Rathflaed DuNoir: Poetry
Death
Rathflaed DuNoir
The Black Bard of Meridies
mka: Stephen R. Melvin
Have I won? Did life,
Admit me master of it's strife?
I was in pain and now it's gone,
It's gone and left me all alone.
No friends or family, There are none here,
Yet strangely, I think, I do not fear,
What state is this that men call Death,
Which comes past the drawing of our last breath?
Is it poverty, hardship, loneliness, pain?
For here it comes right back again.
I think I miss life most of all,
Dread between, Life's rooms, Death's hall,
Because true Death here at life's end,
Is only being without friends.
5-87
Drau's Battle
Rathflaed DuNoir
The Black Bard of Meridies
The day it was bright and sunny,
With a hundred on the field to play,
For a sportsmanlike battle there was to be had,
And Drau was to face down the Frey!
He girded himself in his armor,
And his lady soundly he bussed,
And carefully stored he, her favor,
Lest it chance to fall in the dust.
He drew her into his arms,
And her head he lay on his chest,
For Sorcha bore within her his child,
And in her, Drau was well blest.
Then he hoisted him up, his shield,
And brandished his blade on high,
This day, HE would be victor,
This day, HIS foes would die!
And he strode out onto the field,
To take his place in the host,
His company had an engine of war,
And its' safekeeping, Draughier's post.
The sides readied up for the battle,
The banners, a rainbow of light,
And "Lay On!" was heard by the marshalls,
A challenge to join in the fight.
As the armies they charged at each other,
Our hero stood by his post,
Til attacked by three opponents,
He was forced to give ground or be lost.
First a blade he blocked with his shield,
And a pike he dodged to his left,
And he spun with his blade a flashing,
His third foe, of his head bereft,
Now with two men left, he was facing,
And his sword circled over his head,
With his shield he blocked yet another blow,
His second foe, too, was dead.
With his bedfellows fallen beside him,
Drau's last foe looked round in fright,
And yelled out a bloodcurdling war whoop!
But Drau's sword sent him into the night.
These men were neatly dispatched,
And our hero returned to his place,
To find there his ward broken,
His body done in by a mace.
Now our hero knew not well the workings,
And for war this device he'd not use,
Tho it stood there both locked and loaded,
With a bolt readied right in the groove.
So he went off to help in the battle,
And he rounded the tower to find,
The shieldwall of the Frey standing before,
And only three men behind.
And standing amidst that shieldwall,
A giant stood in his pride,
Fenian smiled and said, "Hi Drau!"
For this time they stood opposite sides.
Drau replied in his sadness, "Hi, Fen!"
To this man who had once been his brother,
Tho before they had fought back to back,
Now this time Drau stood one, Fen the other.
Now our hero was sorely afrighted,
For Fen was a giant in battle,
And stood with him the Frey's whole shieldwall,
As they stepped forward to give the death rattle.
Draughier mustered his courage,
And said to the men at his side,
"Fear noit, I know we can best them!"
But their courage (and they) had left like the tide.
The shieldwall advanced like an earthquake,
And the ground shook at each step they took,
For this was the Frey and well did they know,
That one man today, they had hooked.
Mighty Drau was brave but not stupid,
And quickly he turned on his heels,
To find as he rounded the tower,
The siege engine stood on its' wheels.
Now our hero knew not well the workings,
But he knew the one lever to move,
And there it stood locked and loaded,
With a bolt readied right in the groove!
As the shieldwall came round the corner,
Like a tidal wave pulled by the moon,
They found Drau ready and waiting,
With a bolt readied right in the groove!
He fired and let fly the arrow,
Like the Thunder God's hammer it fell!
With a single blow Drau won the battle,
And sounded the Frey's death knell.
The Valkyrie came to collect them,
And as the ghost of Fenian passed,
Drau heard, "Well fought my brother,
But think not that this is the last!"
Now the Frey have a new man in their number,
As they battle in Valhalla's halls,
Drau stands with and is called their brother,
But each of them do recall,
When the Frey known as Fen the Giant,
Was faced with Drau of the Sword,
And the Gods wagered gold on the battle,
For none knew who's name would be roared.
For surely no mightier battle,
And surely no mightier men,
Could be seen than the Sword of Draughier,
And the giant whom we know as Fen.
19 Apr 95