Wæstm: Installment Number Six!
The apple returns…
Bosch’s The Last Judgement, 1482
Eala friends! It’s been a long time since I got to type those words, so I’d like to add to my usual greeting, a wel-cume back to Modern Old English, in her brand-new location!
Before I share the next segment of my apple story, I thought I’d give a quick update on where I’ve been lately. A few months ago, I got locked out of my old website (which you can still access here) and wasn’t able to publish my writing. Finally, I decided to give Modern Old English a refresh with a new and hopefully improved site! This is where you’ll find all of my projects going forwards, and you should expect more content very soon, along with more story updates!
In terms of other work, I have plans to get back to my instagram series, so if you haven’t already, check out my page here! And I recently got the exciting news that my paper has been accepted to Kalamazoo conference 2025 in the spring, so I am looking forward to going to my second year and this time getting to present!
I hope everyone has been doing well, and I’m so happy to be back to share one of my very favorite chapters. Without further ado, enjoy and see you soon!
Chapter the Seventh: Ingenuity, appropriate preparation, and a little help from a tree.
The apple looks around
Se wæstm gorað
He rolls to the tree
Hē gewælteð tō þām trēowe
He peels the bark
Hē be-rindreð þæt rind
Shield!
Lind!
He finds the acorn-top
Hē ge-findeð þæt æceren-hēahnesse
Helmet!
Here-grima!
He plucks the pine needle
Hē hnoppað þæt trēowe-nædl
Sword!
Heoru!
The apple climbs the tree
Se waestm clymmeð þaet trēow
He is at the top
Hē is æt þæm cnæpe
He takes the breath…
Hē eþiað…
And leaps!
Ond hleapeð!
And yet again…
Ond giet agen…
Sparkles!
Spircas!
He flies across the lands
He gefleogeð æfter þæm læðum
Suddenly day becomes night
Fyrlice dæg becymð niht
Fighting, flying, weeping figures
Ceasende, fleogende, ge-wepende lim-gelecg
Chaos and darkness reign
Dwolma ond mirce ge-weldaþ
In the center: a pear
Tōmmides: peru