The following passage is from a set of ancient scrolls written by Ironstar, an aged centaur who lived during the 100 year winter and through the entire Golden Age of Narnia. As a prophet and poet, he was to Narnia what the prophet Jeremiah was to Israel. This particular work was written in the year of the Hunting of the White Stag, sometime after the disappearance of the Royal Four.
Bereft and kingless is our land,
Bare and dust-covered are the thrones of yore.
Not slain with the sword are they who ruled with justice and might.
Not felled by sickness or vile spell are they who ruled in wisdom and vigor.
They are lost to our time, whose hour was the Golden Age of Narnia.
They have passed beyond mountain and waste into the West.
The face of the Lion is hidden from us.
The trees are bowed down with weeping.
Our enemies mock and howl at us,
From mountain and from desert they say,
"Look, Narnia is undone! So is it with all who look across the sea for their aid!"
Our hearts are besieged with doubt.
Our hope withers in the winds of returning winter.
From the marshes, a voice cries, saying,
"Ho, all good times must meet their end."
May the heads be crushed that now rise in pride,
May the hands be broken which now clutch for foul dominion at the scepter.
May the eyes of the downcast be raised up,
And the hearts which are broken be bound up,
As the healing of a wound.
Behold! One hundred and fifty-five winters have these eyes seen,
And one hundred years of winter besides;
And I know that he who is Lord of the Spring will not let Winter go undying.
May the blessing of Aslan be with all those who wait patiently for his aid,
And to those who have come, and returned from whence they have come,
I, with lifted hand shall say,
"May the Lion's Peace be forever upon you."
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That's some vivid poetry there, Cleander. I like how it's written. Very deep and melancholic. After the Pevensies left Narnia it did certainly fall into dark times, and you can sort of feel those times are coming from this poem. I do like the glimmer of hope in it. Great job writing
always be humble and kind
Thank you so much! I enjoyed writing it. I'd been meaning to write some kind of Narnian free-verse poetry for a while after I saw some of what had been written here on this art forum, but inspiration didn't come for several months. Glad you enjoyed it!
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Did I mention I have a YouTube Channel?: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCeuUaOTFts5BQV3c-CPlo_g
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Very impressive! It's quite like some of Tolkien too.
I like the way it incorporates different parts of Narnia.
There, shining in the sunrise, larger than they had seen him before, shaking his mane (for it had apparently grown again) stood Aslan himself.
"...when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor's stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards."