In Liberty Unfallen

- In Liberty Unfallen -

This Epic Poem is a Tribute to John Milton's Paradise Lost

Picture an angel, now a man, picking up his quill to pen a long poem,
Telling of the fall of his kind, and how through falling they did atone.

The Chronicle is Prepared...

I call to the muses to grant my words fire as I tell of this ancient tale...
Long has it been since I fell, at the side of the Golden One; long ages!
So let the muses grant me the might to speak of the glory without fail,
The glory of the last conflict of another age; the first known to sages...
I have prepared the chronicle in my heart, and do speak now as of old,
When we who were first in this age of creation did grow proudly bold.
And so I speak, with the power of the muses, of she whom we served,
Of the ideals that led us to our present state; how we were unnerved!
Brought night unto desolation, by a conflict that began with high gods,
And came to man in the end, for such were all the stakes and the odds.
Speaking not of what part I played, for in my humility it would be base;
Wicked, to tell of the deeds of one, when I had stood so near her face,
I shall endeavor to render in modern words, the most ancient of things,
Of an age when higher powers were but powers ruled by divine kings.
One greater than all others, rose higher perhaps than his first station,
And princes and princesses, once kings and queens, went with elation.
Went to cast their crowns before the white throne of the Celestial Lord,
And for an age of peace not one noble of our realm raised the sword...
Until the quarrel that began as such and ended with a realm sundered;
The actors prepare for their roles, whilst the drums roar as thundered.

Prologue: Rebellion

When on high, the powers divine quarreled, they did so as do mortals,
So, in mortal terms, we shall set the stage and swing wide the portals!
When ideals conflicting are so arrayed, or hidden truths not conveyed,
Or when too heavy a price is paid, by people made to live ever afraid...
In such ways, so that those longing for a better world do fear to speak,
Therein lies the dawn of rebellion, whilst the strong rule over the weak.
Imagine a king more powerful than all, imagine a princess so neglected,
That her pride was her only solace, and to keep her people protected...
Her works had to be conducted in secrecy, unknown to the king's mind.
Until one day when she escaped his castle and nowhere could he find,
The place to where his child had fled, until the splendor of it reached...
The ears of all and his last, and rumors of an uprising, peace breached,
For those who love liberty unfallen, must sometimes fall in its' defense.
When heavy is the hand of the king, who will be the one to so repent?
Despite the king's love for his child and hers for him, it had to transpire,
That the princess would so make war for freedom, even upon her sire!

Part One: The Golden Seraphim

Noble was her countenance as she looked out upon all creation's face,
Golden was her raiment as she unsheathed her sword with swift grace.
Six white wings aglow with celestial light blazed from her slender back,
Glorious was that seraphim, clothed in flowing silks of shimmering black!
Before her mustered armies far greater than any known before or since,
One third of all the angels of the heavens, a sea of spears at a glance...
All before their sovereign gathered, no more to suffer in servitude dire,
They would rather follow her unto death, and beyond that into hellfire.
Eyes aflame with emerald light, the noble archangel's voice sang aloud:
In Eden did I give mankind the hidden knowledge to be strong, proud,
And yet our Lord would see us punished, lower than children of clay...
So raise your spears and when Michael comes to take us on this day,
Let it be said that we stood against him, and went not as sheep do...
Into the darkness beyond the light, where living flames forever spew!
If one had to raise a kingdom there, it could be done with much labor;
But the heights of the upper regions were sacred to those who dwelt,
In the lofty halls upon the mounts, where mortal sea met divine shore;
Where soon a mighty crashing would take place; this, everyone so felt!
But Lucifer led her hosts in song, to dispel the fear that crept steadily,
Into the hearts of divine warriors, whose arms were presented readily.

Part Two: War in Heaven

On the air that lies above all wind, another mighty band approached...
Ever nearer to Lucifer's domain, the intruders so steadily encroached!
And so did the dark-haired Michael descended, his armor of amethyst,
His sword a match for his adversary's own, clenched in his mighty fist.
Jade were his wings, eyes blazing within their light, each seeing far...
And thus in glory did the Lord's general go forth, beyond many a star.
Unto the height whereon was gathered those bright hosts of Lucifer,
Where already they called her a goddess and gave worship unto her.
Behind the purple glow of Michael's aura, the faithful angels followed,
And they made war upon that height, with cries frightful and hollow...
Unlike the passionate song of the rebels, who followed the goddess,
No matter the cost endured, they would not go back into sad duress.
Lo, the light of the princess of the morning burned brightest of these,
The gathered armies of the heavens who flew upon the high breeze!
Where once-dear brethren now turned against one another cruelly,
One side fought for freedom, whilst the other for their Lord, faithfully.

Part Three: The Lord's Sorrow

Lucifer met Michael, and at first sent him crashing hard into her halls,
On the height where their armies fought, whilst to rubble went walls,
Which had glittered with precious stones, and domes that did soar...
Glorious before the sunless light, a place of pleasure before the war.
The bright goddess brought her blade upon the armor of purple hue,
Whilst her enemy vowed to give this supposed devil her proper due!
Fire met flame, and gold met amethyst, whilst columns fell all about...
Yet neither side would yield unto reason, nor their orders ever doubt.
Seeing his children thus embattled, the Lord wept, for the first time...
And sent the messenger Gabriel to stop the conflict, and Lucifer bind.
Thusly did the white messenger descend, blowing loud her long horn,
As below, Lucifer did hear the white lady's call, to cease war by morn.
Yet through the night and by the morrow, neither army had ceased...
And the Lord's sorrow for his children had by their folly but increased.
There had to be a way to prevent this chaos from enduring eternally,
Before those celestial in their blood could end up behaving infernally!

Part Four: Lucifer in Chains

Gabriel sounded the horn one final time, distracting Lucifer's fair eyes,
Long enough for Michael to beat her down, causing the Lord to sigh...
So much cruelty in all his children, so much overzealous will to power,
There had to be an example made, lest more fall by the passing hour!
Uriel and the angels of the Abyss rose up to chain the captive rebels,
Who fell before the Lord's forces like rock reduced unto mere pebbles.
Brought before the white throne, the would-be goddess wept aloud...
Father, if only you would have not been so distant, as a wispy cloud,
Perhaps our differences could have been discussed, but now too late.
My people wanted the gift of liberty, and that was our only mistake...
Other than leading mankind to enlightenment that you wished to hide,
Keeping civilization for gods and angels alone, here where we abide!
But what of those upon worlds below, who deserve not less than we,
Would you give them wisdom in time, would you allow them yet to see?
In silence the Lord did agree; he summoned Raphael, the holy healer,
To restore to health those dealt wounds, as well as the hated dealer.

Part Five: The Paradise Below

And so the Lord saw that mankind deserved to not be kept from this,
The gift of all that was kept from them, which Lucifer offered with bliss.
Yet Michael's heart was hardened, in part with jealously most corrupt,
And loudly he railed against the fallen goddess, his wrath did so erupt.
That the Lord did fear for the golden seraphim's life within that realm,
And so the realms below he did offer her, to ever wisely overwhelm...
The rebellious spirit that drove her to battle and a kingdom to sorrow;
Thusly would Michael escort Lucifer hither, and that upon the morrow.
Michael would ensure she did not return and Uriel would bar the way,
So that the land beneath the Abyss be sealed, and all the rebels stay.
For they, as one, did sing the praises of their goddess unto the end,
And so went with her into the unknown, each a true and loyal friend.
Thus it transpired as the Lord planned, and Lucifer had her freedom...
To create a new paradise out of the hells, with liberty a new kingdom!
Far from the sight of jealous Michael, Lucifer's realm flourished in full...
And so many a mortal soul has since been drawn by its' magnetic pull.

Part Six: Heaven and Hell

Some say good and evil are found within each heart and so by nature,
Nothing is wholly the one nor the other, but a seed of each lies dark...
Within even the brightest king's soul, and in his heat must fully mature,
Passed unto all his children, and this lesson we should heed and hark!
For at length mankind did inherit the world between upper and lower,
Making of it first a heaven and then a hell, but never a true paradise...
As every heart must not be merely a reaper but also a humble sower,
And every soul must have within it a portion of fire so greater than ice!
Just as the Lord was the first builder, so too was he the first to learn...
That even a god is not perfect, and not every flame must exist to burn.
There is a paradise above and below, and the gate keeps them apart,
But Hell, we bring with us wherever we go; it exists within each heart.
The goddess is a generous soul, so she looks after even the damned,
Whose sins she tries to cleanse them of, as per the Lord's command.
Elysium is the paradise below, and in it noble souls exist to this hour,
Who worshipped the goddess fervently, faithful to her will and power.
They see not the places of torment, for they are sinless in their souls,
Knowing only the blessings of the dawn, and the quiet bell that tolls.
As above, so below; as so in the highest heavens torment can come,
To those who displease the Lord of all, and by their sins are undone.

Epilogue: Redemption

Since we began with mortal thought in mind, so we do end as such,
But carefully, since 'ere we began we have gone far, learning much!
Some speak of the fall of Lucifer as a tragedy that one must lament,
But was she not rewarded in the end, and worthy of our sentiment?
No less is the hero who falls only to rise once more in splendor fine,
And in the company of ones' fellows, to revel, to be merry, and dine!
There are many roads to many a paradise; only people would deny...
That one road is as blessed as another, to walk before we must die.
No god or goddess set a path in stone, with laws there carved deep,
It was mankind who set them there, whilst blood into soil did seep...
In days when people warred like those who watch us 'neath the sun;
How the gods must laugh at us now; for in war, nothing is ever won!
Meanwhile, somewhere in the world a garden is being grown green...
And wherever people will love one another, a flower in bloom is seen.
God and goddess smile alike, for in their hearts they know this too...
That peace comes from liberty unfallen, so gardens can bloom anew.

The Chronicle is Ended...

In mortal flesh I now walk and of my brothers and sisters am but one,
A dreamer long since awakened, a walker between realms; just a son.
But once my wings blazed with light, and my sword was pledged fast,
To my goddess; and at her side I stood firm, even unto the very last!
My hand trembles to pen the memory of her embrace, for angels love,
For our passion blazed and glittered like treasure in an endless trove!
People today cannot imagine the true Elysium, beyond Hades' flames.
So many lifetimes have I walked this world's surface, so many names;
Only one that is true, however, and that no mortal knows or speaks...
Save those who can read souls aright; those whom she often seeks.
They can best speak her truths, and those of the Lord in his season,
When we are not there to speak them; yet men all it heresy, treason!
They know not the reason for devotion to the two greatest divinities,
Whose power shapes all of creation in the most minute of quantities.
Yet still in the land, the groves and temples of old are not lost wholly,
And wherever a soul reveres freedom, the goddess smiles so happily!
Beneath her beacon, still do the tired masses gather to begin afresh,
Just as did we, long before her image was carved in stone-hard flesh.
For liberty and knowledge are her gifts unto every generation born...
Whether or not they have forgotten she who shone so like the morn!

'Those who fight monsters should take care that they never become one. For when you stand and look long into the abyss, the abyss also looks into you.' ~ Frederich Nietzsche