Poems of the Fallen

[Silenia]

Will post these whenever I get inspiration. Some refer to actual characters/character deaths I've had, some are more general.

Frozen

The spirits of autumn sang gently on the rain
Easing my worries and easing my pain
But ache and exhaustion had settled bone-deep
So to autumn's sweet lullaby fell I asleep

As I slept under open sky did sweet autumn me forsake
For it was harsh winter spirits that drove me awake;
Icy spirits whistling on a cold windy night
left a thin blanket of snow on open mire wide

Shivering and confused stumbled I 'round in a daze
Unsure where I had been going, where from I came
Confused and shivering in this unfamiliar place
Could I barely remember my people and name

Lost and forsaken in cold winter's lands
Bare were my feet and bare were my hands
So as I shivered and stumbled through open mire vast
In my heart I knew this morning would be my last

[spamgoose]

That is awesome. You've inspired me.

Killing livestock, I'm in too deep,
While unconscious, kicked by a sheep.

[Silenia]

Drowning

Ominous cracking heard a second too late
Far out from the shore with my mind on a kill
But the ice could no longer hold up my weight
Just as the forest reindeer finally lay still

Breathless was I from chasing after my prey
Across two miles of forest and a mile of ice
I had forgotten what my old man would say
My mind had been on nothing but the bloody prize

But 't was not a bloody prize but a price I would pay
"It offends the spirits to bloody the ice in early spring--"
I heard dad's voice in my mind as I felt my strength sway
"--and 'tis surely your death the spirits will bring."

(Yeah, that happened, a few characters back. Just as the damn reindeer died, it became morning, the ice grew weak and I fell through. And drowned.)

[Silenia]

Njerpez fallen

He was a starving redshirt,
oh, a Njerpez do I mean
Hanging 'round my island's outskirts
Unaware that he'd been seen

So I took my fine broadhead
and my longbow in my hands
By nightfall would he be dead
His stain cleansed off my lands

He was a starving redshirt,
oh, a Njerpez did I mean
He bled out on the frozen dirt
Where he's ever since been

[Silenia]

The (not-so-)sage

Once I believed a sage had to be wise
then I saw this fool standing on rather thin ice
The ice broke and so fell he straight in
Got frozen and soaked right down to his skin

The bitter cold addled his quite feeble brain
And he got so tired he could have slept in the rain
Tired enough that on that spot fell he asleep
And drowned in a puddle barely three inches deep.

[kaizokuroof]

I really enjoyed "Drowning". Well done, these are great.

[Silenia]

Glad to hear so!

[nekot]

"The Challenge"

This story is long so please sit comfortable
be kind, listen in silence, if you are able

His name was Cosoban, Can I remember right?
Sixteen years old, ready for the trial night!

It was time when he's lost almost everything
way back to village, friends, his family ring

all clothing, all equipage and all conscious too
In start of Winter, badly hurt and that is true!

He woke up after long dream, cold and afraid
(Part of my rules when I've had him played)

But there was one thing he has not lost
his strong will for surviving at all cost

Fire was his friend but hunger, not really
he picked some berries and that wasn't silly

but more important, blade made from stone
easy be done if not pain in arm bone

limping through forest and for water looking
eating that berries, had nothing for cooking

sleep, keep warm, walk more every morning
I know, this part of story is greatly boring

come back next week, I will tell you more
if you don't like it, then please ignore.

TBC

[PoisonPen]

Pardon the anachronistic Shakespearian format, and not exactly fallen, but unfortunate.


The Lay of the Sexy Fisherman

He came to the town
With perches to sell
(A big cod as well)
And threw his catch down.

The men-folk all stared
And women they squealed
At muscles revealed
And all the flesh bared.

As naked as born
His arse in the draft
His clothes had he torn
For making a raft.

[Silenia]

Of encounters unfortunate

An immense bear did once cross my path
the moment he spotted me, he got quite mad
Swiped at my head with his enormous claw
My eye started bleeding and limited what I saw

The bear pursued me as I fled towards my home
But after a while lost his aggression and started to roam
between slender trees and bushes of berries so red
I thanked the spirits the bear was no longer mad

So I was all alone as I wandered the land
had no dogs, no companions, when I encountered a band
of Vagabond robbers, five were they and oh!
No less than four of them were armed with a bow.

No longer bleeding but still could I not see
more than two-thirds of what was in front of me
And the injured eye not only limited my sight
The throbbing pain would also make it quite hard to fight

So there were five robbers, four armed with a bow
But they had not seen me so I hid and, real slow,
did I inch back away from these uncouth men
then when outside their presence I swiftly ran

And ran and ran until my home was almost there
Where I could recover from the wound dealt by the bear
But, alas and behold, 't was not to be
Less than a mile from my home a Njerpez encountered me

[Sami]

Just a quick note which hopefully doesn't get things sidetracked;
I absolutely love this thread.  It's so great this was started, and that people joined in.

Oh I would love to have some of these verses to be composed into proper songs. Any composers/musicians/singers around who'd need a new project...

[Silenia]

'course it doesn't get things sidetracked, Sami. If anything, it gets more eyes on it and means yet more folks may join in. I'm very happy to hear you love it, too! Sadly, I'm no composer, musician or singer. If any are around, though: Feel free to use my poems here as text, as long as you credit me for it somewhere.

As to more poetry, though for once not of people fallen but of a live saved:

Spirits guide me

As snow kept falling from the skies
And water covered by thick ice
The spirits did send me a dream
So vivid I woke with a scream

The spirits warned of coming death:
My blood on the ground--running red
if I stayed well past snow and ice
For death would with coming spring rise

I left as spring melted the ice
as snow stopped falling from grey skies;
'fore life made green and young the lands
left I with my axe in my hand

I followed the river to the south
Until I reached its widening mouth
Where seagulls did in distance sound
Where sea replaced the frozen ground

As rain replaced the falling snow
The fear in my heart did but grow
Was I yet far enough from home
Were these lands safe for me to roam?

So I went from shore to sea
Upon a raft I built from trees
The seagulls squawked and screeched loud
As I rowed then yet further south

As summer then came upon me
Of fear was my heart finally free
And as the air around me felt warm
I looked for new lands I could farm

But no longer could I row south
The spirits' warning clear and loud
As further south I was not meant
to go, instead I westwards went

In sweltering heat I fell asleep
Above the waves so very deep
A dream the spirits did me give
Of islands where I'd happily live

I rowed and rowed then to the west
Found but small islands I could rest
on for a day and roast my catch
but nothing that my dreams did match

Eventually I found a shore
That was a sight for my eyes sore
A huge island in ocean wide
A green jewel in the sunlight

For the spirits had guided me
Across frozen lands and wavy sea
For the spirits had told me to flee
From danger into safety.

The spirits warned me.
I listened/I obeyed/I was rewarded.
May the spirits guide me forevermore.

[nekot]

"It wasn't fair"

There's sleeping Njerpez, it wasn't fair
I'll cut his throat, life won't be spare

I was slow, silent, it wasn't fair
deep snow made sound, was not aware

"Red shirt" jumped quick, it wasn't fair
Wielding his weapon, shouted some swear

My spear was wooden, it wasn't fair
He had scimitar, I couldn't compare

Surprise was gone, it wasn't fair
He was a warrior, I wet underwear

One slice through throat, it wasn't fair
I feel so lucky, it was just nightmare

[DfDevadander]

Just a quick note which hopefully doesn't get things sidetracked;
I absolutely love this thread.  It's so great this was started, and that people joined in.

Oh I would love to have some of these verses to be composed into proper songs. Any composers/musicians/singers around who'd need a new project...

Sami, I am actually wanting to put a tune to Njerpez Fallen and make a recording of me singing it along with playing the tune on my mandolin, if Silenia wouldn't be opposed to me doing that with their work! Not for profit or anything like that, of course, but simply as a fun little project 

[Silenia]

Just a quick note which hopefully doesn't get things sidetracked;
I absolutely love this thread.  It's so great this was started, and that people joined in.

Oh I would love to have some of these verses to be composed into proper songs. Any composers/musicians/singers around who'd need a new project...

Sami, I am actually wanting to put a tune to Njerpez Fallen and make a recording of me singing it along with playing the tune on my mandolin, if Silenia wouldn't be opposed to me doing that with their work! Not for profit or anything like that, of course, but simply as a fun little project 

No opposition from me as long as you put a quick note along the lines of "Lyrics by Silenia at UnReal World forums" or "Adapted a poem by Silenia at UnReal World forums" somewhere. If you need to make some small changes to improve the flow, that's quite fine too.