Words and Verse
The Castle
On acres charred by blasts of hell
Untouched by red sun's desolation,
There stands a silent sentinel:
A castle, lone in all creation.
About it, grim and barren lands
In which but this fort can be greeted.
Thus castle, lone in desert sands,
Sits king upon his throne beseated.
Surviving time's great siege, it stands,
Its lofty towers still protruding.
It stands, upon the desert sands
O'er sun-scorched duneland, dark and brooding.
Oh why was it erected here
In desert, where the bright sun blazes?
Oh why stands it with no-one near
With locked-up gates that no-one raises?
The answer lies in this same land,
For long ago, in distant ages
A baron led a robber-band
That rode o'er sand where red sun rages.
In day they rode, ‘neath red sun's arc,
To rob the prince, defying his forces.
And then, when fell the fall of dark
Back to the castle rode their horses.
Until one day, this band set out
And rode past dunes and desert village.
For they had picked and planned their rout.
They knew exactly what to pillage.
They rode beneath the red sun's glare
Their blue eyes red with hidden malice,
With glinting swords raised in the air
They rode up to the prince's palace.
They duly stopped and stormed their way
Into the castle, strong, unshaken.
The blood of many spilled that day.
So many lives were never taken.
They climbed the tallest tower there,
The door broke open at their heaving,
From whence the princes daughter fair
They bore away upon their leaving.
And forthwith they rode off, away.
O'er desert dunes that thirst for water
They rode beneath the hot mid-day
And with them bore the prince's daughter.
The prince, with rancorous wrath replete
Had only just seen their departures
When he, enraged at this defeat,
Sent after them ten horseback archers.
And long the archers rode and chased
Whilst robbers fled, the arrows dodging.
‘Till one lone arrow loosed and raced.
It's tip within the leader lodging.
And as he fell upon the sands.
With pierced heart o'er the scorched earth bleeding.
His men surrendered, raised their hands,
In hopelessness the child conceding.
The prince, with bliss and pride bejoyed
Had all ten archers decorated.
While wrathful power he employed
To have the thieves incarcerated.
The thieves, (or so the books record)
With their chief into heaven risen,
All reaped a robber-thief's reward
And died within the princes prison.
But in her room the young girl wept.
For she had been their leader's lover
And after that she seldom slept
But looked out to the stars above her.
And thus the castle, rising high,
Stands, remnant last of ancient glories.
Inspiring poets such as I
To see its face and tell its stories…
On singed and sun-scorched burning sands
In desert sere where hot sun rages
A silent sentinel there stands:
A castle, vestige of past ages
Untouched by red sun's desolation,
There stands a silent sentinel:
A castle, lone in all creation.
About it, grim and barren lands
In which but this fort can be greeted.
Thus castle, lone in desert sands,
Sits king upon his throne beseated.
Surviving time's great siege, it stands,
Its lofty towers still protruding.
It stands, upon the desert sands
O'er sun-scorched duneland, dark and brooding.
Oh why was it erected here
In desert, where the bright sun blazes?
Oh why stands it with no-one near
With locked-up gates that no-one raises?
The answer lies in this same land,
For long ago, in distant ages
A baron led a robber-band
That rode o'er sand where red sun rages.
In day they rode, ‘neath red sun's arc,
To rob the prince, defying his forces.
And then, when fell the fall of dark
Back to the castle rode their horses.
Until one day, this band set out
And rode past dunes and desert village.
For they had picked and planned their rout.
They knew exactly what to pillage.
They rode beneath the red sun's glare
Their blue eyes red with hidden malice,
With glinting swords raised in the air
They rode up to the prince's palace.
They duly stopped and stormed their way
Into the castle, strong, unshaken.
The blood of many spilled that day.
So many lives were never taken.
They climbed the tallest tower there,
The door broke open at their heaving,
From whence the princes daughter fair
They bore away upon their leaving.
And forthwith they rode off, away.
O'er desert dunes that thirst for water
They rode beneath the hot mid-day
And with them bore the prince's daughter.
The prince, with rancorous wrath replete
Had only just seen their departures
When he, enraged at this defeat,
Sent after them ten horseback archers.
And long the archers rode and chased
Whilst robbers fled, the arrows dodging.
‘Till one lone arrow loosed and raced.
It's tip within the leader lodging.
And as he fell upon the sands.
With pierced heart o'er the scorched earth bleeding.
His men surrendered, raised their hands,
In hopelessness the child conceding.
The prince, with bliss and pride bejoyed
Had all ten archers decorated.
While wrathful power he employed
To have the thieves incarcerated.
The thieves, (or so the books record)
With their chief into heaven risen,
All reaped a robber-thief's reward
And died within the princes prison.
But in her room the young girl wept.
For she had been their leader's lover
And after that she seldom slept
But looked out to the stars above her.
And thus the castle, rising high,
Stands, remnant last of ancient glories.
Inspiring poets such as I
To see its face and tell its stories…
On singed and sun-scorched burning sands
In desert sere where hot sun rages
A silent sentinel there stands:
A castle, vestige of past ages
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The Castle
The Castle
