From: erosdeburgo@aol.com (Eros DeBurgo)
Date: 09 Dec 1999 02:49:41 EST
~~
A soft air fans the cloud apart*
The small feline skitters down from the crow's nest.
<Land, My Lord>
The Druid nods, his eyes now a gentle blue from the fires of Tribulation.
"So mote it be."
...
He steps back onto the land of Rhydin, beginning his ancient chant.
~~I singularly moved~~
~~To the lovely that are not beloved,~~
~~Of all the Seasons, most~~
~~Love Winter, and to trace~~
~~The sense of the Trophonian pallor on her face~~
~~It is not death, but plenitude of peace;~~
~~And the dim cloud that does the world enfold~~
~~Hath less the characters of dark and cold~~
~~Than warmth and light asleep~~
~~And correspondent breathing seems to keep~~
~~With the infant harvest, breathing soft below~~
~~Its eider coverlet of snow~~
~~Nor is in field or garden anything~~
~~But, duly look'd into, contains serene~~
~~The substance of things hoped for, in the Spring~~
~~And evidence of Summer not yet seen~~
~~On every chance-mild day~~
~~That visits the moist shaw~~
~~The honeysuckle, 'sdaining to be crost~~
~~In urgence of sweet life by sleet or frost~~
~~'Voids the time's law~~
~~With still increase~~
~~Of leaflet new, and little, wandering spray;~~
~~Often, in sheltering brakes~~
~~As one from rest disturb'd in the first hour,~~
~~Primrose or violet bewilder'd wakes,~~
~~And deems 'tis time to flower;~~
~~Though not a whisper of her voice he hear,~~
~~The buried bulb does know~~
~~The signals of the year,~~
~~And hails far Summer with his lifted spear.~~
~~The gorse-field dark, by sudden, gold caprice,~~
~~Turns, here and there, into Jason's fleece;~~
~~Lilies, that soon in Autumn slipp'd their gowns of green,~~
~~And vanish'd into earth~~
~~And came again, ere Autumn died, to birth,~~
~~Stand full-array'd, amidst the wavering shower,~~
~~And perfect fir the Summer, less the flower;~~
~~In nook of pale, or crevice of crude bark,~~
~~Thou canst not miss~~
~~If close thou spy, to mark~~
~~The ghostly chrysalis~~
~~That, if thou touch it, stirs in the dream dark;~~
~~And the flush'd robin, in the evening's hoar.~~
~~Does of Love's Day, as if he saw it, sing;~~
~~But sweeter yet than dream of song of Summer or Spring~~
~~Are Winter's sometimes smiles, that seem to well~~
~~From infancy ineffable;~~
~~Her wandering, languorous gaze,~~
~~So unfamiliar, so without amaze,~~
~~On the elemental, chill adversity,~~
~~The uncomprehended rudeness; and her sigh~~
~~And solemn, gathering tear~~
~~And look of exile from some great repose, the sphere~~
~~Of ether, moved by ether only, or~~
~~By something still more tranquil.~~
(("The Unknown Eros", Coventry Patmore, 1877))
((*"Tithonus",Tennyson))
~~DeBurgo~~
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From: marzan@aol.com (Marzan)
Date: 14 Dec 1999 19:27:45 EST
~~
I held your Crystal
And saw your face
Deep in the Night in the Depths of the Pit
The Morning's Light
Reached it's facets
A ray golden bright, then with Rainbow colors
Looking into your portal
In anticipation of when at last we meet
When all energies meet in a dance of Harmony
Each doorway that leads within your Crystal's Mystery
It shall be Complete.
As you look into My Crystal
At last the peaceful Nights you hope for in Dreams
Supporting arms and sunset and sunrise again
The Mystery is in the Light it seems.
That always surrounds you
The tender passion that flows with violent Peace
Converging and swirling together Perfectly
Like a Raging Storm Loud and Strong
And a quenching soft fountain head of life giving water...
You look into my eyes
A moment
Your burdens and sorrows melt away gently
Like Spring Snow
Gentle and Right as it should be
When at last we meet
When I find the right doorway
Within the Mystery of your Crystal.
::finishes the song and walks up the Beach, and into the Forest......
(("for d" P Burke 99))
::
Date: 14 Dec 1999 19:27:45 EST
~~
I held your Crystal
And saw your face
Deep in the Night in the Depths of the Pit
The Morning's Light
Reached it's facets
A ray golden bright, then with Rainbow colors
Looking into your portal
In anticipation of when at last we meet
When all energies meet in a dance of Harmony
Each doorway that leads within your Crystal's Mystery
It shall be Complete.
As you look into My Crystal
At last the peaceful Nights you hope for in Dreams
Supporting arms and sunset and sunrise again
The Mystery is in the Light it seems.
That always surrounds you
The tender passion that flows with violent Peace
Converging and swirling together Perfectly
Like a Raging Storm Loud and Strong
And a quenching soft fountain head of life giving water...
You look into my eyes
A moment
Your burdens and sorrows melt away gently
Like Spring Snow
Gentle and Right as it should be
When at last we meet
When I find the right doorway
Within the Mystery of your Crystal.
::finishes the song and walks up the Beach, and into the Forest......
(("for d" P Burke 99))
::
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From: anubikar@aol.com (AnubiKar)
Date: 15 Dec 1999 12:21:14 EST
I enjoy poetry, normally. The Sons of the Nile
produced many a great poet. But I would say it best for lamenting harsh realities, for painting a mental picture of the dark realms that lay beyond the grave, for paying proper respects to a pharoah or to the gods. But this sappy..this "Light"...truly a waste of a murdered tree's remains.
Only thing worse would be a DoS debate about honor.
Anubis Karos
"To kill one man makes you a murderer, to kill many makes you a conqueror."
Date: 15 Dec 1999 12:21:14 EST
I enjoy poetry, normally. The Sons of the Nile
produced many a great poet. But I would say it best for lamenting harsh realities, for painting a mental picture of the dark realms that lay beyond the grave, for paying proper respects to a pharoah or to the gods. But this sappy..this "Light"...truly a waste of a murdered tree's remains.
Only thing worse would be a DoS debate about honor.
Anubis Karos
"To kill one man makes you a murderer, to kill many makes you a conqueror."
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From: marzan@aol.com (Marzan)
Date: 17 Dec 1999 01:25:30 EST
::chuckles softly as Lord Anubis passes him in the forest::
"Smart arse.."
Date: 17 Dec 1999 01:25:30 EST
::chuckles softly as Lord Anubis passes him in the forest::
"Smart arse.."
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From: marzan@aol.com (Marzan)
Date: 03 Jan 2000 11:09:06 EST
~~
After awhile at steady gallop, he calmed. He stopped along the way and closed his eyes, praying with his crystal.
Turning, he returned to the garrison and gathered riders. A bit later, 200 strong thay approached the gates of Eldicor.
The guards were tense, but recognized the First Knight from old. At the Queen's bidding, he entered the gardens.
The Knights of Eldicor had returned. The Druid.... tired, weary and strengthless... returned to the old familiar trees.... after the ceremonies, he disapeared into the Forest to heal.....
Date: 03 Jan 2000 11:09:06 EST
~~
After awhile at steady gallop, he calmed. He stopped along the way and closed his eyes, praying with his crystal.
Turning, he returned to the garrison and gathered riders. A bit later, 200 strong thay approached the gates of Eldicor.
The guards were tense, but recognized the First Knight from old. At the Queen's bidding, he entered the gardens.
The Knights of Eldicor had returned. The Druid.... tired, weary and strengthless... returned to the old familiar trees.... after the ceremonies, he disapeared into the Forest to heal.....
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From: marzan@aol.com (Marzan)
Date: 03 Jan 2000 11:59:43 EST
~~
He found the old clearing deep in the gardens of Eldicor. Kneeling before his altar, he closed his eyes and let it out.....
He had been wandering for decades in search of home. Nothing bad could happen here. The elves had always been his friends. They were special and magical. Someday he would heal. In the meantime, there was much to do. But for now, he just enjoyed the gentle magic.
Date: 03 Jan 2000 11:59:43 EST
~~
He found the old clearing deep in the gardens of Eldicor. Kneeling before his altar, he closed his eyes and let it out.....
He had been wandering for decades in search of home. Nothing bad could happen here. The elves had always been his friends. They were special and magical. Someday he would heal. In the meantime, there was much to do. But for now, he just enjoyed the gentle magic.
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From: te1eperien@aol.com (Te1eperien)
Date: 04 Jan 2000 01:17:36 EST
She wasn't sure she should invite the druid to retake his place as First Knight. She had abolished the office.. but he wanted it.
Why?
Perhaps to have one remaining shred of dignity. Or to have one thing that gave him strength. So she did invite him in..
She allowed him to escape into the trees..to allow the magic of the land heal him
Teleperien
Queen of Eldicor
Date: 04 Jan 2000 01:17:36 EST
She wasn't sure she should invite the druid to retake his place as First Knight. She had abolished the office.. but he wanted it.
Why?
Perhaps to have one remaining shred of dignity. Or to have one thing that gave him strength. So she did invite him in..
She allowed him to escape into the trees..to allow the magic of the land heal him
Teleperien
Queen of Eldicor
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From: marzan@aol.com (Marzan)
Date: 06 Jan 2000 09:13:30 EST
The sun rose brilliantly over the gardens of Eldicor. The Druid slowly turned toward the light and cracked a small smile.
The last few days had been tumultuous. Cold realities and puzzle fitting revelations had temporarily left him reeling. A full day and night had passed beneath the altar, praying with tears. When those subsided, there was the emptiness.... But his time of great chastisement and exile had taught him how to handle the hollow feeling inside. By remembering.... Corny albeit, but wasn't he always a bit corny? Crowns and titles, possession by Greek
Gods, none of these could really change who he was. A simple Druid. That simplicity dictated that he forgive and bless; to not hurt others to justify himself and his actions. He had always remained silent when attacked. It was about self confidence. He did not need to step on other's reputations to make himself more flattering. His father had taught him that was not how a man acted.
He leaned upon his trusty old staff and allowed himself to think back.....his first, awkward days in Rhydin. He had been looking for an audience to listen to his poetry. Stumbling into the Red Dragon Inne, he immediately noticed their poetic style and dress. (In those days the population was much smaller.) The patrons seemed to like his poetry, and in a short time he became accustomed to their ways.
He remembered his first Guild; The Gemstone Warriors. A man had come through the Inn recruiting for an all female warrior's guild. They had let him join, in spite of being a man, because he had been chaste at the time. In this guiild, he met Galadrial, his first wife. Later, they would build a home in The OutBack when he discovered dueling.
He remembered the Champions of Right, The Great Lord Erik and his Lady Duibheasa. The Defenders of Balance, his dear friends Lord GreyStorm and Thaelo.
He remembered finding the duels. He had always been intrigued by Knights... their tales of Virtue and heroic feats. He had used his magical locator to look for the mythic Knight, "Percival." He had found him upon the Twilight Isle. After watching he and the likes of Connor and Daegarth, he had begun his dueling carreer. The crowns hadn't been his greatest memories by far. There were so many people that had touched his life over the
years. He remembered the happiness in the eyes of brides and grooms as he wed them, the look of new mother as he laid her child upon her breast....
He remembered the Knights of Eldicor, now faded into the distant past... the twelve of them had been so serious about Honor and Virtue, all under the banner of Queen Teleperion. That had been a very special time.
Over the years, his memories of the Lady Topaz had all grown pleasant. She had always been a True Lady, and he knew she would always remain that way. There had been so much music and dancing with her. This had really appealed to him, being a man of music and song. She had a grasp of Romance as well. Not the pulpy kind, but the real kind. He chuckled as he thought of when he would tell Topaz a joke, and she would just stare at him.
He remembered Gnimish and his tale of Alfred the Chicken. He remembered Tex teaching him the Duel of Fists, culminating in his first dueling Crown.
He remembered The Druid Walker, whose Honor and Loyalty never wavered. There were so many others who had been special to him as well.... drinking wine with the Elven Ranger, Shadowsiv, his second when he fought Dalamar, Anthonny, Cas, Guill... and hundreds who had left the realm or lost contact...
He remembered the endless Summer nights of story telling around the fire on the Twilight Isle.
He remembered Mystik. She was so simple and sweet when he had met her. In the beginning, she would even laugh at his jokes! Their wedding day. designing and decorating their home.....stumbling into Poetry Readings together..... every curve and inch of her...... intimately explored and discovered over and over and over....
He remembered his little daughter, Andromeda.... her first spell.... she had made a rainbow for Momma.... her preoccupation with ice cream... Holding his son high.... rocking him upon his chest.... seeing, if not holding his Lady for the last time....
The way the Isle used to be... Singing, the way dueling felt for the first few years. The pride of watching various friends over time achieve their goals.....
There were as many happy memories as there were grains of sand on the Twilight Beach. He knew that they would be enough to carry him through to his next path, whatever it might be.
Rising from the altar, he felt a wave of gratitude toward Teleperion and Phillip. This was a place of healing, and none could pass through Eldicor without feeling the wonder and magic of it's positive energies.
Smiling, he surveyed the monument he had built earlier in the day. The mithril Sword, Valinor, lay buried point first within a black marble base. The Sword that had won the Crown had been a gift from the Queen long ago. The inscription below honored the Queen of Eldicor, the land itself, and the Knights who once stood in her service.... Grinning, he hoped Teleperien and Phillip would be pleased.
Once beyond the borders of Eldicor, he would find a place of Holy Ground. Here he would reverently bury Mystik's ancestral robes, the bracelets and the ring that had stubbornly stayed upon his finger for so long. The robes she would be able to retrieve should she ever choose. In that Holy Place, he would build another small monument, and with great Honor enshrine the BloodSword, MystikKnights. The plaque would honor a lady who had been
very special to him.
Of course it all hurt terribly, but if he didn't face the pain and his own faults, he would not really be living, and would never grow. So he chose to ride through the broken heart alone and see what was on the other side. There was always the temptation to bury it all inside and find someone else quickly, using them as a crutch to survive until they outlived their usefulness. He knew he could not do this to himself or another. There was
nothing wrong with being alone. There was much to be learned.
He had no idea what the future would hold. All he knew was that each day is a blessing that offered opportunities for growth or failure. There was beauty and happiness to be found in the simplest of things. Beauty was all around him. He just needed to remember to look for it.
~~
Date: 06 Jan 2000 09:13:30 EST
The sun rose brilliantly over the gardens of Eldicor. The Druid slowly turned toward the light and cracked a small smile.
The last few days had been tumultuous. Cold realities and puzzle fitting revelations had temporarily left him reeling. A full day and night had passed beneath the altar, praying with tears. When those subsided, there was the emptiness.... But his time of great chastisement and exile had taught him how to handle the hollow feeling inside. By remembering.... Corny albeit, but wasn't he always a bit corny? Crowns and titles, possession by Greek
Gods, none of these could really change who he was. A simple Druid. That simplicity dictated that he forgive and bless; to not hurt others to justify himself and his actions. He had always remained silent when attacked. It was about self confidence. He did not need to step on other's reputations to make himself more flattering. His father had taught him that was not how a man acted.
He leaned upon his trusty old staff and allowed himself to think back.....his first, awkward days in Rhydin. He had been looking for an audience to listen to his poetry. Stumbling into the Red Dragon Inne, he immediately noticed their poetic style and dress. (In those days the population was much smaller.) The patrons seemed to like his poetry, and in a short time he became accustomed to their ways.
He remembered his first Guild; The Gemstone Warriors. A man had come through the Inn recruiting for an all female warrior's guild. They had let him join, in spite of being a man, because he had been chaste at the time. In this guiild, he met Galadrial, his first wife. Later, they would build a home in The OutBack when he discovered dueling.
He remembered the Champions of Right, The Great Lord Erik and his Lady Duibheasa. The Defenders of Balance, his dear friends Lord GreyStorm and Thaelo.
He remembered finding the duels. He had always been intrigued by Knights... their tales of Virtue and heroic feats. He had used his magical locator to look for the mythic Knight, "Percival." He had found him upon the Twilight Isle. After watching he and the likes of Connor and Daegarth, he had begun his dueling carreer. The crowns hadn't been his greatest memories by far. There were so many people that had touched his life over the
years. He remembered the happiness in the eyes of brides and grooms as he wed them, the look of new mother as he laid her child upon her breast....
He remembered the Knights of Eldicor, now faded into the distant past... the twelve of them had been so serious about Honor and Virtue, all under the banner of Queen Teleperion. That had been a very special time.
Over the years, his memories of the Lady Topaz had all grown pleasant. She had always been a True Lady, and he knew she would always remain that way. There had been so much music and dancing with her. This had really appealed to him, being a man of music and song. She had a grasp of Romance as well. Not the pulpy kind, but the real kind. He chuckled as he thought of when he would tell Topaz a joke, and she would just stare at him.
He remembered Gnimish and his tale of Alfred the Chicken. He remembered Tex teaching him the Duel of Fists, culminating in his first dueling Crown.
He remembered The Druid Walker, whose Honor and Loyalty never wavered. There were so many others who had been special to him as well.... drinking wine with the Elven Ranger, Shadowsiv, his second when he fought Dalamar, Anthonny, Cas, Guill... and hundreds who had left the realm or lost contact...
He remembered the endless Summer nights of story telling around the fire on the Twilight Isle.
He remembered Mystik. She was so simple and sweet when he had met her. In the beginning, she would even laugh at his jokes! Their wedding day. designing and decorating their home.....stumbling into Poetry Readings together..... every curve and inch of her...... intimately explored and discovered over and over and over....
He remembered his little daughter, Andromeda.... her first spell.... she had made a rainbow for Momma.... her preoccupation with ice cream... Holding his son high.... rocking him upon his chest.... seeing, if not holding his Lady for the last time....
The way the Isle used to be... Singing, the way dueling felt for the first few years. The pride of watching various friends over time achieve their goals.....
There were as many happy memories as there were grains of sand on the Twilight Beach. He knew that they would be enough to carry him through to his next path, whatever it might be.
Rising from the altar, he felt a wave of gratitude toward Teleperion and Phillip. This was a place of healing, and none could pass through Eldicor without feeling the wonder and magic of it's positive energies.
Smiling, he surveyed the monument he had built earlier in the day. The mithril Sword, Valinor, lay buried point first within a black marble base. The Sword that had won the Crown had been a gift from the Queen long ago. The inscription below honored the Queen of Eldicor, the land itself, and the Knights who once stood in her service.... Grinning, he hoped Teleperien and Phillip would be pleased.
Once beyond the borders of Eldicor, he would find a place of Holy Ground. Here he would reverently bury Mystik's ancestral robes, the bracelets and the ring that had stubbornly stayed upon his finger for so long. The robes she would be able to retrieve should she ever choose. In that Holy Place, he would build another small monument, and with great Honor enshrine the BloodSword, MystikKnights. The plaque would honor a lady who had been
very special to him.
Of course it all hurt terribly, but if he didn't face the pain and his own faults, he would not really be living, and would never grow. So he chose to ride through the broken heart alone and see what was on the other side. There was always the temptation to bury it all inside and find someone else quickly, using them as a crutch to survive until they outlived their usefulness. He knew he could not do this to himself or another. There was
nothing wrong with being alone. There was much to be learned.
He had no idea what the future would hold. All he knew was that each day is a blessing that offered opportunities for growth or failure. There was beauty and happiness to be found in the simplest of things. Beauty was all around him. He just needed to remember to look for it.
~~