Giles Goodland

The Brimston Worm
Fytte the 2nd


                                                                                              He dreams.
He fared to bedd & feol        fast on a slume,
was sowen a seme        by a fery sweven.
He awakend alsoon        yn adread, for
Nonia heold a nurslyng        hwo was nurnand hym.
Wakked he of his wynkyng        & wyped he
his eyen & wo was he        withal
that he had slept sadder        & seon more.


                                                                                              He visits the wizard, Momancer.
To a wicca he wendid        to wit hym
hwat ment thys monstreful        metyng.
Mercuryous Momancer        muchhwat
dwelt yn druidrie,        a divynister
& wiseard hwo witied        widehwere.


                                                                                              He asks about his dream
0 evergloomand eldfather,        elkend Ofmach,
Mildheartful mayster        mought thou
unriddel my uggen        & unqueme
swevens, he sayed        sorrowlie.
Yestimight me metted        a mervel.
Canst devyne thys darksome        dremel?
Couldstow wissen mene hwere        he wicks?


                                                                                              and how he can find Rothead.
For notheless Ich cnow        not hwere
to wyn thyss wanchancie        wyver,
the rudesome raynwyrm        namen Rothead.


                                                                                              The wizard's prophecy:
Charelie Momancer chymerized        a chaomantic
serecandel hwich scyntillized        slantlie,
& sooth sayed an estrange        sigalder.
Fyrlen schall be yowr faer,        0 farend, sayed h
e. He mutterated manysome        magisteries,
sprankled & scrimpled        scrawlatiouns,
nekst oraclized hys obscurous        otherwisedom:


                                                                                              Ofmach shall defeat the worm
Cum hytherward & herken        how Ich say.
Ich cun cantrips        for cowardrie,
augurize the awlich        alwayness
of darksome & dungwet        Dame Natura.
Hount Rawflesch        to hys hidels,
an ermytic erd        yn the earthends.


                                                                                              the battle will be hard
Wrynglie yow & the wyrm        schall writh
The drac wyll despite yow        yn drearihead.
Fluksibel is yowr future        & farcast.
Ich scry slantlyng        yn my seeyngglass
afire an aghful        awreakyng,
yow wyll wem        & wythturn
the wanschapen        witherwyn.


                                                                                              he shall have a son
Forther of yowr foster        I foreschow
yowr baban wyll not be        born but brooden,
not womben by wifman        wyll he be.
Yow schall getten a gome        grettest yn erth


                                                                                              but be defeated by death.
The hwilebeyng hwatnes        of yowr hwate is
not to die onetil yaw dare        dieth
Noneman up on mold        wyll mort yow.
Tocum is tristie        & turnisch
Ich farlie foredight        onelie foehood,
witie but ne can wythtum        wyrserness.


                                                                                              He must find a companion
Yaw must lait a leafful        lodeman,
a lykeworth lickdisch,        a lusk.
A man baseborn        yet brotherlyke.
Take thys foolhappie fanger        as fellowbrother.


                                                                                              sail north.
Nekst set a seacours        scanicward &
to a boreall & brimstonie        bordreland.
Schrift schield yow        from schamesdeed.


                                                                                              Of Mooncow.
He wondren was of these        wyrds cwaint
& besought the betiden        brethel.
Thys beardgrave & bumpsie        blunderkyn
causefullie clepen        Mooncow was
a seacraftie steersman        & slabbard,
a cockapert calumner        & clatterfart
hwo drove bothen a boat        behovelie
& a smick smack spear        skillwiselie.


                                                                                              They depart
Hwen flures fall        & fills falew
yn authum farforth        on the seaflood
the two twaind        tideways.
Northschyne nimbd        the night tid
hwen flot thei thurgh        fleckeren floes.
Furtherforth the fiendlich        firekyng
farcast hys firen        flanes
& the sea sprighted        wyth spoorns.


                                                                                              and sail into a storm.
Norther & northermore        thei nighed.
Scathelie thei schymmd        seastrams,
faren als far        als anie freke.
Sodenlie the soft ayr        sprank.
Nekst thonder thomp        & thrast,
a wyled wynd dyd        up werp,
a thwarterous thirlpoll        tholed
& umbraced theim wyth unfast        unds.


                                                                                              Waves come over the side.
The breth & the brok        & the bote metten,
wynds wirbelled        wodelie.
Ovir wild waws        thei wendid
hurlen on a heap        yn the helm
& snow sniterd        & snaypt,
sunderd theyr sayls        & sad ropes.


                                                                                              They are overwhelmed.
Seafoul scrithed        on the storem,
mawd & morkd        & mewd thei.
Wankle waws        walmd theim tyll
theyr seabeaten scif        swoldird was.
Crookbacken thei beswynkd        the botepolls
& the seacraftie steersman        dyd squeam.


                                                                                              Their ship is embayed.
The storems weor still,        the stremem abawt
all cawm yt be came,        & comferd theim
but the hwirlpit hwowst        hwencefrom
ynlecks ischd        wyth ithes of weter.
Mooncow grobbd the glidder        grundhold
& hove yt heavisomlie        heedlong.
Yn the nighten northhalf        of nohwither
naufragated by necrolatrie on        a nekland
of the widsea their scip        was stiked.