LA BATAILLE DE MALDON

L'auteur, dans son premier chapitre, rapproche cette ballade anglo-saxonne d'un passage de Tacite sur le compagnonnage militaire des Germains. Nous transcrivons ici le texte que nous annoncions au lecteur en le traduisant à la page 47.

Thereon hewed him

The heathen soldiers ;

And both the warriors

Tliat near him by-stood ;

Elfnoth and Wulfmaer both

Lay there on the ground

By their lord ;

Their hves they sold.

There bowcd they from the fij^ht

That there to be would nol.

There were Oddu's bairns Erst in flight; Godric from battle went, And the good man forsook That to him ofttimes Iloi'ses had 2;ivpn.

2i2 APPENDICE.

He leapt on the horse Tliat his lord had owiied, On the housings Tliat it not right was,

There was fallen The folk's Elder, -Ethelred's Earl ; VU there saw Of his hearth's comrades That their loi'd lay dead.

Then there went fortli The proud Thanes, The undaunted men Hastened gladly ; They would there ail One of two things, Either life forsake, Or the loved one wreak.

Neither on that folk Shall the Thanes twit me That I from this ho-t Away would go To seek niy home, New mine Elder lielh Hewn down in battle ; To me is that harm most :

He was both my kinsman And my lord.

How thou, ^Elfwine, hast

AU our Thanes

In need-time cheered.

Now our lord lieth,

The Earl on the earth,

'Ihat of us each one

Others should embolden

Warmen to the war,

That while we weapons may