Donations are essential to keep Write Out Loud going    

One Anglaland

entry picture

We buried our gold in an oaken cask

To hide from the pillaging Dane;

Then fled in hopes of recovering it;

We never saw treasure again.

 

We trudged our way southwards for five whole days,

The Danes never far from behind;

They were close enough we could hear the screams

Of those captured that they would blind.

 

We sought sanctuary in Eoferwic

Through Northumbrian moor and moss

And found in a church a Christian priest

Blood-eagled, alive on his cross.

 

The city no longer held surety,

We heard from those fleeing who spoke;

But words were not needed as distantly

Ascended the stench and the smoke.

 

The Vikings had sailed up the Ouse that day

By crossing the seas of the East;

The townsfolk and thegns who'd resisted them

Were dining in Wael at Tiw's feast.

 

The old gods it seems have abandoned us;

The new God does not hear us pray;

The Northmen are raiding in Mercia

And Wessex is too far away.

 

But even the Kingdom of Wessex quakes;

It’s rumoured King Alfred is dead,

Or hides in the levels like a shy girl,

Or with fever lies on his bed.

 

We Saxons are fated to flee before

The scourge of the Dane’s burning brand;

There is little hope for the Kingdoms here

Unless we are one Anglaland.

◄ Two Litre Capri

Gaspers ►

Comments

Profile image

John Coopey

Wed 8th Dec 2010 09:47

For the geeks among us (myself included)
1 Eoferwic was Saxon for York
2 Northumbria was, of course, anywhere north of the Humber ie including Yorkshire
3 Blood-eagling was an old Viking party game. Google it yourself.
4 Not sure of the accuracy of this - I read that the Saxon equivalent of Valhalla was Wael. Tiw was their Boss God (hence Tuesday).
5 The 9th century was a time of religious flux with Christianilty slowly displacing Paganism.
6 Wessex (and Alfred) did, of course, turn round the fortunes of the Saxons at the Battle of Edington.
7 He did hide/regroup at Athelney in the Somerset marshes where he established his great claim in English history - burning the Xmas pudding.
7 If the tide of the Danes had not been turned our history and contemporary society would be much different - a humongous "What If".
We would speak a variant of Danish - but why would we care - we speak a variant of Angle-ish now.

Profile image

Ann Foxglove

Tue 7th Dec 2010 19:34

I do like your style! So good to be able to write about stuff other people don't even think about. And it moved me too. xx

<Deleted User> (7789)

Tue 7th Dec 2010 18:35

Good to see something historical! And an unusual historical subject matter, too.

<Deleted User> (8672)

Mon 6th Dec 2010 07:26

I really like this John, evocative and accurate! This is a subject close to my heart, too. I can hear the shouts for Saint Eadmund!!!

Profile image

Greg Freeman

Sun 5th Dec 2010 23:40

Terrific one, John. Steeped in knowledge and history: "the stench and the smoke" and the priest "alive on his cross".

If you wish to post a comment you must login.

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

Find out more Hide this message