Caroline Bergvall

From "Shorter Chaucer Tales" (2006) The great labour of appearance Served the making of the pyre. But how Nor how How also How they Shal nat be toold Shall not be told. Nor how the gods Nor how the beestes and the birds Nor how the ground agast Nor how the fire First with straw And then with drye And then with grene And then with gold And then Now how a site is laid like this. Nor what Nor how Nor how Nor what she spak nor what was her desir Nor what jewels When the fire Nor how some threw their And some their And their And cups full of wine and milk And blood Into the fyr Into the fire. Nor how three times And three times with And three times how.

The fair wind failed. The wind dropped. Winds were unfavourable straightaway. The favourable wind dropped and they were beset by storms so that they made little progress. Then the wind dropped and they were beset by winds from the north and fog; for many days they did not know where they were sailing. The fair wind failed and they wholly lost their reckoning. They did not know from what direction. Driven here and there. The fog was so dense that they lost all sense of direction and lost their course at sea. There was much fog and the winds were light and unfavourable. They drifted far and wide on the high sea. Most of those on board completely lost their reckoning. The crew had no idea in which direction they were steering. A thick fog which did not lift for days. The ship was driven off course to land. They were tossed about at sea for a long time and failed to reach their destination. We embarked and sailed but a fog so thick covered us that we could scarcely see the poop or the prow of the boat Then the wind ddroppe and they were beset by w inds from then orth and fog for manyd ays they did not know where they were sailing Thef air wind f ailed and they wholly l ost their reck their reckoning did not not know from what direction D riven here and there The f og was sodense that they l ost all ss ense of dirrrtion and l ost thr course at sea There was much fog and the w inds were light and unf and unfavourable They driftedf ar and wide on the high sea Mo stof those onboard completly l ost l ost l ost their reckoning Th ec rew had no idea in which direction they were ststeering A thick fo g which d i d n ot l ift for days The sh ip was driven offf course tol and They were ossted about astea for a longt ime and f iled tor each their destination We mbarkt and sailed but a fog so th but a fog so th but a fog so th th th th thik k overed us that we could scarcely see the poop or the prow of the boa t str  ght w   Th  f  r w nd f  l d Th  w nd dr pp d Th  f v  r bl w nd dr pp d  nd th   w r  b s t b st rms s  th t th   m d l ttl  pr gr ss Th n th  w nd dr pp d  nd th   w r  b s t by w nds fr m the n rth  nd f g f r m ny d ys th y d d n t kn w wh r  th y w r  s  l ng Th  f  r w nd f  l d  nd th y wh ll  l st th  r r ck th  r r ck n ng Th y d d n t kn w fr m wh t d r ct  n D r v n h r   nd th r  Th  f g w s s  d ns  th t th y l  st  ll ss  ns  f d rrrt  n  nd l  st thr c  rs  t s   Th r  w s m ch f g  nd th  w  nds w r  l ght nd unf  nd  nf v   r bl  They dr ft df  r  nd w d   n th  h gh s M  st  f th se   nb  rd c mpl tly l  st l  st l  st th  r r ck n ng Th c r w h d n   d    n wh ch d r ct  n th y w r  stst  ring   th ck f  g wh ch d d n  t l  ft f r d ys The sh  p w s dr ven  fff c  rse t l  nd Th y w r   sst d  b    t  st    f r l ngt  me and f  led t r   ch th  r d st n tion W  mb rkt  nd s  l d b t   f g s   th b t   f g s  th b t f g s   th th th th th k k  v r d s th t w  c  ld sc rc ly s   th  p  p  r th  pr w  f th  b   t  f the b  t of the b  t the b b s t b  st rms s  th t th   m d  l ttl  pr gr ss Th n th  w nd dr pp d  nd th   w r  b s t by w The sh  p w s dr ven  fff c  rse t l  nd Th y w r   sst d  b  t st   f r l ngt  me and f  led t r   ch th  r d st n tion W  mb rkt  nd s  l d b t   f g s  th b t   f g s  th b t   f g s  th th th th th k k  v r d s th t w c   ld sc rc ly s    th  p   p  r th  pr w  f th  b   t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t t go t go off t go off course t go off course hafville t be lost forvillet hafville Ache come off course hafville Did not go where I was knowing hafville Had fear wildering hafville For a minute there I lost myself Totally at sea lost myway tossed misted lost mywill in the fog hafville hafville my love Major Tom hafville Li Bai hafville Rimbaud hafville Shelley hafville Amelia Earhart hafville Jeff Buckley hafville Spalding Gray hafville Virginia Woolf hafville Albert Ayler hafville Reinaldo Arenas hafville Hart Crane hafville Ingeborg Bachmann hafville When you rise from the dead,when I rise from the dead,the hangman will hang at the gatethe hammer will sink into the sea Kom ut av kursen hafville Secgan at come hafvillur ok darkens ok myrkr ok hafvillur ok þokur ok hafvillur Cannot pokker see through this þokur Hwær hwanon never knew hu how to steer out of this rook this moss droomly wetter stoutair mattersea thick dank shadoway Lost lost all reckoning the sea coagulated All wats not-light all wats not-dark Déadlockit Beat bells! Blow foghorns! Storm the ceiling! Set my head on fire! Lightup! this d arkness for a bearing thour pis halla Beat bells blow foghorns! Gebangbang for rumbly lowe! When will the wind come? Where will the wind from come? Will it come from the naught, bringing phobias and rationing? Will it come from the soot, bringing droughts and epidemics? Will it come from the feast, fleeding crops and arteries? Will it come from the waste, bringing seizures and military uprisings? When will the wind come? Where will the wind from come? Will it come from the clog, causing jellyfish fission shutdown? Will it come from the leak, bringing mass dispersion radiation? When will the wind come? Where will the wind from come? Will it be an empty confusing windup? Will it be a tempestuous hooley? Will it be a blippy huff ’n puff ? Will it be a good proper piner? Heigh Ho and up she rises! Heigh Ho and up she goes! Beat bells! Blow foghorns! Loud metal gebangbang for rumbly love!