Loading . . .

In August 991 Byrhtnoth, ealdorman of Essex, encountered an army of vikings camped on Northey Island in the estuary of the River Blackwater near the town of Maldon, Essex. This island was (as it still is) connected to the mainland by a causeway which was covered at high tide. As the causeway was flooded when the armies met, battle could not be joined; when the tide went out, uncovering the causeway, the English were able to keep the vikings bottled up on the island. Then, in a notable tactical blunder, Byrhtnoth decided to allow the viking army to cross to the mainland, presumably so as to break the stalemate. In the battle that followed, Byrhthnoth was slain, much of his army routed, and many (perhaps most) of those who remained slaughtered.

The Battle of Maldon, which commemorates this disaster, is one of a number of poems that find inspiration in defeat: others include The Song of Roland, a fictionalized account of the annihilation of a Frankish army by Saracens; a number of Serbian epics, which dwell upon the fourteenth-century defeat of the Serbs at the Battle of Kosovo and their subsequent domination by the Ottomans; and of course Tennyson's Charge of the Light Brigade, written on the occasion of one of the most famous military disasters in English history. The poetry of defeat, in giving voice to a nation's grief, can stir nationalist sentiment and rouse soldiers to deeds of valour (Tennyson's poem, famously, was distributed in pamphlet form to soldiers in the Crimea). It can also express nostalgia for the values of a supposedly greater national past. The Battle of Maldon does all these things. The anonymous poet is largely uninterested either in demonizing the vikings or in describing the carnage of the scene, and his treatment of the cowards who run away is cursory. Rather, he focuses intensely on the thoughts and words of the men who stay, often juxtaposing their own resolute statements with foreshadowings or spare notices of their deaths. These doomed warriors are predominantly young (a word that commonly describes them is hyse 'young man'): and yet they cast their lot with the aged Byrhtwold, whose sole remaining wish is to lie by the side of his lord. Even as defeat grows more certain, they hold their ground or, more often, advance. Indeed, forð 'forth, forward' is the poem's most prominent adverb, being used ten times of the English troops. But forð is also associated with death in Old English: in The Wanderer (81), death is forðweġ 'the way forward', while in The Dream of the Rood (132-3) the narrator laments that his friends have forð ġewiton 'gone forward' into death; and the most common euphemism meaning 'to die' is forðfēran 'go forth', attested hundreds of times in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle and elsewhere. The young warriors who go forð to the next life subscribe to the code of absolute loyalty to one's lord described as early as the second century by the Roman historian Tacitus and celebrated in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle entry for 755 (see 'Cynewulf and Cyneheard', no. 3 above). As English fortunes declined during the decades following 991, partly because of English treachery, this code of loyalty must have seemed more and more to be a thing of the past.

The poem was already fragmentary, its opening and closing lines lost, when the unique manuscript was destroyed in the Cotton Library fire of 1731. Fortunately a transript had been made by Deputy-Librarian David Casley; all subsequent editions are based on this transcript. The standard recent edition is Scragg (197x); the editions in Pope and Fulk (19xx) and Mitchell and Robinson (19xx) are also valuable. For a collection of useful studies of the battle and its context, see Scragg (1991).

                                 brocen wurde.
Hēt þā hyssa hwæne     hors forlǣtan,
feor āfȳsan     and forð gangan,
hicgan tō handum     and tō hiġe gōdum.
5 Þā þæt Offan mǣġ     ǣrest onfunde
þæt se eorl nolde     yrhðo ġeþolian,
hē lēt him þā of handon     lēofne flēogan
hafoc wið þæs holtes     and tō þǣre hilde stōp.
Be þām man mihte oncnāwan     þæt se cniht nolde
10 wācian æt þām wīġe     þā hē tō wǣpnum fēng.
Ēac him wolde Ēadriċ     his ealdre gelǣstan
frēan tō ġefeohte;     ongan þā forð beran
gār tō gūþe.     Hē hæfde gōd ġeþanc
þā hwīle þe hē mid handum     healdan mihte
15 bord and brād swurd;     bēot hē ġelǣste
þā hē ætforan his frēan     feohtan sceolde.
Ðā þǣr Byrhtnōð ongan     beornas trymian,
rād and rǣdde,     rincum tǣhte
hū hī sceoldon standan     and þone stede healdan
20 and bæd þæt hyra randas     rihte hēoldon
fæste mid folman     and ne forhtedon nā.
Þā hē hæfde þæt folc     fæġere ġetrymmed,
hē līhte þā mid lēodon     þǣr him lēofost wæs,
þǣr hē his heorðwerod     holdost wiste.
25 Þā stōd on stæðe,     stīðlīċe clypode
wīċinga ār,     wordum mǣlde;
se on bēot ābead     brimlīþendra
ǣrænde tō þām eorle     þǣr hē on ōfre stōd:
"Mē sendon tō þē     sǣmen snelle,
30 hēton ðē secgan     þæt þū mōst sendan raðe
bēagas wið ġebeorge;     and ēow betere is
þæt ġē þisne gārrǣs     mid gafole forġyldon
þonne wē swā hearde     hilde dǣlon.
Ne þurfe wē ūs spillan     ġif ġē spēdaþ tō þām;
35 wē willað wið þām golde     grið fæstnian.
Ġyf þū þat ġerǣdest     þe hēr riċost eart
þæt þū þīne lēoda     lȳsan wille,
syllan sǣmannum     on hyra sylfra dōm
feoh wið frēode     and niman frið æt ūs,
40 wē willaþ mid þām sceattum     ūs tō scype gangan,
on flot fēran     and ēow friþes healdan."
Byrhtnōð maþelode,     bord hafenode,
wand wācne æsc,     wordum mǣlde,
yrre and ānræd     āġeaf him andsware:
45 "Gehȳrst þū, sǣlida,     hwæt þis folc seġeð?
Hī willað ēow tō gafole     gāras syllan
ǣttrynne ord     and ealde swurd,
þā hereġeatu     þe ēow æt hilde ne dēah.
Brimmanna boda,     ābēod eft onġēan:
50 seġe þīnum lēodum     miċċle lāþre spell,
þæt hēr stynt unforcūð     eorl mid his werode
þe wile ġealgean     ēþel þysne,
Æþelrēdes eard     ealdres mīnes
folc and foldan.     Feallan sceolon
55 hǣþene æt hilde!     Tō hēanliċ mē þinċeð
þæt ġē mid ūrum sceattum     tō scype gangon
unbefohtene,     nū ġē þus feor hider
on ūrne eard     in becōmon.
Ne sceole ġē swā sōfte     sinc ġegangan;
60 ūs sceal ord and ecg     ǣr ġesēman
grim gūðplega     ǣr wē gofol syllon."
Hēt þā bord beran,     beornas gangan
þæt hī on þām ēasteðe     ealle stōdon.
Ne mihte þǣr for wætere     werod tō þām ōðrum;
65 þǣr cōm flōwende     flōd æfter ebban,
lucon lagustrēamas.     Tō lang hit him þūhte
hwænne hī tōgædere     gāras bēron.
Hī þǣr Pantan strēam     mid prasse bestōdon
Ēastseaxena ord     and se æschere.
70 Ne mihte hyra ǣniġ     ōþrum derian
būton hwā þurh flānes flyht     fyl ġenāme.
Se flōd ūt ġewāt.     Þā flotan stōdon ġearowe
wīċinga fela,     wīġes ġeorne.
Hēt þā hæleða hlēo     healdan þā bricge
75 wigan wīġheardne,     se wæs hāten Wulfstān,
cāfne mid his cynne;     þæt wæs Ċēolan sunu
þe ðone forman man     mid his francan ofscēat
þe þǣr baldlīcost     on þā bricge stōp.
Þǣr stōdon mid Wulfstāne     wigan unforhte,
80 Ælfere and Maccus,     mōdiġe twēġen,
þā noldon æt þām forda     flēam ġewyrċan,
ac hī fæstliċe     wið ðā fȳnd weredon
þā hwīle þe hī wǣpna     wealdan mōston.
Þā hī þæt onġēaton     and ġeorne ġesāwon
85 þæt hī þǣr bricgweardas     bitere fundon,
ongunnon lytegian þā     lāðe ġystas:
bǣdon þæt hī ūpgang     āgan mōston,
ofer þone ford faran,     fēþan lǣdan.
Ðā se eorl ongan     for his ofermōde
90 ālȳfan landes tō fela     lāþere ðēode.
Ongan ċeallian þā     ofer cald wæter
Byrhtelmes bearn     (beornas ġehlyston):
"Nū ēow is ġerȳmed;     gāð riċene tō ūs,
guman tō gūþe.     God āna wāt
95 hwā þǣre wælstōwe     wealdan mōte."
Wōdon þā wælwulfas     (for wætere ne murnon),
wīċinga werod     west ofer Pantan,
ofer scīr wæter     scyldas wēgon,
lidmen tō lande     linde bǣron.
100 Þǣr onġēan gramum     ġearowe stōdon
Byrhtnōð mid beornum;     hē mid bordum hēt
wyrċan þone wīhagan     and þæt werod healdan
fæste wið fēondum.     Þā wæs feohte nēh
tīr æt ġetohte.     Wæs sēo tīd cumen
105 þæt þǣr fǣġe men     feallan sceoldon.
Þǣr wearð hrēam āhafen.     Hremmas wundon,
earn ǣses ġeorn.     Wæs on eorþan ċyrm.
Hī lēton þā of folman     fēolhearde speru,
ġegrundene     gāras flēogan.
110 Bogan wǣron bysiġe;     bord ord onfēng.
Biter wæs se beadurǣs.     Beornas fēollon
on ġehwæðere hand,     hyssas lāgon.
Wund wearð Wulfmǣr,     wælræste ġeċēas
Byrhtnōðes mǣġ;     hē mid billum wearð
115 his swuster sunu     swīðe forhēawen.
Þǣr wearð wīċingum     wiþerlēan āġyfen.
Ġehȳrde iċ þæt Ēadweard     ānne slōge
swīðe mid his swurde,     swenġes ne wyrnde
þæt him æt fōtum fēoll     fǣġe cempa.
120 Þæs him his ðēoden     þanc ġesǣde
þām būrþēne     þā hē byre hæfde.
Swā stemnetton     stīðhicgende
hysas æt hilde;     hogodon ġeorne
hwā þǣr mid orde     ǣrost mihte
125 on fǣġean men     feorh ġewinnan,
wigan mid wǣpnum.     Wæl fēol on eorðan.
Stōdon stædefæste;     stihte hī Byrhtnōð,
bæd þæt hyssa ġehwylċ     hogode tō wīġe
þe on Denon wolde     dōm ġefeohtan.
130 Wōd þā wīġes heard,     wǣpen ūp ahōf,
bord tō ġebeorge,     and wið þæs beornes stōp.
Ēode swā ānrǣd     eorl tō þām ċeorle;
ǣġþer hyra ōðrum     yfeles hogode.
Sende ðā se sǣrinc     sūþerne gār
135 þæt ġewundod wearð     wigena hlāford.
Hē scēaf þā mid ðām scylde     þæt se sceaft tōbærst
and þæt spere sprenġde     þæt hit sprang onġēan.
Ġegremod wearð se gūðrinc;     hē mid gāre stang
wlancne wīċing     þe him þā wunde forġeaf.
140 Frōd wæs se fyrdrinc:     hē lēt his francan wadan
þurh ðæs hysses hals,     hand wīsode
þæt hē on þām fǣrsceaðan     feorh ġerǣhte.
Ðā hē ōþerne     ofstliċe scēat
þæt sēo byrne tōbærst;     hē wæs on brēostum wund
145 þurh ðā hringlocan;     him æt heortan stōd
ǣtterne ord.     Se eorl wæs þē blīþra;
hlōh þā mōdi man,     sǣde Metode þanc
ðæs dæġweorces     þe him Drihten forġeaf.
Forlēt þā drenga sum     daroð of handa
150 flēogan of folman     þæt se tō forð ġewāt
þurh ðone æþelan     Æþelrēdes þeġen.
Him be healfe stōd     hyse unweaxen,
cniht on ġecampe,     se full cāflīċe
brǣd of þām beorne     blōdiġne gār,
155 Wulfstānes bearn,     Wulfmǣr se ġeonga
forlēt forheardne     faran eft onġēan;
ord in ġewōd     þæt se on eorþan læġ
þe his þēoden ǣr     þearle ġerǣhte.
Ēode þā ġesyrwed     secg tō þām eorle;
160 hē wolde þæs beornes     bēagas ġefetiġan
rēaf and hringas     and ġerēnod swurd.
Þā Byrhtnōð brǣd     bill of scēðe
brād and brūneccg     and on þā byrnan slōh.
Tō raþe hine ġelette     lidmanna sum
165 þā hē þæs eorles     earm āmyrde.
Fēoll þā tō foldan     fealohilte swurd;
ne mihte hē ġehealdan     heardne meċe,
wǣpnes wealdan.     Þā ġȳt þæt word ġecwæð
hār hilderinc,     hyssas bylde,
170 bæd gangan forð     gōde ġefēran;
ne mihte þā on fōtum lenġ     fæste ġestandan.
Hē tō heofenum wlāt:
"Ġeþancie þē,     ðēoda Waldend,
ealra þǣra wynna     þe iċ on worulde ġebād.
175 Nū iċ āh, milde Metod,     mǣste þearfe
þæt þū mīnum gāste     gōdes ġeunne
þæt mīn sāwul tō ðē     sīðian mōte
on þīn ġeweald,     þēoden enġla,
mid friþe fēran.     Iċ eom frymdi tō þē
180 þæt hī helsceaðan     hȳnan ne mōton."
Ðā hine hēowon     hǣðene scealcas
and bēġen þā beornas     þe him biġ stōdon:
Ælfnoð and Wulmǣr     bēġen lāgon
ðā onemn hyra frēan     feorh ġesealdon.
185 Hī bugon þā fram beaduwe     þe þǣr bēon noldon.
Þǣr wearð Oddan bearn     ǣrest on flēame
Godriċ fram gūþe     and þone gōdan forlēt
þe him mæniġne oft     mearh ġesealde.
Hē ġehlēop þone eoh     þe āhte his hlāford
190 on þām ġerǣdum     þe hit riht ne wæs,
and his brōðru mid him     bēġen ærndon,
Godwine and Godwīġ     gūþe ne ġȳmdon,
ac wendon fram þām wīġe     and þone wudu sōhton,
flugon on þæt fæsten     and hyra fēore burgon,
195 and manna mā     þonne hit ǣniġ mǣð wǣre
ġyf hī þā ġeearnunga     ealle ġemundon
þe hē him tō duguþe     ġedōn hæfde.
Swā him Offa on dæġ     ǣr āsǣde
on þām meþelstede     þā hē ġemōt hæfde
200 þæt þǣr mōdiġlīċe     manega sprǣcon
þe eft æt þearfe     þolian noldon.
Þā wearð āfeallen     þæs folces ealdor,
Æþelrēdes eorl;     ealle ġesāwon
heorðġenēatas     þæt hyra heorra læġ.
205 Þā ðǣr wendon forð     wlance þeġenas,
unearge men     efston ġeorne;
hī woldon þā ealle     ōðer twēġa,
līf forlǣtan     oððe lēofne ġewrecan.
Swā hī bylde forð     bearn Ælfriċes,
210 wiga wintrum ġeong     wordum mǣlde;
Ælfwine þā cwæð,     hē on ellen spræc:
"Gemunon þā mǣla     þe wē oft æt meodo sprǣcon,
þonne wē on benċe     bēot āhōfon
hæleð on healle,     ymbe heard ġewinn.
215 Nū mæġ cunnian     hwā cēne sȳ.
Iċ wylle mīne æþelo     eallum ġecȳþan,
þæt iċ wæs on Myrcon     miċċles cynnes:
wæs mīn ealda fæder     Ealhelm hāten,
wīs ealdorman     woruldġesǣliġ.
220 Ne sceolon mē on þǣre þēode     þeġenas ætwītan
þæt iċ of ðisse fyrde     fēran wille,
eard ġesēċan,     nū mīn ealdor liġeð
forhēawen æt hilde.     Mē is þæt hearma mǣst:
hē wæs ǣġþer mīn mǣġ     and mīn hlāford."
225 Þā hē forð ēode,     fǣhðe ġemunde,
þæt hē mid orde     ānne ġerǣhte
flotan on þām folce,     þæt se on foldan læġ
forweġen mid his wǣpne.     Ongan þā winas manian
frȳnd and ġefēran     þæt hī forð ēodon.
230 Offa ġemǣlde,     æscholt āsceōc:
"Hwæt þū, Ælfwine, hafast     ealle ġemanode
þeġenas tō þearfe,     nū ūre þēoden līð
eorl on eorðan.     Ūs is eallum þearf
þæt ūre ǣġhwylċ     ōþerne bylde
235 wigan tō wīġe     þā hwīle þe hē wǣpen mæġe
habban and healdan     heardne mēċe,
gār and gōd swurd.     Ūs Godriċ hæfð,
earh Oddan bearn,     ealle beswicene.
Wēnde þæs formoni man,     þā hē on mēare rād
240 on wlancan þām wicge,     þæt wǣre hit ūre hlāford;
forþan wearð hēr on felda     folc totwǣmed,
scyldburh tōbrocen.     Ābrēoðe his anġin,
þæt hē hēr swā maniġne     man āflȳmde!"
Lēofsunu ġemǣlde     and his linde āhōf,
245 bord tō ġebeorge;     hē þām beorne oncwæð:
"Iċ þæt ġehāte     þæt iċ heonon nelle
flēon fōtes trym,     ac wille furðor gān,
wrecan on ġewinne     mīnne winedrihten.
Ne þurfon mē embe Stūrmere     stedefæste hælæð
250 wordum ætwītan,     nū mīn wine ġecranc,
þæt iċ hlāfordlēas     hām sīðie,
wende fram wīġe,     ac mē sceal wǣpen niman
ord and īren."     Hē ful yrre wōd,
feaht fæstliċe,     flēam hē forhogode.
255 Dunnere þā cwæð,     daroð ācwehte
unorne ċeorl,     ofer eall clypode,
bæd þæt beorna ġehwylċ     Byrhtnōð wrǣce:
"Ne mæġ nā wandian     se þe wrecan þenċeð
frēan on folce,     ne for fēore murnan."
260 Þā hī forð ēodon,     fēores hī ne rōhton.
Ongunnon þā hīredmen     heardlīċe feohtan
grame gārberend     and God bǣdon
þæt hī mōston ġewrecan     hyra winedrihten
and on hyra fēondum     fyl ġewyrċan.
265 Him se ġȳsel ongan     ġeornlīċe fylstan:
hē wæs on Norðhymbron     heardes cynnes,
Ecglāfes bearn,     him wæs Æscferð nama.
Hē ne wandode nā     æt þām wīġplegan,
ac hē fȳsde forð     flān ġenehe.
270 Hwīlon hē on bord scēat,     hwīlon beorn tǣsde;
ǣfre embe stunde     hē sealde sume wunde
þā hwīle ðe hē wǣpna     wealdan mōste.
Þā ġȳt on orde stōd     Ēadweard se langa,
ġearo and ġeornful     ġylpwordum spræc
275 þæt hē nolde flēogan     fōtmǣl landes,
ofer bæc būgan     þā his betera leġ.
Hē bræc þone bordweall     and wið þā beornas feaht
oð þæt hē his sincġyfan     on þām sǣmannum
wurðlīċe wrec     ǣr hē on wæle lǣġe.
280 Swā dyde Æþeriċ,     æþele ġefēra,
fūs and forðġeorn     feaht eornoste.
Sībyrhtes brōðor     and swīðe mæniġ ōþer
clufon cellod bord,     cēne hī weredon.
    *  *  *
bærst bordes lǣriġ,     and sēo byrne sang
285 gryrelēoða sum.     Þā æt gūðe slōh
Offa þone sǣlidan     þæt hē on eorðan fēoll,
and ðǣr Gaddes mǣġ     grund ġesōhte.
Raðe wearð æt hilde     Offa forhēawen;
hē hæfde ðēah ġeforþod     þæt hē his frēan ġehēt
290 swā hē bēotode ǣr     wið his bēahġifan
þæt hī sceoldon bēġen     on burh rīdan
hāle tō hāme,     oððe on here crincgan,
on wælstōwe     wundum sweltan;
hē læġ ðeġenlīċe     ðēodne ġehende.
295 Ðā wearð borda ġebræc.     Brimmen wōdon
gūðe ġegremode;     gār oft þurhwōd
fǣġes feorhhūs.     Forð þā ēode Wīstān,
Þurstānes sunu     wið þās secgas feaht;
hē wæs on ġeþrange     hyra þrēora bana
300 ǣr him Wīġelmes bearn     on þām wæle lǣġe.
Þǣr wæs stīð ġemōt.     Stōdon fæste
wigan on ġewinne.     Wīġend cruncon
wundum wēriġe.     Wæl fēol on eorþan.
Ōswold and Ēadwold     ealle hwīle
305 bēġen þā ġebrōþru     beornas trymedon,
hyra winemāgas     wordon bǣdon
þæt hī þǣr æt ðearfe     þolian sceoldon,
unwāclīċe     wǣpna nēotan.
Byrhtwold maþelode,     bord hafenode
310 (se wæs eald ġenēat),     æsc ācwehte;
hē ful baldlīċe     beornas lǣrde:
"Hiġe sceal þē heardra,     heorte þē cēnre,
mōd sceal þē māre     þē ūre mæġen lȳtlað.
Hēr līð ūre ealdor     eall forhēawen
315 gōd on grēote.     Ā mæġ gnornian
se ðe nū fram þisum wīġplegan     wendan þenċeð.
Iċ eom frōd fēores;     fram iċ ne wille,
ac iċ mē be healfe     mīnum hlāforde,
be swā lēofan men     licgan þenċe."
320 Swā hī Æþelgāres bearn     ealle bylde
Godriċ tō gūþe.     Oft hē gār forlēt
wælspere windan     on þā wīċingas;
swā hē on þām folce     fyrmest ēode,
hēow and hȳnde     oð þæt hē on hilde ġecranc.
325 Næs þæt nā se Godriċ     þe ðā gūðe forbēah