So, in this world where we're incapable of talking to new people to see whether we would, in fact, like to have a 45 minute cup of coffee with said new face. We resort to weeks of sending banal, faceless emails before that final 'would-you-like-to-grab-coffee-or-something-only-if-you're-not-too-busy?'.
If The Husband's Message (Exeter Book, folio 123) is anything to go by, the Anglo-Saxons were infinitely better at sending these kind of messages than we are. The story goes that a man, pledged in love to a woman, is exiled. He sorts out his issues, possibly dispatches enemies, and sends a messenger to fetch the lady. As a final encouragement (before a convoluted passage with lots of runes in), he says to her:
["Nu say mon haf-ath way-an ofer-wun-en; niss him wil-na gad, nay may-ar-a nay math-ma, nay meod-oo-dray-ma, eng-es of-er ay-orth-an ay-orl-ye-stray-on-a, thay-od-nes doch(like in Scottish 'loch')-tor; yiff hay thin (use a voiced 'th' like in 'this') be-nay-ach"]
That's got to be better than "let's get coffee"...
Some points to learn:
If The Husband's Message (Exeter Book, folio 123) is anything to go by, the Anglo-Saxons were infinitely better at sending these kind of messages than we are. The story goes that a man, pledged in love to a woman, is exiled. He sorts out his issues, possibly dispatches enemies, and sends a messenger to fetch the lady. As a final encouragement (before a convoluted passage with lots of runes in), he says to her:
Nu se mon hafað
wean
oferwunnen; nis
him wilna gad,
ne meara ne
maðma, ne meododreama,
ænges ofer
eorþan eorlgestreona,
þeodnes
dohtor, gif he þin beneah
(Now that the man has overcome his woes/difficulties/troubles, he has no lack of joy, or horses or treasures or mead-joy, or of any noble treasures upon the earth, if he possesses you, prince's daughter)
["Nu say mon haf-ath way-an ofer-wun-en; niss him wil-na gad, nay may-ar-a nay math-ma, nay meod-oo-dray-ma, eng-es of-er ay-orth-an ay-orl-ye-stray-on-a, thay-od-nes doch(like in Scottish 'loch')-tor; yiff hay thin (use a voiced 'th' like in 'this') be-nay-ach"]
That's got to be better than "let's get coffee"...
Some points to learn:
- Overcome your difficulties (no wimps here)
- Keep it optimistic (talk about unbounding joy, mead, treasures etc)
- Flattery doesn't do any harm
- Maybe cut back on the possession bit a little - it doesn't go down so well these days...
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