A Mirror of Faith :: :: University of Virginia Library

‘Go, call the priests, and bid the thanes,
and let the Mass be said;
And then we meet the Paynim Danes,’
quoth good King Ethelred.
‘I see their Raven on the hill;
I know his fury well;
Needeth the more we put our trust
in Him That harrowed hell.’

Then out and spake young Alfred;
‘My liege, this scarce may be;
Our troops must out with battle shout,
and that right instantly.’
Made answer good King Ethelred;
‘To God I look for aid;
He shield a Christian king should fight,
before his host have prayed!’

The Priests are at the Altar now,
the king and nobles kneel;
The Sacrifice is offered up
for soul and body's weal;

And nearer now, and nearer still
the Danish trumpets bray;
Northumbrian wolves came never on
as they came on that day.

Four bow-shots are they from the host,
the Saxon is aware;
Yet not a knee in England's ranks
but bendeth yet in prayer:
The five stout Jarls look'd each on each,
and one to other spake;
‘By Woden, but these Christian fools
an easy prey will make!’

Young Alfred holds no longer;
‘Let priests and women pray;
But out to battle, lords and thanes,
or else we lose the day!’
Half with Prince Alfred grasp their arms,
and battle on the plain,
And half with godly Ethelred
at holy Mass remain.

Prince Alfred's men are on the hill;
their shields are o'er their head;

The Raven flies triumphant midst
the dying and the dead:
Frean and the Sidrocs thunder here,
there Harold's bloody crew;
And for each man the Northmen miss,
the Saxon loseth two!

The Mass is said, the King is up:
‘Now, worthy liegemen, shew
That they who go from prayer to fight
can fear no mortal foe!’
And on with sword and battle-axe
the Wessex column roll'd:
Both thane, and ceorl, and earldorman,
and heretoch and hold.

Then waxed the combat fierce and sharp
yet ere the sun went down,
The Raven spread his wings for flight
as far as Reading town:

And on the morrow, when they came
the foemen's dead to count,
Five mighty Jarls and one great King
were writ in that amount.

In English song the king live long,
that won a field by prayer;
The bloody day of Essendune
long live recorded there!
Short life was godly Ethelred's;
short life, but long renown:
And for the Royal Diadem
he hath the Martyr's Crown!

Ceorl, retained in our own language, under the form churl. Heretoch and hold were the names of officers in the Anglo-Saxon armies. Their functions are not accurately known.