Opening lines of Eþandun: Epic Poem



Pour your glory, Lord, on the struggling king,
who by your hand ransomed the ravaged land;
illuminate the faces of your people,
who bled for you on every slaughterfield;
and kindle, Comforter, our uncouth hearts
that we may burn to do your will and earn
the blessings, not the curses, of our ancestors.
The pagan Danes had conquered the four kingdoms.
Clerics and kings, churls and thanes they’d slain,
while the living they plundered and enslaved.
Alfred, caked with the blood of friend and foe,
tasted the dregs of that envenomed horn,
but, granted faith and craft by our dear Savior,
he steeped old Godrum’s host in faith and fear
and steered the stubborn oarsmen from our soil. . .
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Submitted by on April 22, 2021

Modified by davidb on September 05, 2021

35 sec read
1,089

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABCBDEFGHIJKLMN
Closest metre Iambic hexameter
Characters 688
Words 118
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 15

William G. Carpenter

I am an epic poet living in Minneapolis. My new epic poem about Alfred the Great's struggle with the invading Danes, just published by Beaver's Pond Press and illustrated by Miko Simmons, is available at www.williamgcarpenter.com and from Amazon.com, as well as local bookstores. more…

All William G. Carpenter poems | William G. Carpenter Books

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5 Comments
  • karlcfolkes
    Interesting tidbit elements of Viking saga. On a personal note I relate humorously to the characters you mention in your epic poem, having a Jamaican father by the name of Athelstan Canute, his brother, Eric, his sister Emma, and a notorious magician half-brother, Alfred — all bearing Scandinavian Viking names while growing up and living in Colonial Jamaica. 
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • teril
    Wow, what a beginning! Your writing is excellent, leaving me a vivid impression of violence and war. How brave is Alfred! What will happen next?
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • Symmetry58
    How utterly clever and wise this poem is, William. Profundity comes to mind. You are a true poet, Sir.
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • TEJIKOBI
    Excellent
    LikeReply1 year ago
  • Dougla$Irishman
    This is an epic poem worthy of merit ! Bold thoughts create history for our knowledge ! The truth is far greater than the best of fiction !
    LikeReply2 years ago

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"Opening lines of Eþandun: Epic Poem" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 18 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/98014/opening-lines-of-eþandun:-epic-poem>.

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