Thousands of Saxons fleeing from the battle of Homburg on the Unstrut drown, a bridge of their bodies allows Duke Godfrey III. of Lower Lorraine to cross and kill any who reached the other side.
Mortis mille modis moriuntur milia gentis.
Sic et ad Unstardi veniunt vada fluminis alti.
Quid faciant? Quos a tergo ferit hosticus ensis,
Altus ab adverso Unstardus tardabat abire.
Decernunt dubiam magis attemptare salutem
In fluvio quam non dubiae succumbere morti;
Insiluere vadis inconsulti malefidis.
Hostis eos ferro retro premit, imminet, urget;
Involvuntur aquis certatim saucia sanis
Corpora mixta fere quot densa grandine guttae;
Milia multa nimis sie interiere sub undis.
Caeruleum iam purpureo mutata colorem
Defluit unda rubens ; humana cadavera pontes
Nostris praebebant transire volentibus ultra.
Sic transportatus cum turmis dux Gotefridus
Hostes ex undis servatos irruit armis,
Fervidus innumeras prostravit et ipse catervas,
Circumquaque premit fugientes atque peremit.
Usque furit gladius confundens stragis acervos.
Translation :
-
Edition :
Carmen de bello Saxonico, In: F. Schmale, I. Schmale-Ott, Quellen zur Geschichte Kaiser Heinrichs IV. (FSGA 12), 5th Ed. Darmstadt 2017, 144-189.
