Post by emperorsuperbus on Nov 2, 2023 23:26:25 GMT
Tapestry (of a Prince of Peace)
One Italian night
I discover a garden of stars,
Implacable they shine
And from their radiance
The spirit to feel on ones mettle,
That lend grace to the pool behold
And ascend deeper into their starry fold -
Washing labours of a day
of bear hunter’s death
in battle.
Weary from combat sleeps a Prince of Peace...
Later seven stars and glorious train
My wakening eye attain;
Hanging over noble Ursa's shaggy form,
Those brilliant orbs combine,
Where the first and second point
See Polaris shine.
O Constellations of this night
That appear to me as twilight fell
And made my darkness glorious!
Sometime sooner of this triumphant night
The Prince of Peace has seen ,
Great Orion, with his jewelled belt,
Large-limbed warrior and my King,
Though in victory fall into gloom -
Beside him much crowd of kin slain.
Now strange was the Earth in the dark after the rain,
For one heartbeat sweeter than all flowers.
How this lady, I recall again
Came away from our enemy’s train and followers.
There! timeless and feminine -
Showing a grand womanly symbol of love;
This is a 'lady' not hard cold woman,
Eternal, voluptuous and passionate,
She appeals to my heart.
But one not won by love,
As will tell the Tapestry.
A rational thinker
Who uses her intelligence more than emotions -
Who through death seeks justice
In Love's partiality.
But upon that night the Queen holds her sword wisely,
Wearing pink adorned with pearls
Her hair is set, her make-up subtle.
The Tarot Queen my kin came to call her
Devotedly attended by talon’d protector.
A Game of Tarot is for Kings, she said:
Lord, Baron, Knight, The game of a ruler.
I see the past is gone, uncertain the future.
But you want not to be faithless or fearful,
You want to be at peace, with intent restored.
Dealt by hand of Gaia
Comes the Queen of Wands -
Think of the consequences
Of what you do,
The cup already full has no room for more,
Be sure to focus on what you desire ,
Remember, independence spontaneity and candour,
Are very special virtue
others admire,
“If the sun "shines" in your heart,
Walk your own route,
You can overcome your fear -
Addressing me through the card
Goddess Gaia.
The road leads here
To Rome
To be crowned by Papal Father.
Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Mary
Ever-virgin, of Blessed Michael the Archangel,
Blessed John the Baptist,
And the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
All the saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you,
To receive this crown of Charlemagne
Who was Caesar Augustus in name ,
By hereditary birth
From beard of God to Julius came the holy mane
Of this imperial line.
Receive Constantine in spirit, ruler and King
Be to all peoples, sooner and later,
Their Caesar, Tsar and Kaiser
Amen.
Holy Father,
Who made the Sun and Moon
Defend them from my strength.
Make worthy the Lamb that was slain
To receive power,
And riches, and wisdom,
And glory, and blessing...
And strength to honour
All men.
Love brethren.
Fearing God. Honouring Emperor -
Blessing, honour, glory, and power
Unto the Lamb for ever.
And let this blessing of Almighty God, the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit
Descend on you
And remain with you
Always. Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord
Grant you indulgence and absolution,
Remission for all your sins.
A time for true and fruitful penance,
Always repentant heart,
In contest no more
Than wins.
And be it to you peace is not merely the absence of war...
Peace the work of justice and effect of charity.
Earthly peace, the image and fruit of the peace
Of Christ, the 'Prince of Peace'.
Amen.
Whilst in Rome
I divest of cope and stole
To sin on a bare skin - Amen!
A villa’s bosom
Before log fire,
In shadows here
Lips graze
Lick and drip
Desire.
Later splashing in the two headed fountain.
Laughing.
We walk the rocky representation
Of Constantine’s colossal head,
Below which keenly nose into tender flesh,
As we gambol through the cool expanse
Of an Emperors vast bed,
Tossing up covers like a wild hare ,
Burrowing and grunting,
This Prince of Peace goes a nuzzling
Down there...
The crown is just the start,
My diadem key to doors,
It opens the gate to the Kaisersaal;
Where walls are alive with glisten of gems,
Marbles rarer than jewels.
In one hall a dome of sapphire,
Through here crystal columns and red gold walls,
Walking a floor of malachite,
Beneath tree-like ceiling of gold nervures.
Watching from walls my predecessors, laurelled
In their prime.
Beyond the palace, green savannah reaches
To the forest, the call of bird and deer;
Stables, cellars, treasury - well provided,
To my nose the smell of roast ox,
to my lips the finest of wine.
At the feasting wealth displayed on kingly tables
Stapled red or gold by jellies.
At one end the floor comes up to a dais
Where King and Queen laugh with the hypocras ,
And at the far end of the hall an open space
Where musicians and minstrels perform,
A wandering poet, an acrobat.
Along the table my Captains are sat
Waving wineskins, singing reminiscing
Of our success while
Soapstone pots hasten along passageway from proud kitchen
Bearing bilberry and chicken in beer,
Halved eggs in sunny sauce,
Venison in cherry pie and breadcrumbs,
Baked apples in wine and almonds,
Washed down with mead
Whilst fireplace roar
A big moon through stained glass on my Queen falls.
My queen is loyal, in her I believe,
Yet in my presence the Ægyptian Empress shows little interest in her Tarot,
By way she kept close her cards I sense their use does not recede
But strangely my readings discontinue.
My intrigue snared so a spy I set to watch sharp, count cards when dealt,
And at prudent time tell what she sees.
And from lips I know these cards
Set against a dusky sky awash with stars,
A queen of swords drives chariot swiftly
Pulled by four sphinx,
Reversed the goat man with bat wings,
With Adam and Eve enchained,
The Sun set down reversed,
Many wands of patience and strength.
I interpret the charioteer fights alone, away from soldiery,
Fighting here over sand and over the Mediterranean sea,
With four ancient elements of the world controlled
And driven in one way,
A reversal of the sun where our best of friend
Becomes best of enemy.
And in these cards through patience
A conquest comes with pride,
An eventual, hard-won victory,
Anger, entrapment, and greed,
Frame a deadly prophesy.
But who was this star spread for -
What was she trying to hide?
Through these spreads I grow smarter,
Awake to safe keeping, to sense poison in the cup.
I act coolly without making suspicion
Not for them to sense the game is up.
It was the end of lent
When meat tasted salty
Despite honey and spice,
Where a feast we shared on bowl and plate,
She took me to lead me to dance,
But before we depart she offers a challis
For me to drain the last of the wine.
I pour instead milk with a smile
We dance into the night.
That night I drew breath over this heavenly body for the final time,
Before persuasion of blade drew out the plot -
Her revenant Lord and one true love
Presses to see me murdered in my prime,
Revenge for his death, this wish his counterplot .
At daybreak, upon the cockerel she refused her fate,
Mocking me more with cold silvercloud laughter,
My hand to her mouth could not stem the sound .
So our love ended there by way of St Peter,
For forgiveness I prayed,
Seeing misery will flow
From dreams that we follow,
Truth this endless war can end only in sorrow.
I left her alone on our blood soaked bed
To find cold water for my head.
Talons there were aware what I
Had done, hunting I, and I the bird.
Three times attacks rained from high
Foiled by St Peter on the third.
As her Kingdom mourns from afar
With bitterness I whisper “see this in death
Queen, card sharp poison jar:
The Prince of Peace carves your epitaph”
Still fire burn bright, from lions roar
The Prince of Peace learns
An Emperor’s career can never stand still,
The wheel takes another turn.
From convincing pope of my Constantine heredity,
To convincing all with regal celebrity,
I took now my role to rule a Christian realm,
Making disciples of Nations.
In one hand the globe of Charlemagne,
In the other the sword of St Peter
For the next eight years turn my wheels,
Thirty seasons pass north east south West.
My Holy empire extends best
Through victorious campaigns and clever deals,
Where only as necessity
Hang the City rulers from giblet (though it does the trick)
Like the rebel count of Milan
Dropped into a place of forgetting
That would do nothing for his fine sun tan.
Rebellious Louis of Friuli
Whose end in an orchard was very fruity,
Poor Barnard the Blind
Getting him lost on his way home very unkind.
Then this Boso from Provence,
Who ate bad snails unfortunately.
Lest we forget the upstart Adalberelli
Breaking all oaths, seeking to rouse rebellion in Italy
To speak to him now go to a séance.
For the pagans I offered option:
In name of Father, Son The Holy Spirit, Baptism -
Or instead keep faith with their old gods and leaders,
If that was their choice it was my will
Capitulary of Boulogne
Be observed,
To despatch them to join
By fire or water with their Gods and old rulers.
Double crossed in Spain again, such a pain.
Belligerent moors eventually bore, while
Extracting Saracens from your Byzantine
Labyrinths can occupy an age of frustration and toil.
Now here I am deep in the forests of Bosnia
Hunting double crossing beasts,
And the bears they keep for pets not so pretty either.
At last your Prince of Peace has everything
Still more even, though disenchantment
I feel through restless soul
To heart, is your prince missing something?
One evening in fading light
Under the harvest moon,
Alone by the river I hear an invite
Bourne to me on a tune.
My orchard fruits,
Come buy, come buy:
All ripe together In summer weather
Come buy come buy
Rustic waif
Whose eyes sparkle carefree,
Her innocent tongue
Mouth fresh as lemon
Stealing the heart from me
Come buy, come buy,
My orchard fruits,
Come buy
Sweet and mysterious
Bewitchment,
Pure and seductive
The femininity
Of this fine lily
Illuminates my heart.
So open wide the castle doors
Steal the lady inside,
There alone this shy star, Cloistered child
All maidenly disconsolate cried.
Look at her now! upon my bed
Angelic hands
Across me a wingtip feathery caress,
My hand lay over a breast,
Studying her beating heart
As I slowly lifted her legs apart.
Know this, by lover's chant,
The Prince of Peace is your visitant.
In time more flavours of this union
Crytallized sweet memory,
Fragile , exciting,
Ingenious spirit of childhood,
A gleam of gem amongst b*****d rocks
Curled up in a cot.
I settled into my great hall
Where I watched my luminous newborn grow,
Through infancy towards elegant youth ,
I awaited the day hunting we would go.
Like my King the hunt was for me,
A good hunter and horseman of course a good soldier
In time I came to the Moor game of war on a board,
A discipline in which I would excel.
Business matters now my primarily work
You need an astronomer to interpret a comet
And a king to govern;
From the dais in my Hall
I managed my realm ,
Petitions from people in need.
Punishments settled,
Fines meted and taxes levied
And seen to be properly salaried.
Governing can only be for the good of the governed,
Through capitulary of my court I set out
Money standards, encouraging commerce,
Better farming methods to bring health and wealth.
But as I walk alone one evening
My old Hunter King appeared,
With notice hot summer would come
When the dead Queen’s herd
In wrath are stirred
To beat again their traitors drum.
Seven days sooner than the mass of St John
A storm cloud rose in the east,
An army swept over the sea to the walls of my Kingdom,
Helping themselves to more than firewood, water and grass.
My captains I called,
plans set in place:
Each horseman to carry spear and shield,
long-sword and short-sword, various kinds of axes
bow, quivers and arrows, trenching-tools,
iron spades and adzes.
I take my leave of loyal wife and son
and ride forth to battle join
Though onerous departure, on my return
that old war will finally be won.
The journey is long and hard
To greet yet again these abominable sands,
a scorching desert filled with stone ruins.
Something bad to this place had come
When the people had acted against God,
My regal adventure had here begun.
On the eve their messenger came, delivered his tiding;
He boastfully told of the lands they had taken,
Where their march would end,
Impelled towards me for that revenge.
To cheers I mocked, calling back to doomed Aegypt
I recall them well, archaic and ignoble trickster,
I held “here stands a good King in the midst of his men,
Who will this holy kingdom forever defend,
You have stolen too far too much taken
Now the day to follow will bring your end”.
I slept well considering,
Not all dreams of the contest.
I fitted armour before first light on horizon was flickering
And at dawn my Captains addressed:
"Mucgwyrt, Attorlaðe, Stiðe
Recall the times we sing at feasting
Of victories we enjoyed together,
On the benches raised our toast
To brethren of the hall! Now each one make good your boast
Of how bold he be;
For I know of another day over this scorched earth
When a King was made of me!
Surely as the wheel turns
To one day it may be your time comes”.
To sound of battle horn the riot was raised,
Yells and Bows were busied - buckler met point
In the battle-rush warriors fell,
Under the sharp-ground spears that fly
The dark birds circled and cried,
Eagle eager for carrion,
Hovered over Phlegethon,
Fields of boiling blood,
Where who acted
With perfect violence
Against others in battle reside.
I laughed they boast they are a race of kings
But we are a Kingdom of Men.
Each one of us mortal
Yet knowing the one thing that never dies.
For us the battle extended easy
My wolves taking their greater share of meat,
decisive position established swiftly
But not to underestimate
The revenge redress
That came direct to me,
I should have guessed .
The first spear surprised me,
Rattled, unbalanced me
Then a second spear they swiftly sent, And this the breastplate burst –
In the heart I felt the wound Of the poisoned thrust...
To the earth fell St Peter
First before I.
I saw the rush of aid
Darken my sky above.
But already my desire and my will
Turn like a wheel,
By the love
Which moves the sun.
Where I have fallen
A prince at peace on the earth I lay
Ending here the tapestry
One Italian night
I discover a garden of stars,
Implacable they shine
And from their radiance
The spirit to feel on ones mettle,
That lend grace to the pool behold
And ascend deeper into their starry fold -
Washing labours of a day
of bear hunter’s death
in battle.
Weary from combat sleeps a Prince of Peace...
Later seven stars and glorious train
My wakening eye attain;
Hanging over noble Ursa's shaggy form,
Those brilliant orbs combine,
Where the first and second point
See Polaris shine.
O Constellations of this night
That appear to me as twilight fell
And made my darkness glorious!
Sometime sooner of this triumphant night
The Prince of Peace has seen ,
Great Orion, with his jewelled belt,
Large-limbed warrior and my King,
Though in victory fall into gloom -
Beside him much crowd of kin slain.
Now strange was the Earth in the dark after the rain,
For one heartbeat sweeter than all flowers.
How this lady, I recall again
Came away from our enemy’s train and followers.
There! timeless and feminine -
Showing a grand womanly symbol of love;
This is a 'lady' not hard cold woman,
Eternal, voluptuous and passionate,
She appeals to my heart.
But one not won by love,
As will tell the Tapestry.
A rational thinker
Who uses her intelligence more than emotions -
Who through death seeks justice
In Love's partiality.
But upon that night the Queen holds her sword wisely,
Wearing pink adorned with pearls
Her hair is set, her make-up subtle.
The Tarot Queen my kin came to call her
Devotedly attended by talon’d protector.
A Game of Tarot is for Kings, she said:
Lord, Baron, Knight, The game of a ruler.
I see the past is gone, uncertain the future.
But you want not to be faithless or fearful,
You want to be at peace, with intent restored.
Dealt by hand of Gaia
Comes the Queen of Wands -
Think of the consequences
Of what you do,
The cup already full has no room for more,
Be sure to focus on what you desire ,
Remember, independence spontaneity and candour,
Are very special virtue
others admire,
“If the sun "shines" in your heart,
Walk your own route,
You can overcome your fear -
Addressing me through the card
Goddess Gaia.
The road leads here
To Rome
To be crowned by Papal Father.
Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Mary
Ever-virgin, of Blessed Michael the Archangel,
Blessed John the Baptist,
And the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
All the saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you,
To receive this crown of Charlemagne
Who was Caesar Augustus in name ,
By hereditary birth
From beard of God to Julius came the holy mane
Of this imperial line.
Receive Constantine in spirit, ruler and King
Be to all peoples, sooner and later,
Their Caesar, Tsar and Kaiser
Amen.
Holy Father,
Who made the Sun and Moon
Defend them from my strength.
Make worthy the Lamb that was slain
To receive power,
And riches, and wisdom,
And glory, and blessing...
And strength to honour
All men.
Love brethren.
Fearing God. Honouring Emperor -
Blessing, honour, glory, and power
Unto the Lamb for ever.
And let this blessing of Almighty God, the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit
Descend on you
And remain with you
Always. Amen.
May the Almighty and merciful Lord
Grant you indulgence and absolution,
Remission for all your sins.
A time for true and fruitful penance,
Always repentant heart,
In contest no more
Than wins.
And be it to you peace is not merely the absence of war...
Peace the work of justice and effect of charity.
Earthly peace, the image and fruit of the peace
Of Christ, the 'Prince of Peace'.
Amen.
Whilst in Rome
I divest of cope and stole
To sin on a bare skin - Amen!
A villa’s bosom
Before log fire,
In shadows here
Lips graze
Lick and drip
Desire.
Later splashing in the two headed fountain.
Laughing.
We walk the rocky representation
Of Constantine’s colossal head,
Below which keenly nose into tender flesh,
As we gambol through the cool expanse
Of an Emperors vast bed,
Tossing up covers like a wild hare ,
Burrowing and grunting,
This Prince of Peace goes a nuzzling
Down there...
The crown is just the start,
My diadem key to doors,
It opens the gate to the Kaisersaal;
Where walls are alive with glisten of gems,
Marbles rarer than jewels.
In one hall a dome of sapphire,
Through here crystal columns and red gold walls,
Walking a floor of malachite,
Beneath tree-like ceiling of gold nervures.
Watching from walls my predecessors, laurelled
In their prime.
Beyond the palace, green savannah reaches
To the forest, the call of bird and deer;
Stables, cellars, treasury - well provided,
To my nose the smell of roast ox,
to my lips the finest of wine.
At the feasting wealth displayed on kingly tables
Stapled red or gold by jellies.
At one end the floor comes up to a dais
Where King and Queen laugh with the hypocras ,
And at the far end of the hall an open space
Where musicians and minstrels perform,
A wandering poet, an acrobat.
Along the table my Captains are sat
Waving wineskins, singing reminiscing
Of our success while
Soapstone pots hasten along passageway from proud kitchen
Bearing bilberry and chicken in beer,
Halved eggs in sunny sauce,
Venison in cherry pie and breadcrumbs,
Baked apples in wine and almonds,
Washed down with mead
Whilst fireplace roar
A big moon through stained glass on my Queen falls.
My queen is loyal, in her I believe,
Yet in my presence the Ægyptian Empress shows little interest in her Tarot,
By way she kept close her cards I sense their use does not recede
But strangely my readings discontinue.
My intrigue snared so a spy I set to watch sharp, count cards when dealt,
And at prudent time tell what she sees.
And from lips I know these cards
Set against a dusky sky awash with stars,
A queen of swords drives chariot swiftly
Pulled by four sphinx,
Reversed the goat man with bat wings,
With Adam and Eve enchained,
The Sun set down reversed,
Many wands of patience and strength.
I interpret the charioteer fights alone, away from soldiery,
Fighting here over sand and over the Mediterranean sea,
With four ancient elements of the world controlled
And driven in one way,
A reversal of the sun where our best of friend
Becomes best of enemy.
And in these cards through patience
A conquest comes with pride,
An eventual, hard-won victory,
Anger, entrapment, and greed,
Frame a deadly prophesy.
But who was this star spread for -
What was she trying to hide?
Through these spreads I grow smarter,
Awake to safe keeping, to sense poison in the cup.
I act coolly without making suspicion
Not for them to sense the game is up.
It was the end of lent
When meat tasted salty
Despite honey and spice,
Where a feast we shared on bowl and plate,
She took me to lead me to dance,
But before we depart she offers a challis
For me to drain the last of the wine.
I pour instead milk with a smile
We dance into the night.
That night I drew breath over this heavenly body for the final time,
Before persuasion of blade drew out the plot -
Her revenant Lord and one true love
Presses to see me murdered in my prime,
Revenge for his death, this wish his counterplot .
At daybreak, upon the cockerel she refused her fate,
Mocking me more with cold silvercloud laughter,
My hand to her mouth could not stem the sound .
So our love ended there by way of St Peter,
For forgiveness I prayed,
Seeing misery will flow
From dreams that we follow,
Truth this endless war can end only in sorrow.
I left her alone on our blood soaked bed
To find cold water for my head.
Talons there were aware what I
Had done, hunting I, and I the bird.
Three times attacks rained from high
Foiled by St Peter on the third.
As her Kingdom mourns from afar
With bitterness I whisper “see this in death
Queen, card sharp poison jar:
The Prince of Peace carves your epitaph”
Still fire burn bright, from lions roar
The Prince of Peace learns
An Emperor’s career can never stand still,
The wheel takes another turn.
From convincing pope of my Constantine heredity,
To convincing all with regal celebrity,
I took now my role to rule a Christian realm,
Making disciples of Nations.
In one hand the globe of Charlemagne,
In the other the sword of St Peter
For the next eight years turn my wheels,
Thirty seasons pass north east south West.
My Holy empire extends best
Through victorious campaigns and clever deals,
Where only as necessity
Hang the City rulers from giblet (though it does the trick)
Like the rebel count of Milan
Dropped into a place of forgetting
That would do nothing for his fine sun tan.
Rebellious Louis of Friuli
Whose end in an orchard was very fruity,
Poor Barnard the Blind
Getting him lost on his way home very unkind.
Then this Boso from Provence,
Who ate bad snails unfortunately.
Lest we forget the upstart Adalberelli
Breaking all oaths, seeking to rouse rebellion in Italy
To speak to him now go to a séance.
For the pagans I offered option:
In name of Father, Son The Holy Spirit, Baptism -
Or instead keep faith with their old gods and leaders,
If that was their choice it was my will
Capitulary of Boulogne
Be observed,
To despatch them to join
By fire or water with their Gods and old rulers.
Double crossed in Spain again, such a pain.
Belligerent moors eventually bore, while
Extracting Saracens from your Byzantine
Labyrinths can occupy an age of frustration and toil.
Now here I am deep in the forests of Bosnia
Hunting double crossing beasts,
And the bears they keep for pets not so pretty either.
At last your Prince of Peace has everything
Still more even, though disenchantment
I feel through restless soul
To heart, is your prince missing something?
One evening in fading light
Under the harvest moon,
Alone by the river I hear an invite
Bourne to me on a tune.
My orchard fruits,
Come buy, come buy:
All ripe together In summer weather
Come buy come buy
Rustic waif
Whose eyes sparkle carefree,
Her innocent tongue
Mouth fresh as lemon
Stealing the heart from me
Come buy, come buy,
My orchard fruits,
Come buy
Sweet and mysterious
Bewitchment,
Pure and seductive
The femininity
Of this fine lily
Illuminates my heart.
So open wide the castle doors
Steal the lady inside,
There alone this shy star, Cloistered child
All maidenly disconsolate cried.
Look at her now! upon my bed
Angelic hands
Across me a wingtip feathery caress,
My hand lay over a breast,
Studying her beating heart
As I slowly lifted her legs apart.
Know this, by lover's chant,
The Prince of Peace is your visitant.
In time more flavours of this union
Crytallized sweet memory,
Fragile , exciting,
Ingenious spirit of childhood,
A gleam of gem amongst b*****d rocks
Curled up in a cot.
I settled into my great hall
Where I watched my luminous newborn grow,
Through infancy towards elegant youth ,
I awaited the day hunting we would go.
Like my King the hunt was for me,
A good hunter and horseman of course a good soldier
In time I came to the Moor game of war on a board,
A discipline in which I would excel.
Business matters now my primarily work
You need an astronomer to interpret a comet
And a king to govern;
From the dais in my Hall
I managed my realm ,
Petitions from people in need.
Punishments settled,
Fines meted and taxes levied
And seen to be properly salaried.
Governing can only be for the good of the governed,
Through capitulary of my court I set out
Money standards, encouraging commerce,
Better farming methods to bring health and wealth.
But as I walk alone one evening
My old Hunter King appeared,
With notice hot summer would come
When the dead Queen’s herd
In wrath are stirred
To beat again their traitors drum.
Seven days sooner than the mass of St John
A storm cloud rose in the east,
An army swept over the sea to the walls of my Kingdom,
Helping themselves to more than firewood, water and grass.
My captains I called,
plans set in place:
Each horseman to carry spear and shield,
long-sword and short-sword, various kinds of axes
bow, quivers and arrows, trenching-tools,
iron spades and adzes.
I take my leave of loyal wife and son
and ride forth to battle join
Though onerous departure, on my return
that old war will finally be won.
The journey is long and hard
To greet yet again these abominable sands,
a scorching desert filled with stone ruins.
Something bad to this place had come
When the people had acted against God,
My regal adventure had here begun.
On the eve their messenger came, delivered his tiding;
He boastfully told of the lands they had taken,
Where their march would end,
Impelled towards me for that revenge.
To cheers I mocked, calling back to doomed Aegypt
I recall them well, archaic and ignoble trickster,
I held “here stands a good King in the midst of his men,
Who will this holy kingdom forever defend,
You have stolen too far too much taken
Now the day to follow will bring your end”.
I slept well considering,
Not all dreams of the contest.
I fitted armour before first light on horizon was flickering
And at dawn my Captains addressed:
"Mucgwyrt, Attorlaðe, Stiðe
Recall the times we sing at feasting
Of victories we enjoyed together,
On the benches raised our toast
To brethren of the hall! Now each one make good your boast
Of how bold he be;
For I know of another day over this scorched earth
When a King was made of me!
Surely as the wheel turns
To one day it may be your time comes”.
To sound of battle horn the riot was raised,
Yells and Bows were busied - buckler met point
In the battle-rush warriors fell,
Under the sharp-ground spears that fly
The dark birds circled and cried,
Eagle eager for carrion,
Hovered over Phlegethon,
Fields of boiling blood,
Where who acted
With perfect violence
Against others in battle reside.
I laughed they boast they are a race of kings
But we are a Kingdom of Men.
Each one of us mortal
Yet knowing the one thing that never dies.
For us the battle extended easy
My wolves taking their greater share of meat,
decisive position established swiftly
But not to underestimate
The revenge redress
That came direct to me,
I should have guessed .
The first spear surprised me,
Rattled, unbalanced me
Then a second spear they swiftly sent, And this the breastplate burst –
In the heart I felt the wound Of the poisoned thrust...
To the earth fell St Peter
First before I.
I saw the rush of aid
Darken my sky above.
But already my desire and my will
Turn like a wheel,
By the love
Which moves the sun.
Where I have fallen
A prince at peace on the earth I lay
Ending here the tapestry