In days of distant morning
In realms of deepest dream
Dwell the souls of those unknown
And the soul of great Sarin
In lands we've touched in dreaming
And saw but never seen
A place we shall never go
To which we have all been
There lies the land of Turinn
A land of warriors bold
Fair in form and riding tall
Across the shifting fold
There the woods of Shadowfrost
Toss darkly in the breeze
And the baying of the wolves
Drift O'er lake Carrize
There stir the shadows darkly
In the magical mere
Named for brave old Calengost
Who knew no mortal fear
Grim and dark stand the towers
Of fallen Nandarin
And the wind moans mourning the lost
O'er the range Tarmaizin
There the great waves roll nightly
'Cross the circling sea
And the black ships toss in the bay
In the cliff's shadowed lee
And on their prows stand the last
Of those born and kept free
Waiting for fate's deciding
For destiny's decree
And waiting for great Sarin
Sent with their prayers away
Last hope of a failing race
Against a waning day
And should he fail they perish
Though they should sail or stay
Passing unheard to the night
Withering where they lay
In distant lands Sarin roams
Sped by the prayers they send
Hastening on in his quest
Ere the last day can end
Heavy the sweat of his brow
And foam his horse's mane
Still on they run unhalting
If stopped all's in vain
Over the cliffs by the sea
And o'er the plains of night
O'er the mounts of Tarmaizin
Crumbled now from their might
On Mearin black and mighty
Sarin travels afar
Dogged by the baying wolf
Guided by fiery star
Passed fallen Nandarin
While darkens still the sky
Passed the Mere Calengrost
Whither its namesake died
Over the frozen Carrize
While still the wolves' baying grows
On and on and to what end
Only great Sarin knows
Through the woods of Shadowfrost
Unstirring and silent
O'er the river Pendansong
Waters chill and violent
Till with chests heaving and worn
They come to Turinn fold
Where the wolves run unchecked
Where once men went as bold
And there at last in darkness
In the closing of night
Sarin sees what he has sought
The slayer of the light
Hemmed by the wolves of shade
Guarded by their fell power
Dwells the dark-dreaming maiden
The source of darkness dour
In the withered grass she sits
Her tears poison falling
Her voice upraised in grieving
None answering her calling
And though wolves wail bitterly
Raising a mournful call
The one whose sorrow masters them
Is worse by far than all
And now at last great Sarin
Perceives what must be done
If night is to fall again
Before the coming sun
If life is to rise again
Against the death that looms
If hate is to fall again
Before the love it dooms
And drawing his sword he starts
Across the withered fold
Venturing against the dark
And the night and cold
Beating back the baying wolf
That snaps fierce at his heels
He goes where his doom awaits
To where the Night Child kneels
Then in the sky peals thunder
Clouds settle like a pall
And all Turinn awaits it
The blow they know must fall
In distant bay Alee
All gape and shaking kneel
Bowed by darkness deep and dire
And by the thunder's peal
And in that dark they see doom
Their ken's utter failing
Their fate proclaimed on the wind
That rushes by wailing
And uttering they fall down
Forsaking their last prayer
Afraid to glance to the east
And see what isn't there
But against their despairing
The golden sun rises
Throwing off in her coming
Turinn's shaded guises
And all gape and stare at her
Whom they deemed wholly lost
And wonder at her coming
And wonder at her cost
In lands of constant morning
All is as ever has been
The sun his on the mountains
And Turinn's fields of green
Calengost bubbles laughing
Pendansong flows serene
But what, all stand and wonder
Of their Savior Sarin?
Did he strike the fatal blow
And so fell the Child Shade
Or was Turinn's salvation
Won with another blade?
The answer remains unknown
'low Turinn and above
But the waking dreamer knows
Salvation comes of love
For casting away his blade
Sarin made a new assault
Winning with self-sacrifice
All lost in greed and fault
And though the love was fleeting
Broken by awaking
Undone was all Shade's despair
Unmade her Unmaking
And lands of constant morning
Hold mourning nevermore
And joyfully beat the waves
On shores forevermore
But gone now is the warrior
The once great man Sarin
Passing out of life for love
To legend out of dream
Author notes
The picture is *likewise* wholly unrelated... but hot!
A contest entry
- Story Poems by Zixaphir.
700 points, ended March 4, 2008, 25 entries
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
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