This one needs a lot of work. But it's something!
Chapter IV
The Hermit and The Human
Dawn broke the peaks as the ship made its port
At the pier of the Halls of the Fire King’s Court
The Dwarves leapt from ship to ground, eager to stand
Upon the unflinching and solid-white land
The speeches had ended and drinks had been downed
Now but nature’s minuet remained audible sound
The journey was over, the ship at its berth
And from Sodel came cry to his men- ‘STRIKE THE EARTH!’
They built in a day what most cobbled in weeks
Carving a home in the ice-covered peaks
The human among them could hardly believe
The speed of the tasks they would daily receive
And by eve their great Leader had wandered away
To scout out the wilds by light of the day
And far to the north he came to some caves
Outside laid stone markers- as mournful as graves
The wind in the tundra here howled at the sky
In this place where the day comes to lay down to die
And as the noise settled there came a red glow
That lit up the cave and then painted the snow
Sodel’s pick was ready and words deadly slow
He said, “Who in the deeps here does dare his face show?
Come hither creature- from place where you dwell
And prepare thee- for with me is furious hell!”
But no monster slunk from his home to face Death
The being which came seemed to fade with his breath
A hermit, alone, with gray cloak and gnarled face
A shrine-keeper enshrined in this unholy place.
He spoke:
“Little man of rock and stone,
From whom the beasts have cowed
Here you stand on cursed land,
And yet stay ye as proud?
A foolish boy are you,” said he,
“And foolish you’ll remain
‘Till whispered few have left thy crew
Where greater men have lain.
There’s naught to catch in Northern Swamps
Save p’raps for gloried death
And honored fell cannot retell
Thy deeds with sleeping breath.
Return, you boy, to home of man
And bide thee well thy pride
There is no fear in flight from here
Nor gifts for those yet died.”
Sodel’s grin had split his teeth into his cheeks
And he laughed the first laugh that had come in these weeks
And said “Hermit, old fool, you could not understand-
And the Hermit then silenced him, waving his hand
“I’ll tell ye of my story, boy
And heed you mark me well;
For wealth of earth cannot be worth
The revelries of hell.
An age ago- though seems too few
A man o’ war was I
With singing blade, these hands had laid
A myr’iad out to die.
A soldier, yes; of Fortune great
A worshipper of War
With heavied soul, and levied toll
Which rotted me to core.
I heard one day the legend of
The metal of the North
Worth coin, worth love, worth wrath above
And so I wandered forth.
A band of men I brought with me
Fools- useful though they were
And deep inside, I burst to stride
Where darker things would stir
We crossed the land of Men- as you;
And split Allas Zavaz,
And ice the same and then we came
Into the Mountain’s jaws
And deep within the northern spines
We found your bluest-gold
And with each vein, another chain
Was locked on us untold
For if a hallowed steel is it;
It belongeth in the deeps
No human hand could hope to stand
The secrets that it keeps
We braved the land of ice, oh yes
And thought ourselves as kings
Yet below earth, in darkest berth
Lie many darker things.”
A shriller cry had not been heard
From shrillest beast or shrillest bird
So much as that which came from in
The guts of he from land of Men
Who cowed behind a tree as near
With shaking lips and eyes of fear
And ancient ghost did slip from there
From wisp to whisper in the air.
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Topic: The Epic of Sodel Udir (Read 29571 times)