd at us all standan in the ecg of the wud there not seen by the ham folcs and we men we was lic ghasts from the deorc. all of our clothes blaec and filthd our nebbs deorc and all of us stincan lic a byr and us locan there at these folcs of the ham and they was laughan and singan for the baerlic haerfest was cuman in and here in this small place in the holt it was lic angland for sum small time was all alyf again and i felt small lic a weac weac man and i felt my father locan at me saen this cilde was always small and my grandfather locan at me saen cilde thu is no good
in the straet betweon the hus there was sum folcs cum from the felds and they was cuman with blitheness. the sunne was high in the heofon this mergen the heofon lic flax and from the felds was cuman men with sithes and wifmen with sicls and they had baerlic sheafs and these they put on a waegn what was tied to a small esol. this waegn it had leafs of ac and aesc wound around it lic the haer of a wifman on the daeg she was wed and on the waegn was a wifman but she was not lifan. this wifman she was macd of baerlic sheafs and her haer was macd of leafs and blosms was her clothes
this cwen of the haerfest she was passan through this small ham as folcs put mor baerlic on the waegn and threw blosms at her. there was a cilde plegen a harp and also a cilde with pipe
and they was macan songs what sum folcs was steppan to as they gan after this slow waegn what was mofan to a barn at the end of the straet. well this waegn it went in to this barn then and folcs followed it and from in the barn then cum the sounds of blithe lif
i telt my men to follow me and to this barn i walced and i walced tall. in this gathran of folcs there was wifmen and boys and eald folcs but there was also men of good age and sum of these i was thincan wolde cum to us when they cnawan we was gathran a werod to stric agan the frenc. in to the barn we gan and we gan tall and in the barn we seen the waegn and around it folcs singan and leapan and there was drincan of ealu and pipes and harp plegen and micel blitheness
soon enough this stopped when we was seen standan at the door. music stopped and singan also and folcs loccd at us in sum wundor and also in fear it seemed for they did not cnaw who we was we might haf been ingengas
so what i done i spac to them as they loccd at us and i spac cwic before sum folc spac to us. anglisc folcs i saes good anglisc folcs of creatas tun do not be afeart for we is not nightgengas or wihts of the holt though it is triewe we has been lifan there. my men and i we is grene men
there was sum specan low at this and this macd me feel strong
we is grene men i saes again we is risan agan the bastard cyng geeyome and the frenc what has toc our lands and our freodoms and the eald ways from us. all ofer angland grene men is gathran there is great fyrds of us and we has cum here to tell thu of this great thing and to call on any folcs who lufs freodom in this ham to cum with us that we may drif the frenc in to the sea lic the wihts they is
here two or three folcs seemed to mac sounds lic they thought this was good but most only locd at us still. lic hunds they was only locan. well i had thought that this tale of feohtan and freodom wolde mac men cum to us but all only stood locan lic we was aelfs macd flesc
then a man cum from the folcs to us he was a yonge man with bright eages not an esol he cum up and he spac to me
what is thy name he saes
The Wake: Man Booker Prize 2014 Longlist Edition Page 14