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72 SCOTTISH ANNALS
blades ; so was it natural to them, the sons of Edward, from
their ancestors that against every foe they defended their
land, hoard and homes.
The foe gave way ;
the folk of the Scots and the shipfleet
fell death-doomed. The field was slippery with the
blood of warriors, from the time when the sun, glorious star,
glided up in morning tide over the world, the eternal Lord
God's candle bright, till the noble creature sank to rest.
There lay many a warrior by darts laid low ; many a
northern man over the shield shot, and many a Scot beside,
weary, war-sated. The West Saxons in companies continuously
all the day long pressed after the hostile peoples, hewed
the fugitives from behind cruelly with swords mill-sharpened.
The Mercians refused not the hard hand-play to any of the
heroes who for battle, death-doomed, sought land in ship's
bosom, over the mingling waves, with Olaf.
There lay on the battle-field five young kings, by the
swords put to sleep and also seven earls of ; Olaf : of the
army untold numbers, of the fleet and of Scots.
There was put to flight the Northmen's lord, driven by
need to his ship's prow, with a small band : the boat drove
afloat ; the king fled out upon the fallow flood ; he saved his
life.
So there also the aged Constantin came north to his country
by flight, hoary warrior. No need had he to exult in the
intercourse of swords. He was bereft of his kinsmen, deprived
of his friends on the meeting-place, bereaved in the battle.
And he left his son in the slaughter-place, mangled with
wounds, young in warfare.
He had no need to boast, the grizzly-haired man, of the
bill-clashing, the old malignant ; nor Olaf the more, with
their remnants of armies. They had no cause to laugh, that
they in works of war were the better, on the battle-field of
the conflict of banners, of the meeting of spears, of the assemblage
of men, of the contest of weapons that on the ;
slaughterfield
they played with Edward's sons.
The Northmen retired, bloody remnant from the spears,
in their nailed boats on the sounding sea. Over deep water
they sought Dublin and Ireland again, with minds cast down.
So too the brothers, both together, king and prince,
sought their country, the West Saxons' land, rejoicing in the
war.
They left behind them to share the carrion the dusky -
coated, the swart raven, of horny beak ;
and the grey-coated,