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THE BATTLE OF MALDON (lines 29-63) Old English Text “Mē sendon tō þē

sǣman snelle,

hēton ðê seċġan,

þæt þū mōst sendan raðe

bēagas wið ġebeorge;

and ēow betere is

þæt ġē þisne gārrǣs

mid gafole forgyldon,

þonne wē swā hearde Ne þurfe wē ūs spillan, wē willaþ wið þām golde

hilde dǣlon. ġif ġē spēdaþ tō þām; grið fæstnian.

Gyf þū þæt ġerǣdest

þe hēr rīcost eart,

þæt þū þīne leoda

lysan wille,

syllan sǣmannum

on hyra sylfra dōm

feoh wið frēoðe,

and niman frið æt ūs,

Literal translation More readable translation Me sent to thee seamen bold, Bold seamen have sent me to you ordered thee say

that you must send quickly

and ordered me to tell you that you must quickly rings for protection;

and you better is

send rings in exchange for protection; and it is better for you that you this spear-storm

with tribute pay for,

that you should pay tribute for this battle, than we so hard

battle deal.

than we should fight such a hard battle. We need not kill ourselves,

if you speed to that;

There is no deed for us to kill one another, if you comply to that; we are willing for that gold

peace fasten.

We are willing to hold peace in exchange for the gold. If you that decide

who here mightiest are

If you, who are the most important here, decide that, that you thy people

ransom will,

that is, that you are willing to ransom your people, give seamen

on their own judgement

the give the seamen as much tribute as they decide, money for peace,

and [if you] take peace with us,

money in exchange for peace, and be at peace with us, wē willaþ mid þām sċeattum ūs tō sċype gangan,

we will with the payments

to ship go,

[then]we will return to the ship with the payment, on flōt fēran,

and ēow friþes healdan.”

Byrhtnōd maþelode,

bord hafenode,

wand wācne æsċ,

wordum mǣlde,

yrre and ānrǣd

āgeaf him andsware:

“Ġehyrst þū, sǣlida,

hwæt þis folc seġeþ?

Hī willað ēow tō gafole

gāras syllan,

ǣttrene ord

and ealde swurd,

þā hereġeatu

þe ēow æt hilde ne dēah.

Brimmanna boda, seġe þīnum lēodum þæt hēr stynt unforcūð

ābēod eft onġēan, miċċle lāþre spell, eorl mid werode,

on sea go,

and your peace hold.”

and take to sea and hold peace with you.” Byrhtnod spoke,

board raised,

Byrhtnod spoke, raising his shield waved slender spear,

with words spoke,

and brandishing his slender spears. Speaking with angry and resolute

gave him answer:

angry and resolute words, he gave him this answer. “Hearst thou, sailor,

what this folk sayeth?

“You seaman, can you hear what this people says? They will you as tribute

battle give,

The tribute they will pay you is a harsh fray, poisoned point

and old sword,

poisoned spears and old swords, the heriot

that [to] at battle not avails.

all that war-gear

which will be no use for you at battle.

Seafarers’ messenger,

announce back again,

You, messenger of the Vikings, report back say your people

much more loathsome message,

and announce to your people a more more loathsome message, that here stands unblemished

earl with troops,

namely, that here the earls stand unblemished with his soldiers, þe wile ġealġean

ēþel þysne,

Æþelredes eard,

ealdres mīnes

folc and foldan;

feallan sċeolon

hǣþene æt hilde.

Tō hēanlic mē þinceð

þæt ġē mid ūrum sċeattum

tō sċype gangon

unbefohtene,

nū ġē þus feor hider

on ūrne eard

in becōmon.

this homeland,

who will defend their homeland Ethelred’s country,

my prince,

the land of Ethelred, my prince, folk and ground;

fall must

his people and his territory; you pagans heathen at battle.

To odious me seems

must fall in the fray. It seems to me utterly abhorrent that you with our money

to ship go

that you should go back to your ships with our money unfought,

now that you so far here

without fighting, now that you have come so far into in our land

in have come.

our country.

Ne sċeole ġē swā sōfte

sinc ġegangan;

ūs sċeal ord and eċġ

ǣr ġesēman,

grim gūð plega,

who will defend

ǣr wē gofol syllon .”

Hēt þā bord beran,

beornas gangan,

þæt hī on þām ēasteðe

ealle stōdon.

You must not so undisturbed

riches obtain;

You must not get our riches so easily. us must point and edge

before settle,

Our spears and our swords must decide in grim battle game,

before we tribute give.”

in a fierce battle, before we pay tribute.” Ordered then board to bear,

warriors to go,

Then he ordered his warriors to lift their shield and advance, so that they on the riverbank

all stood.

and they were all standing ready on the riverbank. Links: http://www.wmich.edu/medieval/research/rawl/maldon/ http://mockingbird.creighton.edu/english/fajardo/teaching/eng340/maldon.htm http://www.arts.usyd.edu.au/departs/english/asnac/oe/moretext/maldon/malframe.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Battle_of_Maldon_(poem) http://faculty.uca.edu/~jona/texts/maldon.htm