the last two cantos of the lay of Naalia


The Lay of Naalia, Canto XII, XIII

Canto XII

Naalia lay broken, shaking
finally, her will was breaking
while in unknown tongues, she spoke
out of her womb, a creature broke
a thing of evil so profound
a monster, twitching on the ground
it screamed with an unearthly sound
and wings were growing, vast and dark
upon it's forehead, Naalia's mark
thunder roaring in the sky
as Naalia began to cry
and Menai, running down the stair
saw what did transpire here

Now Naalia was shrinking fast
the child she had become at last
which she had but nigh forgotten
all the things that made her rotten
stood before her, horrifying
and the young girl started crying
this girl of but eighteen years
was weeping, bursting into tears
as all the horrors of her past
had come to torment her at last
the monster roaring, did attack
and Naalia, taken quite aback
was struck and flung upon her back

Now Menai spake from high upon
the barricades, whence she had run
"Naalia, this foulest spell
that has released your inner hell
was wrought by snakes in contemplation
of your fall, of your damnation
this is wrought by folk of lore
if you will survive this war
remember who you were before"
but Naalia succumbed to fear
as all the things she had held dear
became undone before her eyes
caught now by Carathim's lies

And again the monster struck
but Naalia escaped with luck
as slowly she began repenting
now a tempest was descending
unlike any seen before
on this cold, unforgiving shore
the monster screamed and struck again
and Naalia, reeling from the pain
spread out her wings, and flew up high
into the cold and thunderous sky
and now the lady of the sea
did fight what she had come to be
and also all her agony

And Naalia spread out her wings
nigh overcome by all those things
by all the horrors she had seen
now they did assail the queen
whose subjects, plotting her demise
had poisoned her with cruel lies
and Naalia, gasping for her breath
did now at last feel fear of death
the fair child whom she used to be
had grown so blind and failed to see
the cause of all her agony
thus came to pass, her greatest war
was twixt herself, and snakes of lore

The fair child Naalia, clad in white
now faced this monster of the night
what now in spite of all that she
had hoped, she now had come to be
the tempest wild, tore at her wings
the monster would destroy all things
that she had ever hoped to see
this monster that she came to be
and Menai, shuddering from fear
was watching, as her queen so dear
so young, so fair, so paranoid
now seemingly would be destroyed
by the power she enjoyed

The monster was in quick pursuit
this scabbéd wingéd, horrid fruit
of what the queen had come to be
so blinded that she could not see
the cause of all her agony
from deepest pit to highest peak
she fought the beast, 'till she grew weak
for every time the monster struck
it seemed, by some strange turn of luck
that Naalia saw the things which she
had fought so hard to cease to be
and thus, a young girl clad in white
did fight this monster of the night

Now Naalia is standing still
and concentrating all her will
on how she ran through fields of corn
so long ago in early morn
and now the monster seems to lack
the strength or power to attack
and Naalia does force it back
the girl bathed in a sudden light
that shuns this monster of the night
but then into her consciousness
creeps her father's monstrousness
and thus the shield does now abate
it cannot hold against the hate

And once again the twain do fly
into the black, tormented sky
they soar amid these thunderous clouds
and for a while the thunder shrouds
the queen, and keeps her out of sight
from this monster of the night
and the sun does shed no light
upon this tragic, horrid scene
Menai cannot intervene
they battle through the heavens cold
where unforgiving Gods of old
do sleep, not knowing of the fate
of the world they did create

Still the child does strength retain
some shred of soul does still remain
but the thing she came to be
has been unleashed, has been set free
and Menai now does start to cry
afraid that her dear queen will die
higher, Naalia does fly
the dread queen and the thing which she
became, perhaps unwillingly
now fight a battle to the death
and Menai, she does hold her breath
as every now and then a cry
resounds from high up in the sky

The horror takes hold once again
the child is screaming from the pain
of all that she should not have known
the wicked monster now has grown
into a thing she cannot slay
this creature made of the decay
that slowly festered deep inside
it fed on all she sought to hide
the horrors she would not confide
and now the ancients of the tide
in hate have set this monster free
so that their queen may cease to be

Now finally her will did fail
her fighting was to no avail
the monster had it's strength retained
while she had lost what strength remained
the shred of good that used to be
had been destroyed, she could not see
a path to lead her from this fate
now paranoid, destroyed by hate
of her soul, this thing took hold
now Naalia was vile and cold
destroyed by all the pain that she
had known, she was no longer free
controlled by snakes from 'neath the sea

But still a tale is left to tell
of how at last the dread queen fell
as she had lost her sanity
she would loose her humanity
Carathim, as has now been told
were treacherous and vile and cold
and Naalia did fit no more
the purpose they had made her for
hearken now, and heed the tale
of how at last, the queen did fail
her prayers soon to no avail
her powers greater than before
She had grown blind forevermore

Canto XIII

Naalia was all alone
now Carathim usurped the throne
and in the dungeons she was cast
cold, alone she was at last
nothing now, the queen had left
naked, beaten and bereft
of love and soul and happiness
she sank into forgetfulness
her mind was lost to fears untold
the dungeons they were damp and cold
the former queen sad to behold
and the queen broke into tears
at last defeated by her fears

Menai still did hide, afraid
that it might be too late to aid
her queen, who now at last did fall
who seeking everything, lost all
thus now at last, the queen was broken
by those horrid things unspoken
ever, Menai sought to hide
from the creatures of the tide
these snakes that now came to abide
within the castle of the queen
as young Menai had long foreseen
her love was stronger still, than fear
queen Naalia, she still held dear

Naalia's hope was slowly failing
All her fears were now availing
screams from dungeons here and there
Carried to her on the air
Conspiring to drive her mad
And take what sanity she'd had
And all the joy she once had known
Had been destroyed, had been outgrown
By fears that festered in her mind
That drove her mad, that made her blind
The child she used to be was gone
Now she remembered not the sun
That long ago upon her shone

Menai ran through tunnels cold
fearing that the snakes of old
would foil her desperate attempt
to save the queen from their contempt
and she heard many whisperings
of cruel deeds and horrid things
now her hope was slowly turning
slowly she would cease her yearning
flames within, no longer burning
many days the child did travel
hoping still, thus to unravel
all the threads and thus avoid
that her dear queen should be destroyed

All the horrors of her mind
tormented her, they made her blind
solitude her only friend
she felt the coming of the end
those things she could not comprehend
they slowly did erode her will
breaking her, they made her ill
all the horrors she had seen
conspired to destroy the queen
now she had lost everything
and slowly, she began to sing
singing of her loneliness
a singing mind that was a mess

Now Menai stood before the door
where Naalia sat, a queen no more
she touched the door, the blackened wood
turned into tree and leaf and root
and Menai saw her queen, destroyed
broken, beaten, paranoid
and Naalia gazed, but failed to see
the young fair child who'd set her free
she saw a creature like a snake
who'd caused destruction in it's wake
and Menai smiled a smile, so mild
but caught now by a terror wild
Naalia did attack the child

Consumed by hunger, lost and wild
her teeth sank deep into the child
who loved her more than she could see
and thus, Menai did cease to be
and suddenly the queen did scream
as if awakened from a dream
and now in her frail arms did lie
cold and unmoving, fair Menai
shaking, she began to cry
now tears were falling from those eyes
who long had known of naught but lies
and thus bereft of everything
the former queen began to sing

"You were so fair, you were someone
I think you were the only one
whom I could ever love, my child
we both were seen as cold and wild
you were so young, so frail and fair
that I should kill you, without care
it breaks what heart I did have left
of everything I am bereft
darkness now is all I see
and hate is all that's left for me
I loved you more than anything
I loved you more than birds that sing
of happiness in early spring"

At last the queen did realize
how she had been destroyed by lies
how long ago in fairest youth
she had been blinded from the truth
and wishing but to end her life
she gripped the cold and cruel knife
with which, she blinded by her thirst
had slain the one who loved her first
and picking up the fair Menai
she spread her wings, and soon did fly
into the unforgiving sky
and soon alighting on the shore
she wanted but, to be no more

Her vision soon began to fade
she took the cold and cruel blade
with which, she blinded by her hate
had come to seal young Menai's fate
and biting deep into her arm
she sought to do herself such harm
that no more might she feel the pain
of this world, whence she did remain
and black blood soon began to stream
a sad, cold requiem for her dream
that now lay shattered on the floor
like poor Menai, who is no more
her tale now lost, in days of yore

Now she ran towards the sea
which long ago had set her free
fleeing what she came to be
she fled the things she came to see
she spread her blackened wings and screamed
and for a moment now, it seemed
as if by some last feat of will
she made the world itself stand still
and now the former queen did fly
into the black foreboding sky
carrying the dead Menai
from sky she fell, towards the shore
wishing but, to be no more

And the rumor traveled fast
that she had met her end at last
and it was sung down by the shore
that now the dread queen was no more
this young fair child, she died alone
and Carathim usurped her throne
now Carathim did gather 'round
her body, lying on the ground
and now a large and blackened snake
rose on his tail, and thus he spake:
"Thine youth thou hath retained, my queen
Though in a way thou hadst not seen
Fulfilled, now our oath has been"

Thus endeth now this tragic tale
of how at last the queen did fail
to recognize what she'd become
her tale remembered still by some
in fullest, now has been retold
how she, once fair, did grow so cold
contorted by the snakes of old
and all the dreams she once did hold
and still birds in the north do sing
of how the queen lost everything
on this day of her reckoning
this story of a girl so young
a tragic tale here hath been sung




Poetry by Lalando
Read 635 times
Written on 2009-10-27 at 10:50

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