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VIKING POEMS
Poem by Thjodulf
See where the great longship
Proudly rests its anchor
Above the prow, the dragon
Lifts its glowing head
As one, King Harold’s warriors
Lift long oars from the water.
On the shore, the women watch,
Wondering at their sea skill.
We shall row, my lady, without tiring
Until our oars are broken
Or their broad blades lie idle
When the horns blow for battle.
Poem by GK Chesterton
The Northmen came about our land
A Christless chivalry
Who knew not of the arch or pen,
Great, beautiful, half-witted men
From the sunrise and the sea.
Mis-shapen ships stood on the deep
Full of strange gold and fire
And hairy men, as huge as sin
With horned heads, came wading in
Through the long, low sea-mire.
Our towns were shaken of tall kings
With scarlet beards like blood:
The world turned empty where they trod,
(Vikings) 25
