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■ Why falling (December) ![]()
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2001-10-24 | [This text should be read in romana] |
I took the path of silence and of black night
The sunlit world was far behind me The grass swayed gently in the moonlight And trees were tall, and starry sky And yet all these I could not see. On withered leaves and mossy roots I walked Deeper and deeper into the kingdom of dark Under my feet the land and grass did talk Of wonder and of magic and far up I heard a mighty hawk chasing a lark. The merciless hunter caught his prey My heart felt sorrow for the mocking bird But soon I heard his plea. He said: "Today, Oh, mighty hawk, thy children will have food Before I die, I'll make my secrets heard. A home I have not, like thee Nor mate, nor children to be fed I am but a wanderer from tree to tree And through the trees I found one day A place where all the dark tales led. There was a crypt and there were stones Scattered around, decaying in the rain Under the cold lid were the rotting bones Of creatures now unknown; and motionless as them A statue stood up tall, guardian of that unhappy plain. If you will all these to thy children say And bid them when they are all grown To go to that sad place some day Oh, hawk, thy prey will not have died in vain! Thou will not see thy kingdom overthrowned." The hawk did listen to the lark But in the end it was in vain A cry was heard into the dark And the father took home the game Its story he wiped off like drops of rain. And yet, the words of that lark I could not forget For they were haunting words, tormenting to the heart And brain like daggers; nor could I let One creature's dying words fade into the night. And to the place they spoke of I wanted to depart. For long a time, I wandered through the night It never dawned, and I had but one guide The moon, whose scarce and pale light Shone high above me. Entrust this messenger I did, to lead me to the other side. And then, the fire-flies appeared Small stars on earth, blessings in darkness Beings of light which I hold dear My eyes beheld them, my heart rejoiced My hands embraced them in a warm caress. The forest gllitered like a ceremony square In ruined citadels of ancient times And they flew closer. I became aware Of their true selves. Not insects, fairies Who chanted secret songs and humming rhymes. The Elves of Light, showing themselves to me Dancing before my eyes, with colourful wings Of butterflies. They chased away the darkness from the trees And bid me come with them, and so I did It's known that fairies know forbidden things. I spoke to them about the lark, they knew Too well, the place described by him And took me there, through the forest dew Through leaves and bush and there I found Myself one day, there where the light is always dim. The fairies now had gone to sleep And I alone stood there, in the shade Witness to the secrets that cemetery keeps In ancient graves and solitary crypts In mausoleums that never a man's hand had made. It was a sad and secluded place Where death was floating in the air Easy I saw that here there had been no trace Of Life for centuries. The plain was large With spirits of those that had been burried there. I saw the crypt, with creaking door Moss covered walls, and puddles made by rain Which trembled gently on the marble floor Like drops of blood. The wind blew hard Above it all, like distant cries of pain. Enter the crypt I needed not to do For there in front, on a pedestal of stone The statue stood, how beautiful and frightening too A token of its sculptor's skill, who carved In night-black granit what was flesh and bone. I thought "This sculptor man could not have been I trust it strongly to be so For such a creature a man has never seen Or such a place, where it is built, Under a starry sky and bitter woe." Indeed it did not represent a man Or animal or bird that a man knows It was a beast so strange, I barely can Describe. But wonderful it was no less More beautiful than the most beautiful of souls. Five times as tall as me, so high It rose above the branches of the trees Its mighty forehead seemed to touch the sky It was half hawk - half lion, a griffin that I heard of in legends from beyond the seas. It seemed to slumber on its granit stone With wings that were leaning to the ground And yet, it looked as if it stood on a throne Of power. Its beak was curved, its eyes were cold And stems of poison ivy grew around. "Oh, lark!" I sighed. "I wonder why It was that thou was so entreating To bring souls here, even while thou died. I am too late, and anyone would be For here, even worms have stopped their feasting." My thoughts had filled me with despair There I was and powerless as a lamb I stood I couldn't find the secrets that were there Until there was a miracle, and the griffin It came to life to show me that I could. A veil of light flooded the plain The granit griffin it embraced It played with me a magic game It blinded me and made me close my eyes And then it disappeared with no trace. The blackness of the statue with it fled And now before me a living breathing being Stood up, his feathers white and his eyes sad Lion fur golden and a golden beak And eyes of emerald, awake from dreaming. "Oh, wonder!" I cried. "Thing of undying might What art thou, and what enchanted story Didst thou come from? Art thou a child of the light Or has Mother Darkness spawned thee too Like many others so that she would have her glory?" His beak bent down to meet me His wings flapping up towards the stars He seemed to answer to my warm entreaty He cried out loud and laughed with human voice And spoke of things which marked his soul like scars. "I thank thee now" he said. "Before today No human steps ever fell upon these lands. Thou art my saviour and my prey. Art thou not afraid of my inhuman face Of the cursed garden that before thee stands?" "I want thy story for my heart My fears I will now forget. I implore thee now, pray thee, please start!" "For me I'll tell thee all" he said. "Legend of how my fate I met. There was a kingdom by the sea Where griffins ruled with unmatched power Where trace of human being could not be Because we were at war with all man kind And thought about it every waking hour. We were, it's true, a wicked kind. Our country gave us riches and fat soil And yet only one thing was on our minds: The hunt, which drove us to the edge And made us our lovely country spoil. For since the first time a griffin's beak shed blood The sin that came upon us was so thick And black and evil like a brimstone cloud But also sweet was every prey Oh, divine taste of human flesh inside my beak! And in that kingdom, I was one Like no other was. It is true I was the royal family's first son But I was also first in line of chase Of all the cruel beings I was the most cruel. Oh, humans like thee I have slain I drank their blood and cracked their bones I watched them twist and writhe in pain And I delighted in each horrid game Returning then in safety to our gilded domes. And so it went, until one day While flying through the silver heights of sky My eye caught sight of a most lovely prey A maiden on a meadow To this most wanted prize immediately did I fly. Her beauty did my senses wake So innocent and unexpecting of the beast's Attack. I watched her long a time, but I did take In the end what I was longing for. And untill then she never knew the least. Oh, monster that I am! I fed On that young body and it was sweet as dew That honey flowing thorugh her made me mad She sighed but once, and then she died To me this all was nothing new. I took the flower band that she was wreathing And with it my monstruous head adorned And breathing the same air she had been breathing Thinking not twice about the devilish deed To my domain on sea shore I returned. And many days went by, and from my mind The image of the maiden took its leave I lived in wicked happiness among my kind And many humans killed, and did things I dare not speak of, for way to sorrow they do give. But fear not, human, for as strong as we Were, one thing was much stronger And now we know that evil is not free To have its wretched will And came the day when our strength was strong no longer. He came to me, on Moon rays cold A stranger at my chamber door He was as old as time, and yet did not look old A Sorcerer with alabaster face He waved his hand - my kingdom was no more! I understood too late what I had done The one deed which brought my people to its end. The Sorcerer's bride, the maiden was now gone On that meadow of green, where my hunger Led me to some horrind deed I could not mend. "Oh, wait!" I did implore. It was in vain Like me, he knew not mercy or compassion "Oh, wretched being, thou has brought me pain!" He said. "And pain thou will now feel!" He swore, his face so cold and ashen. "I punish thee because of her" he said "Because I cared not more for any being She was the one who shared with me her bed And home, and life, and love, and breath And every other thing that she was seeing." Thus, he cursed us with a deadly curse And they all died from reasons unrevealed My fellow griffins. But for me the worst Fate the Sorcerer kept And thus the griffin's destiny was sealed. He let my brothers rest in creepy tombs, while I Received a granite coat for my pale feathers Forever silent guardian, I could not die Nor move, but all around me I could hear and see And even feel the changing whims of weather. "Here thou shalt remain" the Sorcerer cried "Until one of the kind you prey on Will come to thee. And if thou thinks this mild, Think twice, for I shall put you there Where no man's child ever will have gone!" And gone he was. And I stood here As I stand now in front of thee For centuries, and in this time it was all cleared I thought of my dark ways, of my mistakes, And came to think that this was meant to be. Now I rejoice, for now that thou have come By what means or what faith I am not sure The spell is now un-cast, the curse is gone Into the silence of my death I shall rest And there, with senses dead, I shall endure." "Thou has just come to life" I cried "And thou already want to leave? Until today I did not know of thee, yet if thou shalt die I'll mourn thee like thou art my kin Like widows their dead husbands grieve." "Nay! hold me not! for if I stay My fate will be even sadder still I know that I'll return to my old way And thou shalt have the maiden's fate And all the sacred meditations of these years I will kill!" In saddness then I sighed and said "Farewell, Enchanted creature, I will forget thee not Fly on thy wings to Heaven, not to Hell. Here I remain, a witness to thy pain Much marveled at thy beauty without spot." The Griffin took his leave and flew So high, towards the stars which the sky lit, The lion-bird beheld them, and he knew They were his absolution, and so he joined them Meeting the end he wanted so to meet. And I alone on that deserted plain again Did think in silence, and felt pitty For the Griffin, because the ways of men Are far the worse. And for crime he did pay And so did this most unhappy city. "Oh, lark!" I thought "Now do I understand Thy strange request and thy pathetic biding Merciful crature, that ilness sought to mend Thou felt the way I did and thus Decided that thou would try to stop their grieving. I thank thee, messenger of hope A friend like thee should any creature have And tied together be it with chains or silky rope We would be strong and safe and warm And stick together from the cradle to the grave. But thou art gone, and should the hawk That took thy life suffer a bitter fate Just like the griffin? Of these I cannot talk For I know now that everything that selfish people do Is punished only when the selfless are their prey. Goodbye to thee, oh lark, and griffin!" And with these words I turned and gone Behind me morning dew was kissing The grassy plain and cold stones and from The boundaries of this eternal night did dawn the Sun.
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