The Wake: Man Booker Prize 2014 Longlist Edition Page 5

  and then it was seofon wices after the helmed man cum and from the treows on the path i seen sum one cuman. locan from the waet feld what asger and i was ploughan for the autumn sawan i seen by how he was mofan that i cnawan this man and from the barn odelyn cnawan the same and she was runnan to him cwic for it was eadberht cum baec

  eadberht my son she saes my cilde thu is baec and she locs at him all ofer and i gan to him also and seen that he was micel the same

  mothor father saes eadberht

  where is dunstan saes my wifman then and in her eages there is fear

  i does not cnaw saes eadberht for he was sent to other places and i has not seen my brothor in many wices

  then did thu feoht the dene i saes or the frenc or the aelfs of the holt for thu is not micel bruised for a feohtan man

  there was no feohtan saes eadberht and as efer his nebb is straight he smerccd lytel this one he was a stille man. there was no feohtan naht cum harald cyng he feared the cuman of the frenc duc from the sea to the south for he hierde the duc had many scips on the frenc strands with hors in and many waepend men ready to sail. the duc was cuman it was saed and this harald cyng feared and still fears and so the fyrd he placed along the strands and clifs of the south and the flota all in the ports and there we satt for six wices and from the sea we seen naht but fugols and the wood and weod that cum in on the waefs

  it is as i telt thu i saed sittan in felds in wessex locan at the sea when there is haerfest to be gathered in holland

  well sum men saes it is not so saes eadberht and i seen that bean in other parts had macd him mor braesen in his own hus. triewe feohtan men he saes and those who has been to other parts saes harald cyng is right to be wary of this for the duc of the frenc belyfs he is triewe cyng of the anglisc. it is saed around fyrs when it is wise to spec that eald edweard who was cyng before harald bean frenc in half his blud gifen the corona of angland to the duc and that harald saed also to this geeyome as he is called that angland was his by right and now the duc geeyome is in a great ire and will cum to tac the corona from harald and his heafod with it

  then why is thu baec saes my wifman

  he is baec i saes for the cyng may asc six wices fyrd duty from a man and no mor in any year and good it is that he is cum baec though it is six wices too long for the barn is still broc and micel of the waet is forspilled

  and the strands of angland is now open to all saes eadberht and if the duc cums now he will tac mor from us than our waet

  for three daegs then odelyn fretted and clucced lic a cycen for she was afeart that her dunstan was gan may be tacan by the sea or by out laws or may be the duc had cum in the end and there had been a great feoht and him with no sweord though she was wise not to sae this. me i was wantan dunstan baec and my gebur gamel also for it was sawan time and we was micel behind in worc but gamel he nefer cum baec and where he gan or what wyrd he found i nefer cnawan. gamel had sum lytel land in this ham and a hus both gifen by me and for this he moste worc for me a lytel and gif me sum lytel geld it was a good lif i gif him so why he wolde go i do not cnaw. but sum men secs in other lands what they belyfs they is due though in triewth what they has is better than they thinc

  in these three daegs also i saw sum new things in eadberht for though he was still gifan due in his talcan to me he was also waxan mor lic a man and it seemed that in his goan to other lands he had left sum part of him out there still. not efen feohtan but only walcan in other lands can do this to men as i cnawan well. also i seen it triewe when after three daegs dunstan cum baec ofer the felds

  it was the efen when he cum deorcness was gathered in and we was in the hus around the fyr with was a crocc of broth of lamb and baerlic and we was all eten this with the good baerlic loaf what odelyn macd well and we was eten with micel lust for the daeg had been long. then it was that sounds was hierde from without and before efen we colde stand dunstan cum through the door with his lytel sacc and a new seax at his belt that had not been his before

  odelyn runs to him as wifmen does and eadberht also stands and he grips his brothors sculdor and saes brothor in such a way as i had not seen

  dunstan my cilde i saes not standan up sitt with us and eat thy mothors broth for i hiere it has been hard for thu feohtan with sea weods and with the water. this was a joc but dunstan he did not understand jocs and as he had done no feohtan it seemed he wolde do it here. he locs at me then with that fyr in him that i was hopan wolde be cwelled by his goan

  father he saes i see things here is as efer they was

  yes i saes this is triewe the barn is still broc and the weods is still in the felds

  and thu is as efer thu was also he saes. eadberht and odelyn they both locs at him lic he sceolde stop and in triewth he sceolde haf

  i is still thy father yes i saes and i is tellan thu now to eat for in the mergen there is worc to be done i has lost one gebur and will not lose mor worc than i moste

  thu thincs this is sum joc he saes and he is loccan at me right at me and now i sees it is time to end this he is still a cilde though he may thinc not. i stands

  tell me what is a joc cilde i saes

  thu thincs he saes and now that i is standan there is sum flicor in his fyr but still it beorns thu thincs our fyrd worc was sum joc is this what thu thincs

  i thincs i saes that i was right it wolde cum to naht and thu sceolde haf been here

  i thincs saes dunstan that triewe men gan to feoht for their cyng and land agan the ingenga

  ah i saes the ingenga what cums in the scape of the sea weod

  then dunstan he starts to yell lic he has wanted to from when he first cum in. what is thu he yells talcan all my lif of thy grandfather and anglisc gods and thy great sweord what thu has nefer efen swung and talcan of our folc and ingengas and feohtan agan all from outside and now they is cuman thu is sittan here on thy arse talccan scit about barns

  thu will scut thy fuccan mouth now i saes but as he is across the fyr from me i cannot beat him without goan to him and he is cwic i will sae this for him

  i will not he saes for i is man also on this land and i has been with the fyrd with triewe men with feohtan men who cnawan what angland is and has feoht for it and all saes there is sum great thing cuman from the sea and i will be with them these men feohtan agan all who cum and if my father will stay here with his fuccan waet and his sweord what rusts and all his fuccan words then that is his lif

  dunstan saes eadberht thu sceolde not spec this way to our father. he is right in this but then he locs at me father he saes to me has thu not saed sum thing is cuman since the daeg thu seen this fugol and we all seen the haeric star. well he saes is this not what is cuman and moste we not stand if it cum

  well i had saed this and right i was to sae it though none wolde lysten to me i cnawan sum thing great was cuman to angland and not a good thing. but i wolde not haf this not from no cilde lic this if there was feohtan to cum it wolde be me who saed when and where we was feohtan not dunstan nor ecceard nor efen the cyng but me

  i will not hiere this from cildren i saes

  i is no fuccan cilde scouts dunstan i is a man and mor fuccan man than thu

  thu is no man i saes

  thu is no man he saes before i has done thu is no fuccan father who will not feoht nor let his sons feoht. and he is gan then baec through the door to the deorcness and sore cene i was to go after him then but i seen odelyn and eadberht locan and i thought stillness was best that it wolde mac dunstan loc lic the lytel esol he was bean

  so i sits baec down still and i saes we will cepe eatan and after a lytel time of them locan at me eadberht and odelyn they sits down also lic they wolde rather not but they cnawan their place and still and saen naht i cept eatan lic naht had been done. in me though was a great ire and i was thincan of what dunstan wolde get from me cum the mergen and i was thincan also of why i was cursd to be all the time with esols and those who was agan me

  i cnawan odelyn was agan me and eadberht too now for the way he had spoc and dunstan ha
d been agan me for all time. annis was agan me gamel had not cum baec to me and ecceard and many in the ham was agan me also for i was wiser than them and wolde let them cnaw it. all was agan me lic all had been for so long since i was myself a cilde my own father had been agan me my dumb yfel father who sent me away for he was agan my triewth and only my sistor only aelfgifu to stand with me only aelfgifu who efer cnawan me triewe. and otherwise all folc in the world forsacan my word and who i was who i is who i fuccan is these folcs does not cnaw they thincs they cnaws but they is hunds all to the last fuccan one

  where now is the bans

  of weland the wise

  well dunstan the daeg after this he cept claere of me. that night he slept in the barn and the mergen after i hierde him worcan on it and later eadberht went to him and they worcced together and so micel did we haf to do that i colde not spare the time to beat him but i waited to see what he wolde cum at me with. but he cum with naht and for nearly a wice he spac naht to me only worcced on the barn and in the holt and feccan and heawan

  well this colde not go on and had we not so micel worc i wolde not haf let him do this for once this cums in to a mans hus it is lic a rat or the wyrm in the wud if thu does not cwell it it will bring the hus down on thu. but there was not time for me to do naht for after a wice or it colde haf been less efen after this time our freond with the seolfor helm cum baec and this time he spac mor and he spac cwiccer

  this time he cum to our land with not so many folc as before and those he did haf from the ham was not lic before when they was talcan and singan and in high sawol. ecceard again was with him but this time the helmed man he cum to me first and spac for he colde see i was in no mood to see him again

  buccmaster of holland he saes and he cnawan my name this was good it gaf me my due buccmaster of holland he saes thy sons has done angland triewe in these last wices and for this i thancs thu

  my sons is good i saes strong and they does what they moste and now they has done their six wices as thu cnawan in thy fyrd

  the fyrd of angland saes the helmed man is not mine nor is it that of harald cyng it is for all and though six wices as thu saes has been done i is cum to call the fyrd again for angland is under a great slege now lic it has not been since the time of great aelfred

  the duc is cum then saes dunstan it is the first time i has hierde him spec in many daegs and on his tunge there is a great thryll

  the duc is not cum saes the man it is worse in the north the landwaster has cum with a thousand long scips and he secs the corona of angland. harald cyng is ridan to lincylene and then to eorfic and we moste bring feohtan men as we go and we must go cwic for as we go north the south strands is left open to the frenc

  i will cum saes dunstan and he walcs to this man before any word is saed from me and he locs at me standan by this man who has cum again to tac from me

  father he saes i will not feoht thu again i will feoht the ingenga. i is goan father do not stop me

  then eadberht he gan to this man before he efen ascs me and he saes i will cum also and to me then he saes father thu will see that this is a time when all men is needed efen if they wolde stay on their ground. thu has spoc to us many times of how we must feoht for what we is so now we gan to feoht and thu will be proud

  so now he is tellan me i will be proud and me standan there lic a cunt while they is toc. what wolde thu do i ascs thu what wolde thu do thy sons tacan from thu again lic this. i locs at this man at ecceard behind him who is locan at the ground i locs at my boys and at the geburs and cottars gathered also and then i sees asger is there betweon them asger with his hoe and his dumb smerc and i sees i has lost it all now so i teorns and i walcs baec to my hus and naht i saes to any of them

  fare well father calls eadberht but i saes naht there is worc to be done

  well there was worc to be done but i did not want to do no worc then and what worc colde i do with no geburs and no sons it was a fuccan joc they was cwellan me. well i sceolde haf cnawan the fugol had saed this and the haeric star i sceolde haf cnawan but still i had not thought so micel colde be agan me

  so i sat in my hus by the aesc of the fyr and i dranc ealu and i waited for odelyn to cum for she was frettan around my sons as they was leafan. she cum in soon enough and loccd at me lic to see how she sceolde be around me

  wifman i saes and she saes yes my husbond in a tunge that saes she still felt what i had taught her before

  thu cnawan i is a good man i saes

  thu is a good man she saes

  there is those saes not i saes to her but they is only men. one man may thinc what he ceoses of another but it is only the thoughts of one man

  she locs at me lic she does not cnaw what to sae she nefer cnawan this one she needs me to steer her i lufs her when she lystens when she locs up at me she is proud

  if i cnawan i is good who is to sae i does yfel

  none can sae this

  sum may i saes but the word of one man is as good as another in the world is it not

  it is

  thu cnawan i is a good man

  i cnawan this

  none can sae i does yfel if i does not belyf it

  who saes this my husbond

  folcs thincs this i saes folcs is agan me in all lands my sons is agan me ecceard my geburs the cyng himself is agan me

  my husbond she saes this is not so

  it is so and i is thy husbond and i saes it is so

  she saes naht to this as she cnawan it is triewe

  this is the way it is in the world now i saes the way of things is all gan it is the crist who done this they cums with his boc loc they saes this deed is yfel this deed is good heed the crist

  yes she saes

  it is bocs that does yfel i saes all bocs the boc of the crist the boc of the cyng all laws from abuf mor efry year. i moste gif geld to the cyng i moste cepe the bricg i moste gif a hus to my gebur i moste gif land to my wif i moste gif my sons to the fyrd i moste sitt on the wapentac i moste gif haerfest worc to the thegn i moste gif a tithe of waet to the circe on sanct martin and sceap at pentecost i moste go to the circe efry wice and lysten to scit from the mouths of preosts i moste efen gif geld for my own graef

  thu is a man of parts she saes thu has three oxgangs this is good

  it is good i saes yes it is good is this why they cums for me with laws and bocs they is agan me for what i has. loc now they cums to me and they saes ingengas is cuman we need thy sons and thy geburs for we moste feoht agan the cwellers but efry daeg they is cwellan us the cyng and the crist. this ingenga god that they lufs he has nefer seen an anglisc treow this god from a land of dust where there is no night

  is there no night

  lysten to me i is specan lysten we feoht agan one yeoc only to cepe our selfs under another this god does not cnaw me how can he sae i is yfel can he see my heorte

  she saes none can see thy heorte

  then how can he sae i is yfel

  he can not sae this

  what man can stand ofer me what man

  no man

  is i yfel wif

  thu is not yfel my husbond

  this is what i belyf i scit on all bocs those who trust in them they is in a gaol of dust and light light from sum other scor

  dust and light she saes

  the crist can not harm me

  no

  the cyng can not harm me

  no

  none can harm me

  none

  i is not yfel

  no

  thu is a good wif to me

  where now is the bans

  where now

  it was that night i had the first sight of him yes i see it now that night when all was first tacan from me though i did not cnaw then how micel mor wolde be lost. ah for micel time it had been cuman sum thing had been locan for me sum thing had been growan had been callan from the deorcness and when i locs baec now all is clere. that night i seen all things end in a great storm and from this storm cum a man and the man saes thu cnawan
me buccmaster thu cnawan me and this man he was foul to see. from his mouth there cum fronds lic the sceots of blosms they wafs as he specs there is no haer upon his heafod but the hide is thicce and craccd cuman away in places and his eages is blaec lic night on the water

  in his left hand there is a hamor the hamor of a smith the hamor of the great smith what lifs in the eald beorgs and in his right hand there is a heafodpanne the heafodpanne of a wifman and it is all ofer with gold and stans and cut in two lic it is a cyngs cuppe for wine or mead and the smith through his rottin mouth he specs to me again and he saes thu cnawan me

  and i do cnaw him and he specs again name me but i thincs that if i name him sum thing will cum then that will nefer go and so i specs not and he saes again buccmaster of holland name me. but that night i does not name him not that night and from this dream i waeccen and it is before the daegs beginnan and i stands and i walcs to my feld of flax what is now a feld of weods and abuf the treows the haerfest mona is great and yeolo and the ule is callan and all else is still. but in me is his tunge what is hierde abuf the ule and the sound of my breathan and it nefer stops all that night and it saes name me name me name me

  there is no one lifan in angland now has not seen all they cnawan tacan from them. there is no man in angland in any part from mierce to northanhymbre to efen us the free socmen of holland has not seen efry thing they cnawan tacan and none of this in their grip. lic the wind what brings down the waet before haerfest there was naht we colde do to stand in the way of such a slege naht but to go out after with sicols and loc at our broc felds and tac what straw and seed we colde from the whole wide strip of broc lengths cut at the ground by what was called down from the heofon and us not gifen to cnaw why in this lif and it colde be not efer

  this i cnawan now and so does efry other man in angland. that night when i seen him for the first time that daeg when i lost all my men to the folc of the boc that daeg i felt what i was losan strong i felt what fugol and star had brought to me. there was mor to lose yes i is cuman to this i wolde lose efry thing soon angland wolde lose efry thing and though we feoht to cepe it we did not cepe it though if men had lystened to me done what i had spacan done lic i saed then we colde haf cept it but men is esols and dumb and does not lysten to the wise