Words and Verse
The Duel
Through autumn wood the wind goes blowing
The bright leaves swirl in morning breeze
As through the air this gust goes flowing
A man walks out among the trees
With blue of eye and stout heart beating,
With waving hair and gun in hand,
He's come here for an angered meeting
A duel, this does he understand
He walks and paces, bides his rival
He eyes his gun and then his blade.
Upon his enemies arrival
The choice of weapons shall be made.
His blue eyes scan the forest's clearing
And lo, from out the clearing's edge
His enemy comes, slowly nearing.
To keep his face and duelist's pledge.
With eyes of brown and blond hair waving
This man walks out from forest-copse
He's come here for his own face-saving
He walks o'er to his foe and stops.
They stand, with seven yards between them.
They eye each other, tempered cool,
And hoping nobody has seen them
For ‘tis against the law to duel.
And not a word does either mutter
Beneath the clouds that cloak the sun.
The only sound's a pigeon's flutter
Above the duelists, one and one.
Then suddenly a word is spoken,
The brown eyed man speaks "Pistols," and
By this word is the silence broken
As each takes his gun in his hand.
They each turn, walking off ten paces
And holding loaded gun in hand,
With looks of woe upon their faces.
They subsequently turn and stand…
Two shots ring out, two bullets flying
From two fired pistols through the air
But, by the luck of wood winds hying,
Unwounded stand the dueling pair.
And now, with noon-sun o'er them burning,
The two stand, motionless and cool.
With hatred in their hot hearts burning
They hastily resume the duel...
Two swords are drawn, two bright blades glinting,
And two young men converge and clash
The green grass takes a redder tinting
With every clanging, thrust, and slash.
Beneath the sunset's mellow lighting
Each duelist's sword more hot blood draws.
For they've forgotten why they're fighting.
Forgotten is their anger's cause.
They harder fight in mounting anger
Each parry matching lunge and thrust.
These youths with every moment's clangor
Are filled with more enraged blood-lust.
But lo, it ends with duelists crying,
Then from this scene all sound departs.
The two youths stand, unmoving, dying,
Their swords sheathed in each other's hearts.
And then as one they fall in anguish
A bitter end wrought on their fight
The sunlight with these two does languish
And leaves this field a lifeless night.
The sun shall live again, however
These two again shall never rise.
The sun each day shall look forever
Upon this field with sorrowed eyes.
With trees the silent vigil keeping
And stars the burial lamps o'erhead
Shall nature, while the world is sleeping,
Give ceremony due her dead.
For these two men shall lie here ever
Mourned by the stars and sun above,
In wrathful struggle locked forever,
Two youths that died and killed- for love.
The bright leaves swirl in morning breeze
As through the air this gust goes flowing
A man walks out among the trees
With blue of eye and stout heart beating,
With waving hair and gun in hand,
He's come here for an angered meeting
A duel, this does he understand
He walks and paces, bides his rival
He eyes his gun and then his blade.
Upon his enemies arrival
The choice of weapons shall be made.
His blue eyes scan the forest's clearing
And lo, from out the clearing's edge
His enemy comes, slowly nearing.
To keep his face and duelist's pledge.
With eyes of brown and blond hair waving
This man walks out from forest-copse
He's come here for his own face-saving
He walks o'er to his foe and stops.
They stand, with seven yards between them.
They eye each other, tempered cool,
And hoping nobody has seen them
For ‘tis against the law to duel.
And not a word does either mutter
Beneath the clouds that cloak the sun.
The only sound's a pigeon's flutter
Above the duelists, one and one.
Then suddenly a word is spoken,
The brown eyed man speaks "Pistols," and
By this word is the silence broken
As each takes his gun in his hand.
They each turn, walking off ten paces
And holding loaded gun in hand,
With looks of woe upon their faces.
They subsequently turn and stand…
Two shots ring out, two bullets flying
From two fired pistols through the air
But, by the luck of wood winds hying,
Unwounded stand the dueling pair.
And now, with noon-sun o'er them burning,
The two stand, motionless and cool.
With hatred in their hot hearts burning
They hastily resume the duel...
Two swords are drawn, two bright blades glinting,
And two young men converge and clash
The green grass takes a redder tinting
With every clanging, thrust, and slash.
Beneath the sunset's mellow lighting
Each duelist's sword more hot blood draws.
For they've forgotten why they're fighting.
Forgotten is their anger's cause.
They harder fight in mounting anger
Each parry matching lunge and thrust.
These youths with every moment's clangor
Are filled with more enraged blood-lust.
But lo, it ends with duelists crying,
Then from this scene all sound departs.
The two youths stand, unmoving, dying,
Their swords sheathed in each other's hearts.
And then as one they fall in anguish
A bitter end wrought on their fight
The sunlight with these two does languish
And leaves this field a lifeless night.
The sun shall live again, however
These two again shall never rise.
The sun each day shall look forever
Upon this field with sorrowed eyes.
With trees the silent vigil keeping
And stars the burial lamps o'erhead
Shall nature, while the world is sleeping,
Give ceremony due her dead.
For these two men shall lie here ever
Mourned by the stars and sun above,
In wrathful struggle locked forever,
Two youths that died and killed- for love.
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The Duel
The Duel
