“O Wood-Sun,” he said “thou art the treasure of life that I found when I was young, and the love of life that I hold, now that my beard is grizzling.  Since when did I fear thee, Wood-Sun?  Did I fear thee when first I saw thee, and we stood amidst the hazelled field, we twain living amongst the slain?  But my sword was red with the blood of the foe, and my raiment with mine own blood; and I was a-weary with the day’s work, and sick with many strokes, and methought I was fainting into death.  And there thou wert before me, full of life and ruddy and smiling both lips and eyes; thy raiment clean and clear, thine hands stained with blood:  then didst thou take me by my bloody and weary hand, and didst kiss my lips grown ashen pale, and thou saidst ‘Come with me.’  And I strove to go, and might not; so many and sore were my hurts.  Then amidst my sickness and my weariness was I merry; for I said to myself, This is the death of the warrior, and it is exceeding sweet.  What meaneth it?  Folk said of me; he is over young to meet the foeman; yet am I not over young to die?”

Therewith he laughed out amid the wild-wood, and his speech became song, and he said: 

“We wrought in the ring of the hazels, and the wine of war we drank:  From the tide when the sun stood highest to the hour wherein she sank:  And three kings came against me, the mightiest of the Huns, The evil-eyed in battle, the swift-foot wily ones; And they gnashed their teeth against me, and they gnawed on the shield- rims there, On that afternoon of summer, in the high-tide of the year.  Keen-eyed I gazed about me, and I saw the clouds draw up Till the heavens were dark as the hollow of a wine-stained iron cup, And the wild-deer lay unfeeding on the grass of the forest glades, And all earth was scared with the thunder above our clashing blades.

“Then sank a King before me, and on fell the other twain, And I tossed up the reddened sword-blade in the gathered rush of the rain And the blood and the water blended, and fragrant grew the earth.

   “There long I turned and twisted within the battle-girth
   Before those bears of onset:  while out from the grey world streamed
   The broad red lash of the lightening and in our byrnies gleamed. 
   And long I leapt and laboured in that garland of the fight
   ’Mid the blue blades and the lightening; but ere the sky grew light
   The second of the Hun-kings on the rain-drenched daisies lay;
   And we twain with the battle blinded a little while made stay,
   And leaning on our sword-hilts each on the other gazed.