As though upon a journey he should go,

  And round about stood men with spear and bow,

  And painted targets as the guard to all,

  Headed by one beyond man’s stature tall,

  Who, half turned round, as though he gave the word;

  Seemed as he once had been a mighty lord.

  But the live man amid the corpses laid,

  Turning from side to side, some faint word said

  Now and again, but kept his eyes shut fast,

  And we when from the green slope we had passed

  On to this dreadful stage, awe-struck and scared,

  Awhile upon the ghastly puppets stared,

  Then trembling, with drawn swords, came close anigh

  To where the hapless ancient man did lie,

  Who at the noise we made now oped his eyes

  And fixing them upon us did uprise,

  And with a fearful scream stretched out his hand,

  While upright on his head his hair did stand

  For very terror, while we none the less

  Were rooted to the ground for fearfulness,

  And scarce our weapons could make shift to hold.

  But as we stood and gazed, over he rolled

  Like a death-stricken bull, and there he lay,

  With his long-hoarded life quite past away.

  Then in our hearts did wonder conquer fear,

  And to the dead men did we draw anear

  And found them such-like things as I have said,

  But he, their master, was apparelled

  Like to those others that we saw e’en now

  Hung up within the dreary house below.

  Right little courage had we there to stay,

  So down the hill again we took our way,

  When looking landward thence we had but seen,

  All round about, the forest dull and green,

  Pierced by the river where our ships we left,

  And bounded by far-off blue mountains, cleft

  By passes here and there; but we went by

  The chapel of the gold god silently,

  For doubts had risen in our hearts at last

  If yet the bitterness of death were past.

  But having come again into the wood,

  We there took council whether it were good

  To turn back to the ships, or push on still

  Till we had reached the place that from the hill

  We had beheld, and since the last seemed best

  Onward we marched, scarce staying to take rest

  And eat some food, for feverish did we grow

  For haste the best or worst of all to know.

  Along the path that, as I said before,

  Led from the hill, we went, and laboured sore

  To gain the open ere the night should fall,

  But yet in vain, for like a dreary pall

  Cast o’er the world, the darkness hemmed us in,

  And though we struggled desperately to win

  From out the forest through the very night,

  Yet did that labour so abate our might,

  We thought it good to rest among the trees,

  Nor come on those who might be enemies

  In the thick darkness, neither did we dare

  To light a fire lest folk should slay us there

  Mazed and defenceless; so the one half slept

  As they might do, the while the others kept

  Good guard in turn; and as we watched we heard

  Sounds that might well have made bold men afeard,

  And cowards die of fear, but we, alone,

  Apart from all, such desperate men were grown,

  If we should fail to win our Paradise,

  That common life we now might well despise.

  So by the day-break on our way we were

  When we had seen to all our fighting gear;

  And soon we came unto that open space,

  And here and there about a grassy place

  Saw houses scattered, neither great nor fair,

  For they were framed of trees as they grew there,

  And walled with wattle-work from tree to tree;

  And thereabout beasts unknown did we see,

  Four-footed, tame; and soon a man came out

  From the first house, and with a startled shout

  Took to his heels, and soon from far and near,

  The folk swarmed out, and still as in great fear

  Gave us no second look, but ran their best,

  And they being clad but lightly for the rest,

  To follow them seemed little mastery.

  So to their houses gat we speedily

  To see if we might take some loiterer;

  And some few feeble folk we did find there,

  Though most had fled, and unto these with pain

  We made some little of our meaning plain,

  And sent an old man forth into the wood

  To show his fellows that our will was good.

  Who going from us came back presently

  His message done, and with him two or three

  The boldest of his folk, and they in turn

  A little of us by our signs did learn,

  Then went their way: and so at last all fear

  Was laid aside, and thronging they drew near

  To look upon us; and at last came one

  Who had upon his breast a golden sun,

  And in strange glittering gay attire was clad;

  He let us know our coming made him glad,

  And bade us come with him; so thereon we,

  Thinking him some one in authority,

  Rose up and followed him, who with glad face

  Led us through closer streets of that strange place,

  And brought us lastly to a shapely hall

  Round and high-roofed, held up with tree trunks tall,

  And midst his lords the barbarous king sat there.

  Gold-crowned, in strange apparel rich and fair,

  Whereat we shuddered, for we saw that he

  Was clad like him that erewhile we did see

  Upon the hill, and like those other ones

  Hung in the dismal shrine of unhewn stones.

  Yet nought of evil did he seem to think,

  But bade us sit by him and eat and drink,

  So eating did we speak by signs meanwhile

  Each unto each, and they would laugh and smile

  As folk well-pleased; and with them all that day

  Well feasted, learning some things did we stay.

  And sure of all the folk I ever saw

  These were the gentlest: if they had a law

  We knew not then, but still they seemed to be

  Like the gold people of antiquity.

  Now when we tried to ask for that good land,

  Eastward and seaward did they point the hand;

  Yet if they knew what thing we meant thereby

  We knew not; but when we for our reply

  Said that we came thence, they made signs to say

  They knew it well, and kneeling down they lay

  Before our feet, as people worshipping.

  But we, though somewhat troubled at this thing,

  Failed not to hope, because it seemed to us

  That this so simple folk and virtuous,

  So happy midst their dreary forest bowers,

  Showed at the least a better land than ours,

  And some yet better thing far onward lay.

  Amidst all this we made a shift to pray

  That some of them would go with us, to be

  Our fellows on the perilous green sea,

  And much did they rejoice when this they knew,

  And straightway midst their young men lots they drew,

  And the next morn of these they gave us ten,

  And wept at our departing.

  Now these men,

  Though brown indeed through dint of that hot sun,

  Were comely and well-knit, as any one

  I saw in Greece, and fit for deeds of war,

  Though as I said of all men gentlest far;

  Their arms were axe and spear, and shield and bow,

  But nought of iron did they seem to know,

  For all their cutting tools were edged with flint,

  Or with soft copper, that soon turned and bent;

  With cloths of cotton were their bodies clad,

  But other raiment for delight they had

  Most fairly woven of some unknown thing;

  And all of them from little child to king

  Had many ornaments of beaten gold:

  Certes, we might have gathered wealth untold

  Amongst them, had that then been in our thought,

  But none the glittering evil valued aught.

  Now of these foresters, we learned, that they

  Hemmed by the woods, went seldom a long way

  From where we saw them, and no boat they had,

  Or much of other people good or bad

  They knew, and ever had they little war:

  But now and then a folk would come from far

  In ships unlike to ours, and for their gold

  Would give them goods; and some men over bold

  Who dwelt beyond the great hill we had seen,

  Had waged them war, but these all slain had been

  Among the tangled woods by men who knew

  What tracks of beasts the thicket might pierce through.

  Such things they told us whom we brought away,

  But after this, for certes on that day

  Not much we gathered of their way of life.

  So to the ships we came at last, and rife

  With many things new learned, we told them all,

  And though our courage might begin to fall

  A little now, yet each to other we

  Made countenance of great felicity,

  And spoke as if the prize were well-nigh won.

  Behold then, sirs, how fortune led us on,

  Little by little till we reached the worst,

  And still our lives grew more and more accurst.

  THE ELDER OF THE CITY.

  Nay, friends, believe your worser life now past,

  And that a little bliss is reached at last;

  Take heart, therefore, for like a tale so told

  Is each man’s life: and ye, who have been bold

  To see and suffer such unheard-of things,

  Henceforth shall be more worshipped than the kings

  We hear you name; then since ye reach this day

  How are ye worse for what has passed away?

  THE WANDERER.

  Kind folk, what words of ours can give you praise

  That fits your kindness; yet for those past days,

  If we bemoan our lot, think this at least:

  We are as men, who cast aside a feast

  Amidst their lowly fellows, that they may

  Eat with the king, and who at end of day, .

  Bearing sore stripes, with great humility

  Must pray the bedesmen of those men to be

  They scorned that day while yet the sun was high.

  Not long within the river did we lie,

  But put to sea intending as before

  To coast with watchful eyes the unknown shore,

  And strive to pierce the woods: three days we sailed,

  And little all our watchfulness availed,

  Though all that time the wind was fair enow;

  But on the fourth day it began to blow

  From off the land, and still increased on us

  Until the storm grown wild and furious,

  Although at anchor still we strove to ride,

  Had blown us out into the ocean wide,

  Far out of sight of land; and when at last,

  After three days, its fury was o’erpast,

  Of all our counsels this one was the best

  To beat back blindly to the longed-for west;

  Baffling the wind was, toilsome was the way,

  Nor did we make land till the thirtieth day,

  When both flesh-meat and water were nigh spent,

  But anchoring at last, ashore we went,

  And found the land far better than the first.

  For this with no thick forest was accurst,

  Though here and there were scattered clumps of wood.

  The air was cooler, too, but soft and good,

  Fair streams we saw, and herds of goats and deer,

  But nothing noisome for a man to fear.

  So since at anchor safe our good ships lay

  Within the long horns of a sandy bay,

  We thought it good ashore to take our ease,

  And pitched our tents anigh some maple-trees

  Not far from shore, and there with little pain

  Enough of venison quickly did we gain

  To feast us all, and high feast did we hold

  Lighting great fires, for now the nights were cold,

  And we were fain a noble roast to eat;

  Nor did we lack for drink to better meat,

  For from the dark hold of the Rose Garland

  A well-hooped cask our shipmen brought aland,

  That knew some white-walled city of the Rhine.

  There crowned with flowers, and flushed with noble wine,

  Hearkening the distant murmur of the main,

  And safe upon our promised land again,

  What wonder if our vain hopes rose once more

  And Heaven seemed dull beside that twice-won shore.

  By midnight in our tents were we asleep,

  And little watch that night did any keep,

  For as our pleasance that fair land we deemed.

  But in my sleep of lovely things I dreamed,

  For I was back at Micklegarth once more,

  But not a court-man’s son there as of yore,

  But the Greek king, or so I seemed to be,

  Set on the throne whose awe and majesty

  Gold lions guard; before whose moveless feet

  A damsel knelt, praying in words so sweet

  For what I know not now, that both mine eyes

  Grew full of tears, and I must bid her rise

  And sit beside me; step by step she came

  Up the gold stair, setting my heart a-flame

  With all her beauty, till she reached the throne

  And there sat down, but as with her alone

  In that vast hall, my hand her hand did seek,

  And on my face I felt her balmy cheek,

  Throughout my heart there shot a dreadful pang,

  And down below us, with a sudden clang

  The golden lions rose, and roared aloud,

  And in at every door did armed men crowd,

  Shouting out death and curses, and I fell

  Dreaming indeed that this at last was hell.

  But therewithal I woke, and through the night

  Heard shrieks and shouts and clamour as of fight,

  And snatching up my axe, unarmed beside

  Nor scarce awaked, my rallying cry I cried,

  And with good haste unto the hubbub went;

  But even in the entry of the tent

  Some dark mass hid the star-besprinkled sky,

  And whistling past my head a spear did fly,

  And striking out I saw a naked man

  Fall ‘neath my blow, nor heeded him, but ran

  Unto the captain’s tent, for there indeed

  I saw my fellows stand at desperate need,

  Beset with foes, nor yet armed more than I,

  Though on the way I rallied hastily

  Some better armed, with whom I straightway fell

  Upon the foe, who with a hideous yell

  Turned round upon us; but we desperate

  And fresh, and dangerous for our axes’ weight,

  Fought so that they must needs give back a pace

  And yield our fellows some small breathing space;

  Then gathering all together, side by side

  We laid our weapons, and our cries we cried

  And rushed upon them, who abode no more

  Our levelled points, but scattering from the shore

  Ran here and there, but when some two or three

  We in the chase had slain right easily,

  We held our hands, nor followed more their flight,

  Fearing the many chances of the night.

  Then did we light our watch-fires up again

  And armed us all, and found three good men slain;

  Ten wounded, among whom was Nicholas,

  Though little heedful of these things he was,

  For in his tent he sat upon the ground,

  Holding fair Kirstin’s hand, whom he had found

  Dead, with a feathered javelin in her breast.

  But taking counsel now, we thought it best

  To gather up our goods and get away

  Unto the ships, and there to wait the day;

  Nor did we loiter, fearful lest the foe,

  Who somewhat now our feebleness must know,

  Should come on us with force made manifold,

  And all our story quickly should be told.

  So to our boats in haste the others gat,

  But in his tent, not speaking, Nicholas sat,

  Nor moved when o’er his head we struck the tent..

  But when all things were ready, then I went

  And raised the body up, and silently

  Walked with it down the beach unto the sea;

  Then he arose and followed me, and when

  He reached at last the now embarking men,

  And in a boat my burden I had laid,

  He sat beside; but no word had he said

  Since first he knew her slain. Such ending had

  The night at whose beginning all were glad.

  One wounded man of theirs we brought with us

  Hoping for news, but he grew furious

  When he awoke aboard from out his swoon,

  And tore his wounds, and smote himself, and soon.

  Died outright, though his hurts were slight enow,

  So nought from him of that land could we know.

  But now as we that luckless country scanned,

  Just at the daybreak did we see a band

  Of these barbarians come with shout and yell

  Across the place where all these things befell,

  Down to the very edges of the sea;

  But though armed now, by day, we easily

  Had made a shift no few of them to slay,

  It seemed to us the better course to weigh

  And try another entry to that land;

  So southward with a light wind did we stand,

  Not losing sight of shore, and now and then

 

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