Snowberg-hvot
From EastKingdomWiki
This is written in the Old Norse Meter fornyrthislag by Grim the Skald
It was before the dawn of the first battle of the 36th Pennsic War in A.S. 42. The East Kingdom was badly outnumbered, and there were many among the troops who thought it unlikely they would survive the upcoming battle. Baron Angus Kerr of Concordia could not sleep, and wandered throughout the encampment. Dawn was just turning the black sky grey when he came upon the tend of his Skald, Grim. The Baron woke his skald, and asked him if he could chant a poem to wake the troops, and rouse them to battle. [1] Grim thought for a few moments, and then began this Lay:
1. Dawn is the day | darkness is fleeing | |
Crows the rooster | and rustles its wings | |
Farmers arise | their fields to tend | |
And thralls take up | the tasks of morn | |
2. Harken and wake, | warriors of Snowberg | |
No gentle work | waits for your hands | |
Harken and rise, | heroes of East-Realm! | |
Our bane has come | battle draws nigh! | |
3. Gone is the night | and gone its peace | |
Dreadful and dire | a dragon has come! | |
Spears are its teeth, | a spine of glaives | |
Sharp swords are claws, | a shield each scale | |
4. Gilt-girded helms | are gleaming eyes, | |
Its wings banners | of white and red, | |
Breath is not fire | but flurries of shafts! | |
This baleful beast | blackens the hills! | |
5. Let not hearts falter | though fearsome this beast | |
Bare now your blades | for our Baronies’ sake | |
Lay down your lives | in our leaders’ names | |
Hark to the names | of the noble ones | |
6. Laurencia the deft | deep-minded and wise | |
Lyle the clever, | whose calls ring out | |
Elwynn the fierce, | ne’er flinches from war | |
Angus the bright-armed, | bravest of men | |
7. Bear the honor | of your brethren too | |
Who before did fight | fierce as tigers | |
Bought they with blood | two Baronies’ fame | |
Hear as I hail | these heroes of war! | |
8. Who fought cornered | ‘gainst castle wall | |
Or strong shield met | and stopped berserkers | |
Who in deep forest | fought like seven, | |
Who spilled the foe’s | flight-swifts like rain, | |
Or lunged through the foe | like a spear-head | |
9. These warriors names | need not be sang | |
For heroes to the hall | homeward will come | |
Warmth of the hearth | welcomes the fighters | |
Skalds will then chant | the champions’ fame | |
10. Your bard calls out, | keen hear his voice. | |
Your baron calls, | bide no longer, | |
Your King calls out, | come to his side! | |
Let Tiger’s roar | rouse you to battle! | |
11. Concordia heed | the call of war! | |
Bergental rise! | To battle we go! | |
Your fame will not fade | if this fray takes you | |
Deeds on this day | endure for all time! |
©2007 Dan Marsh
Footnotes
- ↑ This is a fairly frequent usage of poetry in Old Norse. It is referred to as a “hvöt,” which is generally translated as “incitement” or “exhortation.” This particular scene is evocative of St. Olaf's Saga, where the Skald then recited a poem named Bjarkarsmal. My poem is evocative of that one, particularly in the early verses.