scut thy fuccan mouth cottar i saes i has welands sweord
ah thy sweord of wundor he saes and thy bodig what can nefer die o buccmaster tell us why is it that with all this thu sits in a hut in the holt with fife men while angland beorns all ofer
scut thy fuccan mouth i saes or i will do to thu what i done to the fuccan gleoman and the gerefa and the frenc thegn does thu cnaw who thu specs to
a man whose madness is full now lic the mona saes grimcell and he does not smerc. specan to treows muttran to the wind talcan of eald gods wafan sum fuccan eald sweord lic a cilde. o this is my werod i is thy cyng o buccmaster thu is naht naht and nefer has been
i gan at him i had to there was naht else to do. i gan at him with my sweord and he toc his bow and he tried to haf me but i was too near and i fell on him with my sweord and i cut him but i colde not cwell him for other men had me and was tacan me off it was fuccan aelfgar and siward the cunts
do not do this aelfgar saes to me and to grimcell
six anglisc men together saes siward and he is callan loud six only and they tears at eacc other lic hunds they does the worc of the frenc
thu does not spec to me this way i saes thu fuccan does not nefer nefer. o the fuccers the esols the scuccas o this will not be the last it will not
tofe cums and he helps grimcell to stand and he is bledan i sees on the arm where my sweord has stracc and he locs at me lic he is on fyr but i will not stand for this and i mofs hard away from these fuccan thralls who holds me
i is buccmaster of holland i saes does thu hiere this i is buccmaster of holland i is a socman a man of the wapentac i has three oxgangs and this is my werod. this is my werod and this is my sweord and those who wolde leaf with this fuccan preost go now go north go to sec thy eorls and beorn lic the landwaster did in northern fyr
none saes naht only locs at me. the preost all this time has gan baec into the stocc of a treow lic he was part of it but his eages is scearp and always is locan ofer me
go i saes fuccan go all who wolde be weosuls lic that dead gleoman go and if again thu cums to me the next time the gods will not cepe thu. on fyr then i was on fyr and i teorns and gan baec to the hus in the holt and fucc them all fucc them fucc them fucc them
trust none buccmaster i has telt thu
there is none i trust none
all is agan thu i has telt thu
all is agan me
great hereweard rises while thu is sincan
fucc hereweard he is a ghast only
he gathers a fyrd while thu does naht
this is scit
this sweord i gaf thu and what will thu do
tell me
all thy cynn locs on in sceomu
tell me tell me what moste i do
thu moste go
go where
go baec
baec
baec
on the mergen what came after there was four men by the fyr when i had thought there wolde be none. grimcell was gan and i was blithe to see this but i saed naht only sat and ate sum baerlic loaf. tofe and aelfgar and godric and siward saed no words as i cum only ate and dranc slow and loccd at me. tofe though was a yonge man and colde not for long cepe his thoughts to himself
what will we do buccmaster he saes
do i saes
it is odd that grimcell is gan he saes he was the first
he is a hund we will spec of him no mor
for sum time naht is saed but the words is in tofes eages before they is in his mouth and i is sittan waitan for them
the fyrd he starts to sae at last
go if thu wolde i saes go now none will stop thu but as long as thu is with me there will be no mor specan of this fyrd or of eorfic or the eorls of the north
then what saes siward and he saes it bold. buccmaster when thu and thy men cum to our ham on the first daeg of litha we cum to thu cene to feoht with the frenc cene to feoht for angland. we cum to thu with waepens and with strength and with full heortes but what has we seen. we has lost men to the frenc in stan ford and then we has sat here macan walls diggan dicces
waitan saes godric but for what
waitan for what saes aelfgar this is what we wolde cnaw. grimcell he spoc with us when thu was gan he bid us cum to the fyrd and we was thincan hard
we wolde go saes siward but we does not cnaw if we colde trust the northern eorls. they saes the men in the north can be weosuls and we cnawan naht about where to go or what will be when we gan there
it colde be thu is right buccmaster that this fyrd will be weac saes godric. but if we staes with thu what will thu gif us feohtan men for thu moste gif us sum thing
it is not time for talcan now saes siward it is time to feoht
well it seems they is all agan me now they has bene talcan without me here it seems they wolde be cyngs all. well i had nefer thought to stae here we was gathran our strength that is all gathran our strength waitan for our time
men i saes now lysten to me. in all things this werod has been triewe always and we has cwelled many frenc folcs since we cum together. we has lost men in stan ford when we was sold by a gleoman for gold but i cwelled him triewe and we is still here. now lysten to me of what we is. we is grene men we is men of the holt of the fenns we cums from a grene place we cums from the ground none can see us if we does not asc them. we cum up in the night and in the grene light and we cuts out the deorcness that has cum to our land and we gan baec again in to holt and fenn before the frenc efen cnawan what we is
this is what we is i saes it is what we do. we hears all ofer of others lic us all ofer angland in efry ham in efry tun in efry wud and feld there is men who will rise with the sunne and cut the throta of the frenc in stillness and then becum the treows again. we is not fyrdsmen we does not feoht on hors on hylls in lines with cyngs and huscarls. we is men of the hidden places of our own places and our worc is to stand for the lands we cnawan and cum from to cepe our own folc free. and when there is enough of us angland will not be ham for no ingenga and none will stand to be here for none can lif if the treows the ground the hylls them selfs is waepened agan all comers
i loccd around the fyr then at these men who is locan at me now still and it seems they is cene to hiere these words from me and blithe that i is leadan them for a hund wolde always be led. tofe and aelfgar and siward and godric that is all now they is not many men but they is mine
men i saes we is not many but we is strong. we has stayed in this holt now for enough time we has macd us a place that we can cum to when we is needan to cepe safe if again we is needan to run. grimcell that hund who is gan thu has hierde him moccan thy gods and thy land well he may mocc but the treows the holt the ground itself here has macd us strong
again i stops talcan and locs only at my men and they is still still loccan on
men i saes this daeg we is goan
goan saes tofe where. he locs blithe and the others also seems to waecen when i saes these words as i cnawan they wolde lic hunds is men walcan at the right words
we is goan to the fenns i saes baec to the fenns from where i is cum for it is there that we will stand it is there we is needed. this i has been gifen this i has been telt the holt is not our place we must cum to water and there we will see what is gifen to us and what we moste do. tac thy waepens tac foda tac all things that we will need
well i cnawan no mor i cnawan lytel of what i colde do or where we sceolde walc. all i cnawan was that my men was weac and agan me and wolde not stay and so we moste go. i cnawan this fuccan preost had macd them thinc there was other ways to feoht and they was thincan all the time of the north and the eorls and i moste gif them other things other ways
but it was not only this that macd me go for i colde feel sum thing in the heofon that wolde tac me baec to the fenns. in my sleep in these times i had been dreaman of the fenns of the meres and pools of my eald hus of the gods of my cynn and my folc and the great deorc holt of the brunnesweald in these daegs seemed to be a place of ingengas and deorcness. there
was eald wicce craft in this holt and aelfs and scuccas it was not my land
i was a man of the water not the wud the fenns was callan me. i had always seen things felt things no other colde and again now we moste go to the water lands for there was no other place triewe in this world
and there is light now light under the mere. and so flat in the daegs beginnan and deorc all ofer until so lytel so lytel but so strong a fyr can be seen a fyr deop under the water a fyr in the treows hard and lytel lic a candel fyr but growan lic a treow to the light
we gan through the holt for four daegs to get to the blaec fenns always cepan to the treows cepan off the paths and the roads. sum times we hierde others in small hams or on roads sum times we seen them but nefer near not now none colde be trusted. it was three daegs walcan before the brunnesweald gan baec and the land becum small farms and hus and hams felds and paths. we gan through stillness and in another daeg the eorth teorned blaec the meres began the secg was seen and in the heofon was the eald feel of my lif and of my folc
tofe seemed to cum alyf as we cum near to the fenns. lic me he was a man of these parts and sum times i wolde loc at him and see the cilde becuman man. it had been sum time since he had been to his ham and i also and we had becum other whilst we was in other places for man tacs on the ways of the place he is in and the holt had cum in to us without us cnawan
it is good to be here saes tofe i has missed the fenns
it is thy place cilde lic it is mine
it is not lic no other it is not lic the wuds or these hylls that is in the wealsc lands or these great tuns lic stan ford. it is the triewest place in angland
it is
in the holt all is deorc and it is aelfs and wihts what is ealdors there. in the tuns all is so great and blaec and there is so micel sound that no man can be free or triewe but in the fenns
in the fenns
there was not no need to sae mor
it was lic i was tacan it was lic weland or sum other mofd me as weland had mofd my sweord when i had cwelled the esol gerefa. i did not thinc where we wolde go when we got to the fenns but only walcdd without stoppan without thincan and it was midday in late sumor when i cum to where i did not cnaw i was goan
what is this place saes aelfgar
it is my ham i saes
i had cum to the ham that i had left two winters before. i had gan with ecceard who was dead now in his graef in the holt and with grimcell the esol cottar who had now gan north to be cwelled in frenc fyr and he wolde see he wolde see who was wise. i had stood here in the deop winter locan at all the hus smocan locan at the folcs cwelled and dyan on the ground after the ingengas had cum through. now in sumor cuman to haerfest i stood again locan and things was not the same
the frenc was here then saes aelfgar
the frenc was here i saes and i was not. all was beorned all was cwelled
why
we wolde not gif geld to them
none saes naht now only locs at what has cum to the ham. two winters only it has been but already it is lic there was no ham here. ofer the blaec deaths of the hus of the folcs grass is growan and secg is crepan in from the fenns. the paths is goan also undor grass and leafs. there is no bodigs of the folcs now it colde be sum has cum baec to put them in graefs or it colde be that wihts has ate them but undor the high grene i colde not efen see bones. stillness there was nefer in this place always the specan of wifmen and cottars and geburs i wolde not cum to this place so micel talcan scit was there but now all that colde be hierde was fugols and the wind
cum i saes to my men and i tacs them up the path where i cnawan i moste go
this path is not so high and grene it is lic folcs has been this way since the beornan though i can not see why. up we gan up the path my heorte hefig but i gan lic i was macd to go and it was not long
thy hus saes aelfgar to me. he is not a dumb man
my hus i saes
this is a hard thing saes siward a hard thing for thu
well my hus also is gan undor the high grene grass. in my eald felds there is baerlic growan and flax with micel grass in it all fallan down now no folcs to haerfest it. where my great hus was is blaec aesc and sum grass and there is lytel welig and alor treows cuman up near the eald barn. the holt is cuman baec the treows and the grass and the secg is cuman baec to tac what was theirs now their waitan is ofer
the frenc beorned thy hus saes tofe did thu feoht them
they wolde not feoht me cilde i saes i cum up to this place with welands sweord in my hand and i called on them to stand and feoht lic men but they gan on their hors and they ran when they seen me
we stood locan there for sum time it was lic i colde not mof
buccmaster saes aelfgar tell us why did thu bring us here
well as i had walced here not cnawan where i was goan now i spoc without cnawan what words wolde cum but words did cum and it was not me who spoc
this is my ham i saes this is my land my ground. in this place i was born as my father and grandfather was. when the ingengas cum i was macd to leaf here i was macd to go gathran to get men to mac a werod to leorn of the world beyond. all this we has done and now we cums baec to the fenns stronger and ready
ready saes godric for what
we is grene men i saes our place is in the sceados by the ecgs. when the enemi is seen we cums at him from the deorc and we tacs him before he can sae any words. there is mor of us now we is all ofer and when there is enough then no frenc man sceal lif in angland. those who gan north to fight in fyrds with mad wealsc men they will be cut down but we will lif lic the treows lic the secg lic the grass after the beornan
lic the grass saes tofe lic the secg
the esol grimcell i saes he wolde mocc me but he cnawan i has seen things that other men can not see he cnawan i is ceoson and this is why he is afeart. thu men is triewe to me for thu has been tested and thu has stayed. sum has gan north to fight with the eorls and sum has gan loccan for this fuccan hereweard who walcs in these parts callan anglisc men to cum to him but who is nefer seen. but thu men is triewe thu is triewe to me and now we will go huntan
what will we hunt saes aelfgar
and i saes we will hunt a man
then thu is ready
i is ready
ready for the hunt
who is the prey
he is near
always thu talcs in raedels
wolde thu haf me holde thy hand cilde
i wolde haf thu tell me what i moste do
loc to thy self loc to the land do not loc to me
thu called me
go to them buccmaster go to them
that night we stayed on my land. we lit a fyr by the holt where i had slept the night i had cum baec to find all gan and we ate and dranc. i gan and toc sum aels from the fenn and we ate foda and we dranc and we spoc and i telt my men what we wolde do
when i had ate and as my men was still drencan in the deorcness by the fyr i gan walcan. i gan walcan until i found the graef of my wifman odelyn. grassed it was now but i colde see it high lic the beorgs of the eald cyngs
odelyn i saes odelyn it is me. i has tacan wergild from many ingengas for thu
i hierde naht only my men specan around the fyr
it is not enough i saes there will be mor for thu there will always be mor
i stands and i locs at all that i was
i gan baec to the fyr then and i dranc the last of the ealu we had on the straet and when i had dranc i gan down in my cape around the fyr and i slept lic i had not nefer slept in the deorcness of the eald holt that is called the brunnesweald
i becum it i becum it i was a man no mor. was i a wyrm a hara a broc i was sum thing that was not a man but was not lic any wiht i cnaw. i gan down a deop hol in to the ground deop and blaec and i colde feel the eorth in my haer on my nebb cold and wet. down i gan until i cum in to a great light place in the eorth and all around me i seen dweorgs worcan to dig gold from the rocc worcan with hamors and with hands. i flowan through this and i
cum up abuf the eorth again i was in the heofon i was a fugol with a carfan bec and i flowan then flowan across water what nefer seemed to haf an end
i cum then to an ealond where there was great blaec treows higher than all things and ealdor than the rocc in the eorth and to the ground i gan and becum again a man. abuf me the blaec treows gan up to the heofon i colde not see the place where they ended deorc it was deorc with the sound of the water mofan on the blaec strand. and i stood and i called to the heofon called in to the treows in words i do not cnaw and then i seen her
she cum from the treows slow and small lic a graeg sceado. naht in her eages naht in her nebb she wore cloths but not lic no wifman in the world of men and her eages they loccd at me and i was scoccd when i seen them i wanted to run. they was her eages but dead and yet they loccd at me lic i was no man lic i was a ghast lic all things was cnawan about me efen deop in to my sawol
my brothor she saes
aelfgifu
thu sceolde not haf cum
thu is thynne thu is in fear
there is no fear here brothor
aelfgifu cum baec with me to the fyr we has ealu i has men we is cyngs of angland now
all cyngs is dust
do not go
why does thu cum after what thu done
aelfgifu
what thu done and will do
cum with me
angland is dead brothor do not raise the dead
aelfgifu
do not raise the dead
i wolde be with thu
thu will
for micel time the next mergen i colde not spec colde not eat for in the night this deorc dream had cum to me and i cnawan it was gifen to me. why had this cum i did not cnaw it macd me cold lic ys i ascd weland but weland wolde not spec nefer wolde he spec when he was ascd only when he ceose
this mergen i had thought to begin walcan for we moste go huntan and my men was ready. the night of the dream when i had spoc to my men it had again been lic the words was not mine. we is goan huntan i had saed to them and then i had telt them mor. to mac the frenc afeart i saed we moste stric at them in their strongest part lic we wolde cut the heafod of a snaec or spere the heorte of a bera or a great wyrm. cwellan frenc scuccas on the roads was a good thing but always there wolde be mor. to be great men to do great things we moste stric at a great man so all the world wolde see
The Wake: Man Booker Prize 2014 Longlist Edition Page 21