The longest poem I have so far written - it mimics the form of a Lay, and tells the story of the druid, wizard and school-teacher Azagal the sinister.


The Lay of Azagal the sinister.

Canto I

The stars are fading, We're going in there
to destroy the lives of those souls we held dear
destruction and sorrow woven into our path
lies and deceit, there'll be no aftermath,
for we are your end, ruthless and cold,
now scream it, crawl away! And do as you are told
we are falling down, we will plunge into the sea
there'll be nothing left in our world for you to see!

A thousand faces screaming they want to be set free
fading away, for they would never see
we have ceased to care a long time ago
we have ceased to dare, and we have ceased to know
we sit and rot in our chair, with our rotten books
the children are afrighted by our ghastly looks
as we stride through this town, to seize our crown
how we wish those screaming faces would just decide to drown.

We have lived for too long, we have sung our song
we adjusted, we accustomed ourselves to play along.
our purpose is gone, and so is our cat
our life has gone wrong, and there are holes in our hat.
this town is shrunken to a shadow of its glory
wasted lives in misery, we're not even sorry
and how we wish that everything could just be undone
how we wish those memories would rather just be gone.

Those memories of joy lingering in mockery
those images of us fading into history.
remembering sunshine on this curséd, rainy day
how we wish the children would begin to fade away
now for pain and misery inflicted by hate
now for love and memories we seek our fate
now find your death my darling, there are no wounds left to cure
holding breath destroy'd by fear you were always too unsure.

We have nothing left, we have nothing to regret
tears running down your cheeks, did you think we would forget?
sitting there in your chair with that empty stare
do you think there is a single thing we would not dare?
now you try to scream, your past begins to blur
we are terribly sorry, but we swore to destroy her.
we set stars in your sky and we will take them away
we are your final night, and your dusk turning grey.

why do you recoil? Having nowhere left to run
why do you despair? Ain't we having fun?
in those chrystallized memories you always were so faint
what exactly were you? a devil or a saint?
now alas you are broken my marionette
little Mariah you'll be prettier dead.
you begin to panic how you wish this wasn't true
you ain't going nowhere 'till we are through with you.

Remember how we wasted those summer nights of june?
when our songs and our minds were perfectly atuned?
we should have known it was a lie, that such could not be real
we should have recognized all those things we could not feel
now our minds are set not to forgive nor to forget
the actions we here take we swear not to regret
the embers are dying as our legions fill the shore
what love remains in our heart today shalt be no more.

Everybody hates us, just as we hate them
but still we keep sacred this beautiful gem
a stone to us given in the days that now are gone
a Relic reminiscent of the glory we won
we embark on a crusade to teach the world to hate
Azagal the sinister believeth not in fate
let the blood of the heretics spill into the sea
today the unbelievers shalt be cleansed from history!

Canto II

In days forever lost We used to teach the kids at school
it was our job to waste our wisdom at a fool
we used to be a role-model gazed upon in awe
it used to be our job to teach them to behave.
we made sure the children would feel our hate
we made sure the children knew we held their fate
how can one deny the destiny he holds?
how much does he descry when destiny unfolds?

In these forsaken lands forever torn by war
they had nigh forgotten what they were fighting for
and in a castle sat a king in halls of graven stone
but she who really governed was his wife, that curséd crone!
and thus as we were summoned to those god-forsaken halls
we had no other choice but to heed their twisted calls.
so we travelled through the land our luggage but a cane
on arrival soon we learned that our king had gone insane

Tearing down what our ancestors had worked so hard to build
Thank God, wherever he might be that one day he was killed.
But fate from time to time may need a helping hand
Now we had slain the king and there was chaos in the land.
So we forgot our name and gave ourselves another
They were so pathetic why on earth did we bother?
Now we roamed the land as Piter the sinister
And there was a rumour it was we who killed the minister

We know to ourselves of course, those lies to be untrue
we know the only one whom we would ever kill is you
when we were a child we had to steal to make the day
all the other children would cry and run away
always we were hated but we learned how to survive
we made a living day by day and thus we stayed alive
the people of the land started riots in the towns
we hid ourselves and pulled the strings of the clowns

In those days when first we met you it was too good to be true
you blasted us away, and we fell in love with you
but always you depended on what other people thought
no matter what you said, your opinions were naugth
we slipped into the throng and taught at yet another school
taught another bunch of children to bow to our rule
and we had us a house by the shores of the sea
and a lovely spouse to make our evening tea.

From time to time we wrote down stories of what we observed
we could not forget the deity whom we served
we remember one time when we resided in Kesii
those events will very soon go down in history
there was this ugly baron who hid inside his mansion
and crushed the population for his business expansion
one day he awoke from a knocking on the door
a mob was gathered outside and they beat him to the floor

They emptied all his house and then they razed it to the ground
they dragged the baron through the streets and by his feet him bound
then we nailed him to a pillar on a hill turning south
we burned down his fields and put an apple in his mouth.
the army tried too late to put the riots to an end
for too long the people now had lived in discontent
the army fled before the mob ere the day awoke
they left the baron on his hill his fortune turned to smoke .

Thus it came to pass one day we strode into this place
we met beautiful Mariah our world was ablaze
she was our earth our moon and our sun
by now we can see this is where it was begun
always she needed help a siren so pathetic
and she saw us as we were: another wild heretic.
in the end it was too much we had to take her life away
and make absolutely sure she wouldn't see another day

Canto III

Our love is in decay we are drifting apart
vanish, fade away let us destroy your rotten heart
the sun and moon are blackened and we are through with you
go destroy yourself, that is the last thing you can do.
now you stand revealed dressed in lies and deceptions
did you not think we would perceive your conceptions?
let us shatter your spirit while we renounce
your name and your soul, and feed you to the hounds.

We were caught up in this lie we so much wanted to believe
now we see you crying, you were always so naïve
thus we set out to destroy the skies today
our only wish to make you wither, fade away
at first our love was as abundant as the sea
it was so beautiful such a lovely mystery
oh how you made us hate you, we don't know what you do
but you will regret it once we are through with you.

Living close together day by day by day
deceiving one another in this worn out cliché
standing at the edge we leap into the night
we will take your life that belongs to us by right
we went for walks in the woods you talking of our ears
while we inspired your innermost fears
shopping in the town for a useless new shirt
as the days flew away we wanted you to get hurt

The roses in the livingroom soon withered away
as our lives faded into different shades of grey
in the bedroom at night we would refuse to face eachother
each of us thinking "such a moron, why bother?"
our daily talks were mostly of the work and the weather
we recorded every detail with our ink and feather
and each night as we lay there nurturing your fear
We thought to ourselves: "her end is drawing near"

Dinner in the evening lasting an eternity
rapidly we learned you are as fragile as can be
wasted hours talking what might just seem gibberish
sitting in those chairs merely staring at our dish
the fireplace was lit in a calm flourescing glow
and above it on the wall we hung our wooden bow
once we went a hunting in the woods in time of spring
we strode through the forests as the birds began to sing.

Thou shalt be destroyed a thousand dreams come true
and as the moon is blackened we shout a curse on you
the clouds gather close agony is in the air
ill omens on the wind now thou shalt learn to fear
and as we sing your death and your vision starts to fail
all you pleas and all your crying shalt be to no avail
we ceased to love you long ago when will you learn to hate?
and mocking you we scream: "is this another twist of fate?"

The summer days in ages past with you on the lawn
waiting in silence for the break of dawn
the wind toying with your hair so precious you seemed
now we realize you were but a failing dream
and as we talked the time away like we could in those old days
completely unsuspicious when suddenly she says:
"marry me my dear let us eternally be bound
for truly I believe my only love to have found"

Honestly my dear we did not know how to respond
all we knew was we could never make such a bond
thus we left you in the garden to fade in solitude
"we are sorry" we shrugged it's our nature to be rude.
we devised your disappearance and wrote it down in rhymes
and in the long and lonely nights we confessed our crimes
your death this dreaded day planned in every detail
our mind in decay we intended not to fail.

Canto IV

Our parents didn't want us, so we lived in the streets
every day our only goal to meet our basic needs
we stole as we might, and then we ran away
thats the only way to survive in Faroqay
in a shed by the harbour we found a place to sleep
we filled it up with all that we got into our keep
we stole fruit from the market and the merchants would shout
but they would never catch us, we were slippier than a trout

The first light of dawn chasing shadows away
the sound of the sea-gulls at the break of day
breakfast on the roof, while people came around
here we gazed upon the city listening to the sound
of friendly jests and laughter, people going to the fare
to get a chance to see the tournaments of those who dare
we used to place bets on who would survive
which one of them would be the last man alive?

At the age of twelve we left the town of Faroqay
we traversed the wastes where we lost our way
met this beautiful girl who from the mists appeared
her hair was long and dark, and nothing she feared
clad in raiments white black hair blowing in the breeze
it soon became night, and it began to freeze
we held together since it seemed the wisest choice
we still hear from time to time, the ghost of her voice

Thus at length we came to the fertile wide-spread plains
we had torn our bonds and broken our chains
we lived with Chamira in the eye of the storm
though sometimes we would hear the distant sound of a horn.
it was in this year that Caranthor met his fate
and the puppet-king tore asunder his gate
the councillor escaped no one knows whence
and the king was lynched in bitter recompense

But we did not care the least about those great events
we had enough to do, enough potatoes to cleanse
those sorrowless days now irreparably lost
we had to leave those lands at a terrible cost.
running with a gang of kids in a town to which we came
forever now there haunts the ghost of our name
for a couple of years we stayed in this place
our heart was cold anger ever ablaze.

Now for a year we went forever striding
going far abroad nowhere abiding
we came to a place The sun set the town ablaze
the towers reaching for the sky we were utterly amazed
there for another year we served the local lord
then it was time once again to go abroad
at length we came to the town in which we now reside
arriving just at the breaking of the tide.

Soon the local school hired us as a teacher
in the class was this young girl, and nothing might we teach her
we had her suspended never saw her again
we desciplined the children, taught them the refrain
"the lesson best remembered is taught in agony"
many lessons learned by pain have gone down in history
and thus we made it home just as the clock stroke four
we strode through the streets and ended right at our door

Of our life among the druids yet remains to be told
but that story is not as of yet to unfold
in recompense, let us tell of the city of the kings
behind the walls of which happened important things
roofs of gold and silver, towers, ringing bells
stables, homes for warriors, a church and many wells
healing houses, even a garden filled with herbs
and in the lower part of town lived the rabble and the clerks.

Canto V

We were dancing in the night, stars raining from the skies
all alone in all the world, we were breaking our ties
we drowned in your eyes, in your whispered words of love
and faded into you, the stars pouring from above.
now let stars smite your face let it forever be marred
we art naught but emptiness, thou shalt be forever scarred
now we shatter thee, turn dawn to dusk and day to night
chant your doom while we bid you bow to our might

As of yet thou shalt not die, it doth not matter what you do
you have nowhere left to hide, and we are far from done with you.
at the precipice we stand, where the land meets the sea
ominous the clouds, here thou shalt be set free
utterly broken, you beg us in despair
we look at you in silence, the wind in your hair
lightning in the skies, the rain pouring down
we cannot hear your cries, every noise is drowned

We would have walked the seas, torn asunder the sky,
had you asked an age ago in the evenings of july
slowly dying from devotion, wishing for a kiss
it all was so beautiful, before it went amiss.
and once or twice we even went to see a foreign land,
and hear a foreign language none of us could understand
we would look down at the vales or go for walks in the mountains
fall asleep beneath the stars, and drink from the fountains

Everything was perfect in the days when we were one
it all seemed so good in the days that now are gone
we tried to add something new in our everyday life
it was too good to be true and you were our wife
we would destroy the world for thee, you know it is the truth
torn everything apart and wasted our youth
had you but asked, we would give up our goal
we would suffocate from love, and destroy our soul

your fate written in the stars in the nights we wrote it down
never ever again will they laugh at the clown!
spoiled by hate our love is become rotten
your life a masquerade deeds forgiven, not forgotten
you try to resist, but you shall be destroyed
your life belongs to us, you were always paranoid
why don't you cease to resist? This pathetic attempt
you beg us for mercy, but we shun thee in contempt!

Thanks for all you that gave us though it has come to naught
never we were honest, ever hiding our thought
the wedding in the town when love still feigned to be real
this day when we made that terrible deal
we married you but to see that smile on your face
at every glance in our direction, we avoided thour gaze
and our honeymoon on the seas of Keldon
yet another thing we wish that we had never ever done

And the seas shall rise in anger they will tremble in fear
souls shall be shattered, from hate of thee, my dear
as the waves fall upon thee thou shalt see me standing nigh
a cold, sinister shadow standing there to watch you die
and now thou shalt learn the true meaning of pain
as at last thou shalt see that all thou did were in vain
now thou art broken, at last thou shalt fail
at last thou shalt see, that it is all to no avail

And as the world ceases turning and we are born anew
Here we stand at the end it is but us and you
Surrounded by destruction our world is undone
A new chance to live, to do everything wrong
The sun has failed forever your death has come my friend
But we shalt never die, to us there is no end
Reach for the skies, destroy the sun, perhaps you might
Succeed the time has come of the everlasting night

Canto VI

We soon joined the druids, having lived for nineteen years
we had gone far and wide and learned to cope with our fears
in the caves of Rathedon we would hear stories no man tells
we still heard now and then the chiming of the bells
swearing service to none except for our god
upon arrival everyone was gifted with a rod
a token of the fellowship of which he now was part
thus you were accepted to learn the secret art

Our goal was once again to bring magic to the land
and give it to the people that they might understand
what from them was taken by the council long ago
they thought: "the best servant is the one who does not know"
so we fougt them with wisdom, taught the truth to the nation
spread the words of the wise among the population
we went among the people where however it did seem
they were caught inside their minds and walked around in a dream

They taught us their secrets, and told us of their ways
thus learning their arts we passed away the many days
and we waited in patience, our full force assembled
behind the city walls the wise now trembled
we waited out the hours, plotting `gainst the throne
"we will retake what is ours, shatter rock and stone!"
and as we like a tidal wave swept across the land
against our might not a single soul could stand

Besieging the city of the lords and the wise
once and for all to rid the people of their lies
they sent out a herald bidding us to go away
but we heeded him not, we intended to stay
the sun clomb the sky our banners raised high
we had made up our minds we would defeat them or die
many days passed by we heard no words from the walls
but silence, a refusal to answer our calls

Their onslaught came unexpected, in the middle of the night
they broke forth from the gates, slaying where they might
knights on horses, clad in mail, breaking forth from the city
attacking recklessly, and slaying without pity
soon the camps were awoken and the flames leapt forth
and the clouds were gathering far to the north
Gimbros, our leader a migthy axe did wield
and wherever he went his foes were shattered in the field

And at our command fire rained from the sky
we saw the fear of men who knew they were doomed to die
and they would burn from within if but a word was spoken
we would leave them in the field, shattered, broken
now issued forth their mightiest wizard
Geronhalt the the venomous, that creeping, sneaky lizard!
and he made us a challenge which we could not deny
his intentions were clear: he wanted us to die.

For long the fight between us waved back and forth
thunderclouds were riding on a storm from the north
the sun vanished from the sky and the world stood still
as everybody focused on the fight on the hill
as our weapons crossed in this battle of fates
the time was come to end the fight before the gates
in the end he was defeated and we had won the day
victorious shouts as the foes ran away

Peasants and workers were the most of our force
who had for too long been held in check by needless laws
the sack of the city was quite a sad sight
they grabbed what they could and then they took to flight
as for the days of the future they payed no heed
they thought only of immediate need
and though victory was ours at the end of the day
we feared for the people once we would go away

Canto VII

Once with a friend abroad we would go
to see distant lands, mountains covered by snow
in the forests of Caëlon we would wander in the fall
the birds and the beasts would heed our call
and for a while by the Saari we would stay
untill one day we had to be on our way
as the shadows crept closer a shelter we would build
but only after four Feon birds were killed

Footprints in the snow in the mountains of Threndever
feet feeling like they had been walking forever
when suddenly we stumbled into a blizzard
there wasn't much to do even though we were a wizard
and dinner in the evening in the service of the king
our most precious treasure a tiny golden ring
at the stem of the ship, riding on the storm
the skies in utter chaos and the black sails were torn

Counting every star In the middle of the night
with Chamira in the grass she shone, she was the light
sailing through caverns far underground
walking through the ruins remembering the sound
of joy and of laughter which now have left that place
standing on the ship, everything ablaze
we leapt into the water and thus we got away
writing in the nights our mind gone astray.

Writing down accounts of what we had seen
writing down descriptions of the places we had been
candles lit in our room in the middle of the night
trying so hard to get every detail right
moments caught by hand slipped through the brain
passages illegible written in vain
and they thought us insane those people in the town
but we had ceased to care, we were pleased to be their clown

we served the puppet-king for well nigh a year
his wife held the court in perpetual fear
the king himself was weak his days of glory gone
in usurping the throne we chose to aid his son
we could not disprove the lies of that snake
in the cold nights in his prison they kept us awake
they underestimated us and soon we broke free
we intended once again to shape history

Walking through Zera in the middle of the day
Flowers in the gardens, houses made of clay
banners blowing in the breeze, children practising the bow
and an old man on a bench throwing bread at a crow
wagons laden heavily rolling down a street
two dogs playing with a big piece of meat
and in the centre of the courtyard is set a large fountain
carved from the rock on top of the mountain

Sitting by the fires with the druids in the night
telling such tales as ever we might
tales of victory and tales of days now gone
and great tales of defeat which have now been wrought in song
sometimes down the beach of Faróqay we would stride
recalling the past forgetting our pride
the sound of the waves and the birds of the sea
in solitude thinking how the future might be

and you gave us everything but still we were not satisfied
we would tear apart your world no matter what you tried
we loved you Mariah, you know that's not a lie
but things did not work out so we had to make you cry
we will never forget the past which we shared
we will never forget the days when we cared
but the road goes ever on and we can do naught but follow
we leave you now you are empty and hollow

Canto VIII

Running down the stairs soon we can hear
the clamour and the shouts of the crowd drawing near
glancing at Mariah for one last time
we flee to the woods having accomplished our crime
now the spirits of the forest once again shall be set free
that they may help us make the blind people see
all the trees and all the birds and all the wolves shall lend us aid
we will teach the town what it means to be afraid

soon they will learn of the death of our wife
soon they will come to claim our life
far away, in the distance, the baying of the hounds
as we flit among the trees going to the sacred grounds
stones in a circle set by the gods of old
high in the mountains what a sight to behold!
Now we seek refuge in this holy place
The moon in eclipse, the forest set ablaze

we begin to climb the mountain we hear the cries below
why are they so ignorant? They see, they do not know
the forest is on fire, flames leap into the night
why are they so persistent? Why do they want to fight?
now a storm is coming to rip apart this land
to tear the world to shreds and make them understand
their days now are counted a lone star shines bright
we shall unfold the future, we shall undo the night

now the eagles descend their screams fill the air
ruthlessness is needed there is nothing we won't dare
they shalt be destroyed for the ill which they have wrought
despite their cruelty of this they never would have thought
now they shalt be slain in the shadows we await
their souls are torn apart, they have taken the bait
they shalt be undone we don't intend to reconcile
the world is ours for the taking we have so much to defile

to force your beliefs deaths are sometimes needed
in certain debates only weapons are heeded
thus wisdom once again is defeated by hate
and people begin to write other people's fate
and their ranks are broken cities burn as we succeed
this reckless jihad a ruthless act of greed
with the aid of the gods their world shall be shaken
smoke rises in the night as their cities are taken

as we march for the throne nothing stands in our way
the time at last has come to heal the land of this decay
and from the ashes of this realm a new one shalt arise
the boy proves himself in the fathers demise
all who oppose us now must be slain
we intend to insure that naught is done in vain
thousands of people rally to the cause
we push our enemies, we give them no pause

we abandon our past we leave it all behind
starting anew in the hope at last to find
a place to live out the last days of our life
to finish our story and forget of our wife
a cabin in the mountains where we may reside
'till the world is made anew and we forget our pride
they could never understand we have no reason not to leave
for the death of our wife we have no reason to grieve

now the end of the tale at last we are writing
we are old and tired of useless fighting
with the aid of the druids the land is slowly healing
democracy begun sometimes we get that feeling
that perhaps this whole tale did end up quite well
but we guess that is not as of yet for us to tell
the town forgave us our sins and still we teach once in a while
but now we educate the children they even make us smile




Poetry by Lalando
Read 434 times
Written on 2006-04-11 at 14:19

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