Out of a wooden world

[Benjamin]

Out of a wooden world of long benched halls

and horns of mead. Rise garnets of blood red

from India; the finest Byzantine

silver, and beads of blue Italian glass.

Their provenance imparts a truth, with dark

niello accents etched on Frankish gold.

Where eye is teased, bewildered, held in thrall.

Fantastic creatures, abstract, ribbon-like,

whose convolutions suddenly will end

in mean and jewelled head-- reveal themselves.

Not as a maze, or Celtic version of

a wandering Greek key-- but serpents-- Norse.

Edited July 8, 2011 by Benjamin

[Benjamin]

My interests are wide and varied. I compiled these few lines because I understand that it is no longer politically correct to refer to the “dark ages” (after Romans left Britain 410 AD) ; but Anglo-Saxon England remains a shadowy place, with contradictory and confusing sources and archeology. Yet out of it came much that is familiar in modern Britain, including it's laws, it's parish boundaries, a language that came to dominate the world, as well as metalwork and manuscript illumination of dazzling intricacy and beauty. Benjamin

[badger11]

Richly inlaid, I could visualise the craft, and I liked the thread of trade with the mention of exotic places (no doubt some plunder too). 'niello' was a wonderful discovery. Not sure about the from dangling on L2.

 

badge

[Benjamin]

Thanks Badge I'll have another look at that. Cheers. B

[tonyv]

Out of a wooden world of long benched halls

and horns of mead. Rise garnets of blood red

from India; the finest Byzantine

silver, and beads of blue Italian glass.

Their provenance imparts a truth, with dark

niello accents etched on Frankish gold.

Where eye is teased, bewildered, held in thrall.

Fantastic creatures, abstract, ribbon-like,

whose convolutions suddenly will end

in mean and jewelled head-- reveal themselves.

Not as a maze, or Celtic version of

a wandering Greek key-- but serpents-- Norse.

My interests are wide and varied. I compiled these few lines because I understand that it is no longer politically correct to refer to the “dark ages” (after Romans left Britain 410 AD) ; but Anglo-Saxon England remains a shadowy place, with contradictory and confusing sources and archeology. Yet out of it came much that is familiar in modern Britain, including it's laws, it's parish boundaries, a language that came to dominate the world, as well as metalwork and manuscript illumination of dazzling intricacy and beauty. Benjamin

 

Very, very good, Geoff. I'm amazed by the high caliber of work being posted lately. It's really inspiring.

 

From your poem and notes, I've learned more than I've known up until now on the subject. A shadowy place with a fascinating history, mostly unfamiliar to me, and you've taken me there.

 

Tony

[Benjamin]

Thanks Tony. The regal burial ship at Sutton Hoo (1939)and more recent finds in Staffordshire,England indicate that people of this period which we know so little about, probably had international trade links, as well as early contact with the Vikings who were renowned invaders,extensive travellers and tellers of epic tales.G.