Clash of Maldon (Leeth)

Here is the yeedly oversetting of the leeth 'Hild at Maldon', writ betwixt the 10th and 11th-yearhundreds. It is a bethoughtening of the Hild at Maldon in the year 991, at which a hild was fought between the wikings and Anglo-Saxons, with a win for the Wikings.

'''Mark: Afore reading, know that this yeed hath many words,, and  in order to not steer away from the Old English. Here are the most wont olden words found in this leeth:'''

tho: an olden of the (<ME  tho/tha, <OE þā)

mid: an olden sundering of with (<ME, <OE)

Bynames such as thou, thy, and ye

With: With in the olden sundering meaneth "against."

fele: many

the while that/the while the: as long as

& others.

Hight then as men who were broken, horse forlet,

far and forthgoing,

on hands, and on good hyge.

When that Offan may, ere

for-that the earl willed, tholed

he let him then from hands, a beloved

hawk fly mid the, and to the hild it stopped.

By that man might know, that the  willed not

to weaken at the wye, when he to weapons took.

he willed Eadric, his elder lasting

at fight, began then to bear forth

gar to guth. He had good thought

the while that he mid hands, held might:

board and broadsword,  himself lasting

when he before his frea should fight.

Then there Byrhtnoth began, berns trimmed,

rode and, taught

how they should stand, and the stead hold

and bid that their be held rightly

fast mid hands, and frightened not.

When he had the folk, fairly trimmed

he lit then mid lede, where he was loved

where he his, hold wisted.

Then stood on, sternly clept,

, words spoken

he on the boast,

errand to the earl, where he on the stood:

"I was sent to thee, by seaman,

I you say,  that thou must send rathly

s burg,  and better it would be

for you this be   mid  foryield

then that we such hard, hild deal.

Need not we spill ourselves, if ye to that;

we will mid the gold, fasten.

If thou that, who here richest art,

that thou thy lede, will lease,

give seamen, on themselves ,

fee mid frith, and frith from us,

we will mid tho, gang ourselves to ships,

onto the we fare, and you will hold frith."

Byrhtnoth, board heaved,

wanded the weak ash-spear, words were made,

and, gave him back answer:

"Hearest thou, seafarer, what this folk sayeth?

They are willing to ,

,

the, that you at hild nay.

,

Say to thy ... a much more

That here stands, an earl mid his ,

they will   this ethel,

Æthelred’s eard, mine elders,

folk and. Fall shall the

heathens at hild! Too me thinketh

that ye mid our   to ships gang

unbefought, now that ye have come so far hither

on our erd. Nay must ye so softly

get our ; we shall give and edge,

ere, grim guth-play,

ere we gavel syllon."

He then, shield bearing, tho berns went

that they on the flood-bank,  all stood.

water, one werd to the other;

there came flowing    flood after ebb tide,

locked them. They thought it too long

before they together,   bore their gars.

There they stood at Pante's stream, mid  bestanding

East-Saxish,  and the.

None of them could the other,

one, through flight, fell.

The flood went out. stood.

Wikings,.

He the   to hold the bridge.

A wye-hardened wyeman, who was hight Wulfstan,

mid his kin; that was Ceola's son,

Mid his, he ofshot the first man

who there boldly onto the bridge stepped.

There stood mid Wulfstan  wyemen ,

Ælfhere and Maccus, two ones,

who willed not to at the ford,

but they fastly, the fiend ,

the while that they wield weapons.

When they that, and saw ,

that they found bitterly the bridge-werd,

tho loathed guests began :

they bid if they might have free upgang

and fare over the ford leading.

Then the Earl gan, from his ,

land to the loathed thede.

Then began his calling  over cold water,

Byrhtelm's bairn, (berns listened):

"now you are ; come to us,

to guth. Only God

who mote wield the ."

Waded tho (they  not water),

the wiking werd   west over Pante,

over water,  shields ,

to land, shields borne.

There they stood   against tho  ones,

Bryhtnoth mid berns;  he mid

a, and the werd held fast  fiends.

Then was fought near at. The tide was come

that there, man should fall.

There was a. Ravens winded,

yearned food. A was on earth.

- The rest will be translated tomorrow; I am stopping here.

Byrhtwold matheled,

board havened (he was an old ),

ash-spear.

He full boldly besought the :

‘ shall be harder,

heart keener,

mood shall be more,

.

Here lies our elder,

all ,

a good man on grit.

A man ,

he that now wends from this wig-play,

thinks this:

I am ;

from it I will not,

but I may be by the half of my lord,

by so loved men,

who lie in thought.

So they on Æthelgar's ... all built,

Godric to guth.

Oft his gar was forlet,

wal-spear wind on the wikings,

so he on those folk,

,

hue and hind,

oth-that he at hild fell.

Nay was that not the Godric... who the guth forbore.