The Cyclops witness the whole battle
From his fractal island.
He studied the clash:
Iron on Steel;
Wood on Bronze;
Weapon on bone;
Blood in dust.
He blinked in awe at the rising clamour,
Stood in stupor as bodies 
Were ground into the dirt,
And wondered how instinct
Can birth the savage heart.

The Battle of Hastings took place on this day in 1066, resulting in the Norman conquest of England.

Benoit Mandelbrot, Polish-born, French and American mathematician, died today in 2010.