As one-eyed king I am recalled,
a man of swords who kept the peace,
the fenian lord who over all
kept back the cold from farm and fleece.
Ah, now I wander in the dark.
The dead wolves know me by my bark.
The rabbits do not flee, grow bold --
they know me from the times of old.
With my one eye , I saw the way
the beech tree blessed the ones who sought,
rewarded servants with just pay
as each of them were sold and bought.
I saw it even as I pressed
my foemen to their unblessed rest.
I struck them down but then I knew
that I, the slayer, slayer slew.
The sidhe shakes out her long, dark hair.
The mad men wander to the sea.
The she-fox curdles in her lair
as moan of wonder wanders there.
Yet I must wander wood and hill
and howl for words cannot contain
the meaning of a drop of rain,
the song that thunders through the grain.
Author notes
Option 2 - "I sat and mused and drank sweet wine" - The Madness of King Goll, William Butler Yeats
Goll - means "one-eyed" in Irish. King Goll is a Fenian lord who goes mad in battle frenzy and never returns to rule again.
Sidhe - Pronounced "shee" is a female spirit.
Beech trees can symbolize material wealth.
A contest entry
- The Coffee House Prompt Challenge: Round 5 by Ceridwens Soul.
1050 points, ended October 26, 2008, 9 entries
Bronze trophy winner
• next poem in this contest, remove from contest
Comments
1 - 5 of 5
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This is a magical write. As other's said a simply perfect take of Irish legends.
Thank you for sharing with us
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Thank you for having the contest.
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Great poem. The final stanza is wonderful, as ea says, perfect.
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This is just perfect.
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Thank you for your entry, good luck
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