Forever in Chains
Walls surround me as the years pass slowly by
Wonder what I might have been
Battle-slaughter and a kingdom overthrown
Are only shadowy tales for me
My kingly blood, it has condemned me to this fate
I'll never see the light of day again
How I long to have fought with
my brothers side by side
Only death shall end my pain
While kinds and men are slain
As royal buildings rise and fall
These walls shall be my home
I'll be forever in chains
Darkness fills me but my dignity prevails
Prison walls are all I know
History unfolds as I am left behind
Trapped within a web of time
"The nobility of his forebears, his simple manners. His sound views and honourable judgements.
The strength of his body and the fire of his intellect.
Exile, prison, darkness, in closure, chains.
Receive the boy and forsake the old man.
Caught up in human bonds he bore them patiently. Bound even more closely in service to God"
- epitaph of Wulfnoth Godwinson (1036-1094)