Now when Thiodolf came back to the camp the signs of dawn were plain in the sky, the moon was low and sinking behind the trees, and he saw at once that the men were stirring and getting ready for departure. He looked gladly and blithely2 at the men he fell in with, and they at him, and scarce could they refrain a shout when they beheld3 his face and the brightness of it. He went straight up to where the Hall-Sun was yet sitting under her namesake, with Arinbiorn standing4 before her amidst of a ring of leaders of hundreds and scores: but old Sorli sat by her side clad in all his war-gear.
When Thiodolf first came into that ring of men they looked doubtfully at him, as if they dreaded5 somewhat, but when they had well beheld him their faces cleared, and they became joyous6.
He went straight up to Arinbiorn and kissed the old warrior7, and said to him, “I give thee good morrow, O leader of the Bearings! Here now is come the War-duke! and meseems that we should get to work as speedily as may be, for lo the dawning!”
“Hail to thine hand, War-duke!” said Arinbiorn joyously8; “there is no more to do but to take thy word concerning the order wherein we shall wend; for all men are armed and ready.”
Said Thiodolf; “Lo ye, I lack war-gear and weapons! Is there a good sword hereby, a helm, a byrny and a shield? For hard will be the battle, and we must fence ourselves all we may.”
“Hard by,” said Arinbiorn, “is the war-gear of Ivar of our House, who is dead in the night of his hurts gotten in yesterday’s battle: thou and he are alike in stature9, and with a good will doth he give them to thee, and they are goodly things, for he comes of smithying blood. Yet is it a pity of Throng-plough that he lieth on the field of the slain10.”
But Thiodolf smiled and said: “Nay, Ivar’s blade shall serve my turn to-day; and thereafter shall it be seen to, for then will be time for many things.”
So they went to fetch him the weapons; but he said to Arinbiorn, “Hast thou numbered the host? What are the gleanings of the Roman sword?”
Said Arinbiorn: “Here have we more than three thousand three hundred warriors11 of the host fit for battle: and besides this here are gathered eighteen hundred of the Wolfings and the Bearings, and of the other Houses, mostly from over the water, and of these nigh upon seven hundred may bear sword or shoot shaft12; neither shall ye hinder them from so doing if the battle be joined.”
Then said Thiodolf: “We shall order us into three battles; the Wolfings and the Bearings to lead the first, for this is our business; but others of the smaller Houses this side the water to be with us; and the Elkings and Galtings and the other Houses of the Mid-mark on the further side of the water to be in the second, and with them the more part of the Nether-mark; but the men of Up-mark to be in the third, and the stay-at-homes to follow on with them: and this third battle to let the wood cover them till they be needed, which may not be till the day of fight draws to an end, when all shall be needed: for no Roman man must be left alive or untaken by this even, or else must we all go to the Gods together. Hearken, Arinbiorn. I am not called fore-sighted, and yet meseems I see somewhat how this day shall go; and it is not to be hidden that I shall not see another battle until the last of all battles is at hand. But be of good cheer, for I shall not die till the end of the fight, and once more I shall be a man’s help unto you. Now the first of the Romans we meet shall not be able to stand before us, for they shall be unready, and when their men are gotten ready and are fighting with us grimly, ye of the second battle shall hear the war-token, and shall fall on, and they shall be dismayed when they see so many fresh men come into the fight; yet shall they stand stoutly13; for they are valiant14 men, and shall not all be taken unawares. Then, if they withstand us long enough, shall the third battle come forth15 from the wood, and fall on either flank of them, and the day shall be won. But I think not that they shall withstand us so long, but that the men of Up-mark and the stay-at-homes shall have the chasing of them. Now get me my war-gear, and let the first battle get them to the outgate of the garth.”
So they brought him his arms; and meanwhile the Hall-Sun spake to one of the Captains, and he turned and went away a little space, and then came back, having with him three strong warriors of the Wolfings, and he brought them before the Hall-Sun, who said to them:
“Ye three, Steinulf, Athalulf, and Grani the Grey, I have sent for you because ye are men both mighty16 in battle and deft17 wood-wrights and house-smiths; ye shall follow Thiodolf closely, when he winneth into the Roman garth, yet shall ye fight wisely, so that ye be not slain, or at least not all; ye shall enter the Hall with Thiodolf, and when ye are therein, if need be, ye shall run down the Hall at your swiftest, and mount up into the loft18 betwixt the Middle-hearth and the Women’s-Chamber, and there shall ye find good store of water in vats19 and tubs, and this ye shall use for quenching20 the fire of the Hall if the foemen fire it, as is not unlike to be.”
Then Grani spoke21 for the others and said he would pay all heed22 to her words, and they departed to join their company.
Now was Thiodolf armed; and Arinbiorn, turning about before he went to his place, beheld him and knit his brow, and said: “What is this, Thiodolf? Didst thou not swear to the Gods not to bear helm or shield in the battles of this strife23? yet hast thou Ivar’s helm on thine head and his shield ready beside thee: wilt24 thou forswear thyself? so doing shalt thou bring woe25 upon the House.”
“Arinbiorn,” said Thiodolf, “where didst thou hear tell of me that I had made myself the thrall26 of the Gods? The oath that I sware was sworn when mine heart was not whole towards our people; and now will I break it that I may keep what of good intent there was in it, and cast away the rest. Long is the story; but if we journey together to-night I will tell it thee. Likewise I will tell it to the Gods if they look sourly upon me when I see them, and all shall be well.”
He smiled as he spoke, and Arinbiorn smiled on him in turn and went his ways to array the host. But when he was gone Thiodolf was alone in that place with the Hall-Sun, and he turned to her, and kissed her, and caressed27 her fondly, and spake and said:
“So fare we, O my daughter, to the sundering28 of the ways;
Short is my journey henceforth to the door that ends my days,
And long the road that lieth as yet before thy feet.
How fain were I that thy journey from day to day were sweet
With peace to thee and pleasure; that a noble warrior’s hand
In its early days might lead thee adown the flowery land,
And thy children in its noon-tide cling round about thy gown,
And the wise that thy womb has carried when the sun is going down,
Be thy happy fellow-farers to tell the tale of Earth,
But I wot that for no such sweetness did we bring thee unto birth,
But to be the soul of the Wolfings till the other days should come,
And the fruit of the kindreds’ harvest with thee is garnered29 home.
Yet if for no blithe1 faring thy life-day is ordained30,
Yet peace that long endureth maybe thy soul hath gained;
And thy sorrow of this even thy latest grief shall be,
The grief wherewith thou singest the death-song over me.”
She looked up at him and smiled, though the tears were on her face; then she said:
“Though to-day the grief beginneth yet the bitterness is done.
Though my body wendeth barren ‘neath the beams of the quickening sun,
Yet remembrance still abideth, and long after the days of my life
Shall I live in the tale of the morning, when they tell of the ending of strife;
And the deeds of this little hand, and the thought conceived in my heart,
And never again henceforward from the folk shall I fare apart.
And if of the Earth, my father, thou hast tidings in thy place
Thou shalt hear how they call me the Ransom31 and the Mother of happy
days.”
Then she wept outright32 for a brief space, and thereafter she said:
“Keep this in thine heart, O father, that I shall remember all
Since thou liftedst the she-wolf’s nursling in the oak-tree’s leafy hall.
Yea, every time I remember when hand in hand we went
Amidst the shafts33 of the beech-trees, and down to the youngling bent34
The Folk-wolf in his glory when the eve of fight drew nigh;
And every time I remember when we wandered joyfully35
Adown the sunny meadow and lived a while of life
’Midst the herbs and the beasts and the waters so free from fear and strife,
That thy years and thy might and thy wisdom, I had no part therein;
But thou wert as the twin-born brother of the maiden36 slim and thin,
The maiden shy in the feast-hall and blithe in wood and field.
Thus have we fared, my father; and e’en now when thou bearest shield,
On the last of thy days of mid-earth, twixt us ’tis even so
That the heart of my like-aged brother is the heart of thee that I know.”
Then the bitterness of tears stayed her speech, and he spake no word more, but took her in his arms a while and soothed37 her and fondled her, and then they parted, and he went with great strides towards the outgoing of the Thing-stead.
There he found the warriors of his House and of the Bearings and the lesser38 Houses of Mid-mark, all duly ordered for wending through the wood. The dawn was coming on apace, but the wood was yet dark. But whereas the Wolfings led, and each man of them knew the wood like his own hand, there was no straying or disarray39, and in less than a half-hour’s space Thiodolf and the first battle were come to the wood behind the hazel-trees at the back of the hall, and before them was the dawning round about the Roof of the Kindred; the eastern heavens were brightening, and they could see all things clear without the wood.
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1
blithe
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| adj.快乐的，无忧无虑的 | |
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blithely
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| adv.欢乐地，快活地，无挂虑地 | |
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beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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vats
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| varieties 变化，多样性，种类 | |
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quenching
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| 淬火，熄 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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25
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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26
thrall
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| n.奴隶；奴隶制 | |
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27
caressed
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| 爱抚或抚摸…( caress的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
sundering
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| v.隔开，分开( sunder的现在分词 ) | |
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29
garnered
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| v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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33
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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34
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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35
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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36
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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37
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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38
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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39
disarray
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| n.混乱，紊乱，凌乱 | |
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