 | The Dawn in Britain |  |
With Calduc, Caradoc sire, ere midday, parts;
Riding the king and his, on the queen's steeds:
(They unwitting; which suppose, to lord Venutios,
They went!) Are Hiradoc, Idhig and Volisios,
And Cathigern, with the king; and certain warriors.
Riding the king and his, on the queen's steeds:
(They unwitting; which suppose, to lord Venutios,
They went!) Are Hiradoc, Idhig and Volisios,
And Cathigern, with the king; and certain warriors.
By uplands, Calduc leads them, moors and woods.
But where they come first to Brigantine fords;
Now, after supper, when, as amongst friends,
The hero sleeps, (and most of his have wounds,)
To them, misdeeming no such thing, creeps Calduc,
And his fell crew. On every sleeper, then,
Of the king's peers and valorous warriors,
Four champions suddenly seize! Even thus, uneath,
They take the least. And though surprised, in trance;
With shout! appalling all their craven hearts;
Like to ureox, upleapt the warsire Caradoc:
And, with a stool, the hero had slain them all;
Were not a wrestler stolen behind his back;
Who, with a sudden cast of his vile foot,
Under knee-bow, where is the strongest weak,
O'erthrew Caratacus, Strong-arm of Britain;
And flung a noose the felon, on his neck!
But where they come first to Brigantine fords;
Now, after supper, when, as amongst friends,
The hero sleeps, (and most of his have wounds,)
To them, misdeeming no such thing, creeps Calduc,
And his fell crew. On every sleeper, then,
Of the king's peers and valorous warriors,
Four champions suddenly seize! Even thus, uneath,
They take the least. And though surprised, in trance;
With shout! appalling all their craven hearts;
Like to ureox, upleapt the warsire Caradoc:
And, with a stool, the hero had slain them all;
Were not a wrestler stolen behind his back;
Who, with a sudden cast of his vile foot,
Under knee-bow, where is the strongest weak,
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And flung a noose the felon, on his neck!
All, knit together their ignoble force,
Him bind then on the ground. Yet hardly gyved,
With bronze, to this, prepared, they his dread hands;
Who bellows, as an heifer, in his bonds!
Then they, that now his peers and mighty ones,
Have bound, do fetters on his royal feet.
Him bind then on the ground. Yet hardly gyved,
With bronze, to this, prepared, they his dread hands;
Who bellows, as an heifer, in his bonds!
Then they, that now his peers and mighty ones,
Have bound, do fetters on his royal feet.
Those thrust them, mocking, sith, in covered carts,
And convoy closely forth, through much murk forest;
That might none hear, that main voice, of king Caradoc.
And convoy closely forth, through much murk forest;
That might none hear, that main voice, of king Caradoc.
Another day, come down to Abus
strand,
In moorish dale, twixt holts, swart streaming wide,
Rolling dark treasons, Calduc's impious breast;
He weighs, (which all occasions should cut-off,)
Whether not Caradoc drench, and all his peers,
As misadventure were, midst the dark flood,
In that they pass; yet dreads that river's god.
In moorish dale, twixt holts, swart streaming wide,
Rolling dark treasons, Calduc's impious breast;
He weighs, (which all occasions should cut-off,)
Whether not Caradoc drench, and all his peers,
As misadventure were, midst the dark flood,
In that they pass; yet dreads that river's god.
Whilst thus he reasons, came, from the witch queen,
A raven, which she feeds with quicken berries;
(And, fame is, flesh of men!) That war-fowl knows
Calduc; when crakes the slaughter-bird to him,
See, and thou bríng king Caradoc safely on;
To enter, such an eve, in Caer Isurium,
When high feast is of great Brigantios, god.
It shall be light, persuade men full of mead,
He is run mad; wherefore ye brought him bound!
A raven, which she feeds with quicken berries;
(And, fame is, flesh of men!) That war-fowl knows
Calduc; when crakes the slaughter-bird to him,
See, and thou bríng king Caradoc safely on;
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When high feast is of great Brigantios, god.
It shall be light, persuade men full of mead,
He is run mad; wherefore ye brought him bound!
Sets the sixth sun; when they walled dune Isurium,
Approach; whence blown, is to their listful ears,
As confuse noise of revelry and loud voice;
Praising the god, a thousand drunken throats:
Where come; the dune, lo, full of reeling wights;
With whom, is the queen's guard, dancing in harness.
Approach; whence blown, is to their listful ears,
As confuse noise of revelry and loud voice;
Praising the god, a thousand drunken throats:
Where come; the dune, lo, full of reeling wights;
With whom, is the queen's guard, dancing in harness.
But when men Calduc saw, within their gates,
Went up a cry, none wist from whence, To arms!
Then ran together, presently, a great press;
But Calduc, with his spear, the people smote.
Likewise do those with him, that cry, Give place;
For urgent is this business of the queen!
Went up a cry, none wist from whence, To arms!
Then ran together, presently, a great press;
But Calduc, with his spear, the people smote.
Likewise do those with him, that cry, Give place;
For urgent is this business of the queen!
Way entering in, to the dune's royal court,
Twixt two paled banks, winds. Cunobal it devised,
Is fame, for his more safety, in his days.
This privily hath now beset false Vellocatus.
Yet when main voice was of Caratacus,
Yelling he is betrayed! heard in the street;
And, in those covered wains, voice of his warriors;
Men, whose hearts hate the tyranny of the fell queen,
Have, running to their wicker bowers, caught arms.
Twixt two paled banks, winds. Cunobal it devised,
Is fame, for his more safety, in his days.
This privily hath now beset false Vellocatus.
Yet when main voice was of Caratacus,
Yelling he is betrayed! heard in the street;
And, in those covered wains, voice of his warriors;
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Have, running to their wicker bowers, caught arms.
Assemble, in the street, then, shielded band;
Which presently entered, following with the wains;
Shut-to the gates, behind them, Vellocatus!
Which presently entered, following with the wains;
Shut-to the gates, behind them, Vellocatus!
From the two banks, then fly his treacherous shafts!
On Cunobal's pent armed warriors; which fall pierced.
Bellows, within the cart, king Caradoc!
Who reads now all the falsehead of this queen.
The wains are halted, at the mead-hall porch!
On Cunobal's pent armed warriors; which fall pierced.
Bellows, within the cart, king Caradoc!
Who reads now all the falsehead of this queen.
The wains are halted, at the mead-hall porch!
Is this, night's chilling air; it is no dream!
Those groans, in twilight, are of wounded men.
Hark, battle-yells! Lo, gyved Caratacus,
The godlike hero is, from a covered cart,
Haled forth of vilain wights! They, impious, thrust
On the great warsire, chained, to the queen's hall.
The rest, with buffets, then, unseemly, enforce;
With murmur deep, gain-striving, to high-hall:
Who, lords of warlike peoples, had, alone,
With them, the power withstood of mighty Rome.
Those groans, in twilight, are of wounded men.
Hark, battle-yells! Lo, gyved Caratacus,
The godlike hero is, from a covered cart,
Haled forth of vilain wights! They, impious, thrust
On the great warsire, chained, to the queen's hall.
The rest, with buffets, then, unseemly, enforce;
With murmur deep, gain-striving, to high-hall:
Who, lords of warlike peoples, had, alone,
With them, the power withstood of mighty Rome.
| The Dawn in Britain | |