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Barbarian Sorcerer: Swords of Doom
- Barbarian Sorcerer: Swords of Doom -
In the days after Atlantis sank by mighty force,
And the giants of old fell below the vast sea…
The kingdoms of man feuded in savage wars,
As the light of the past dimmed from memory!
Risen hither came I, in my armor of black iron,
To plunder the realms: for steel and for jewels.
By cunning and craft, I toppled many a crown,
And those who worshipped me oft were cruel.
A barbarian sorcerer was I, and kings feared,
The Queen I served, from a world now dust…
Queen of Dragons, the Serpent flame-seared,
Who filled me with mad piety, desire and lust!
Her banners waved, where her children rode,
And enmity was between us, and all the stars.
My feet set heavily on the lands as we strode,
For revenge against those who dealt us scars!
‘Ere the sun set upon that wild age now gone…
We reached the icy north and found a secret!
For within the earth, are places old as dawn…
With older gods that wait: until they do see fit.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“In a savage time, we seek swords, swords that gleam!
Kings of iron, from the south: riding, under the moon.
In a savage hour, we seek out souls of fire and steam!
We ride from the ancient places, in the name of doom.
Far from the heights, far from the depths down below,
We ride for Hyperborea, seeking steel at world’s end…
Beyond the winds of the north, beyond sand and snow!
Farewell salvation, for we will be amongst the damned.
Beyond the north wind they rode, and vanished at last,
They rode seeking swords, seeking the steel enchanted.
Far from the depths, far from the heights they passed…
They rode from the south, to the caverns of the undead.
For us there is no spring, only the autumn wind’s kiss,
The scent of it delightful before the storm’s mad bliss!
Up is down, when there is no way to go but blindly on!
Pleasure is pain, when to obtain it a battle must be won.”
In a vale, of bleached skulls, vultures so came…
To feast upon the mighty who did fall in battle.
Those skulls could not speak of the vile shame,
That gripped them full before Death’s fell rattle.
I walked there alone to contemplate the gloom,
And saw the truth of all man’s inner emptiness.
I raised my fist high, beneath a pale silver moon!
I did so before the dead, who were in witness…
And I so embraced the emptiness within myself.
To overcome fear by walking on through it, full,
Is to find a treasure that surpasses all wealth…
For it means you have changed your inner soul.
I felt all the coils of the Serpent Mother tighten…
About my body, as I so let my sword thus drop!
I needed not steel to this base world brighten…
My will alone could not by any man be stopped.
The hand that held of the steel was the victor…
And the steel had so lost, for I was far sharper.
Tasting of this old wisdom, I thirsted for more,
So I left that vale, and I did travel much farther.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“Swords of savage iron, the kings of iron went to claim!
Giants in the earth they fought with might and sorcery.
Into the earth beyond the north, their power did wane…
Against the forces of the ancient ones’ old sovereignty!
No war would cost them dear, no mortal power stand…
The hoofs of their steeds beat into the soil at their pace.
And so they journeyed long, in that most ancient land…
Hyperborea, beyond the north wind, decadent and base!
And there they bowed all their proud heads before me…
For I am doom, and no prideful man knows my visage.
They claimed to serve doom, and yet they failed to see,
That the steel I held came not, from any human village
For me there is no rest, only the most brief of reveries,
Wherein my dreams rise taller than the high pine trees!
Slavery to one’s ideals is freedom, for it is by a choice!
Madness is sanity when it enlightens so that we rejoice.”
Shall I tell: of the tall ziggurats of the deserts…
And how beneath the sun their steps rose high?
In the east they rose, where power perverts.
The kings who ruled there, no man could deny.
Mountains made by man, in the earliest days…
Those temples, that are now broken asunder.
It is pride that upon all such works oft preys!
The gods grow jealous, and will hurl thunder.
Is it right to fear the messenger for the patron?
And yet, men feared me for the one I served.
They knew not the glory of that great matron…
And before her might they became unnerved.
The sacrifices of kings, ended ancient empires,
As they did bend their necks: upon crude stone.
In my name, many were cast into sacred fires…
On the tops of the ziggurats, the pyres shone!
The scales of the Serpent Mother coiled tightly,
Wherever the sins of man grew beyond reach.
Her eyes see all from the dark, shining brightly…
And no heart is too secreted for her to breach.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“Before the spirits of the dead, as well they bent knees!
And in my name they laid low those enemies of an era,
Who challenged doom and sought, my sword to seize…
And so the kings of iron knew hot battle, and mad terror.
Rivers of blood flowed before us, for a forgotten cause,
And they who were about to die saluted us with honors!
I became their divinity, and taught secrets without pause,
Whispering in mortal ears both of wonders and horrors.
My mother, the goddess, they served before gold altars,
Placing their steel in the flames of her everlasting forge.
I ruled them with wisdom, and as my arm never falters,
I ruled them with ice and flame wherein dragons gorge.
For you there are but questions, as my mind is a cipher,
A riddle no word can penetrate, a locked golden coffer!
Right is wrong, unless your mind is open to experience!
Goodness is evil, when in its’ name you cease to dance.”
But all was not for battle nor blood, nor fame.
I sought for wisdom and for love, amidst it all…
And the things I found left me never the same.
The passions that moved me made angels fall!
I am a Child of Dragons and I cannot be else.
Though time has caused mankind, to be less…
I remember what was, and I know it not false.
For time robs us all even when it would bless!
The old magic is there but it is like a thin light…
Shining in the darkness, begging to be beheld.
I have seen even in the midst of a heavy night,
Things more spectacular that can only be felt!
Oh man, if only you knew what history is lost,
By the fall of great libraries built to house lore.
To know the truth now, you must pay the cost!
For the guardians awaken, their tests in store.
I walked in their halls, I learned their old way,
And I emerged changed, to work their magic.
Would you walk with me, where spirits play?
Be not afraid, child, for my truth is not tragic!
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“They sacrificed to me for a thousand years, and gladly,
At the oracles where my voice spoke through dreams…
Laying grapes upon my shrines, and dancing so madly.
They found paradise in Hell, and their ecstatic screams!
Light in darkness, beauty in the light of the eternal pyre,
Immortality in doom, and life beyond the passing flesh!
My mother, the goddess, quenched all our mad desire…
But like the grape, the blood of our foes flowed as fresh.
Too deep did the iron kings ride: suffering in my name.
Beyond the north wind, down in the paradise beneath…
So now they are no more, and they have no more blame!
Only doom is left, to lay on their graves a holly wreath.
For them an age had passed, as they rode away in vain,
Until the sun had set on them, with no treasure to gain!
Humility is pride, when you seek some prized reward!
Peace is just strife, unless it is stronger than the sword.”
Such words I spoke to they who did descend,
From the farthest winds to emerald banners…
As we gathered in spires beyond mortal ken!
We crushed the deceivers in the high manors.
For truth cannot be constrained, by any will,
And all who came to know the Queen’s face…
Were as the land freed of the last winter chill.
The maids who danced for me had her grace,
And, I who bled for them gave them new life.
I laid aside the steel, the jewels I gave to she,
Whose power made me great, beyond strife!
And I became the Dragon’s Heir of prophecy.
My sword lay upon my lap, and at my side…
The Dragon Queen reigned again, for an age.
Now none can say where we once did abide,
And man’s ignorance fills me often with rage.
Were we good or evil, who can today recall?
Myth and legend obscure our very natures…
And who now can see beyond that high wall!
I pass on the old tales from across far waters.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
In the days after Atlantis sank by mighty force,
And the giants of old fell below the vast sea…
The kingdoms of man feuded in savage wars,
As the light of the past dimmed from memory!
Risen hither came I, in my armor of black iron,
To plunder the realms: for steel and for jewels.
By cunning and craft, I toppled many a crown,
And those who worshipped me oft were cruel.
A barbarian sorcerer was I, and kings feared,
The Queen I served, from a world now dust…
Queen of Dragons, the Serpent flame-seared,
Who filled me with mad piety, desire and lust!
Her banners waved, where her children rode,
And enmity was between us, and all the stars.
My feet set heavily on the lands as we strode,
For revenge against those who dealt us scars!
‘Ere the sun set upon that wild age now gone…
We reached the icy north and found a secret!
For within the earth, are places old as dawn…
With older gods that wait: until they do see fit.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“In a savage time, we seek swords, swords that gleam!
Kings of iron, from the south: riding, under the moon.
In a savage hour, we seek out souls of fire and steam!
We ride from the ancient places, in the name of doom.
Far from the heights, far from the depths down below,
We ride for Hyperborea, seeking steel at world’s end…
Beyond the winds of the north, beyond sand and snow!
Farewell salvation, for we will be amongst the damned.
Beyond the north wind they rode, and vanished at last,
They rode seeking swords, seeking the steel enchanted.
Far from the depths, far from the heights they passed…
They rode from the south, to the caverns of the undead.
For us there is no spring, only the autumn wind’s kiss,
The scent of it delightful before the storm’s mad bliss!
Up is down, when there is no way to go but blindly on!
Pleasure is pain, when to obtain it a battle must be won.”
In a vale, of bleached skulls, vultures so came…
To feast upon the mighty who did fall in battle.
Those skulls could not speak of the vile shame,
That gripped them full before Death’s fell rattle.
I walked there alone to contemplate the gloom,
And saw the truth of all man’s inner emptiness.
I raised my fist high, beneath a pale silver moon!
I did so before the dead, who were in witness…
And I so embraced the emptiness within myself.
To overcome fear by walking on through it, full,
Is to find a treasure that surpasses all wealth…
For it means you have changed your inner soul.
I felt all the coils of the Serpent Mother tighten…
About my body, as I so let my sword thus drop!
I needed not steel to this base world brighten…
My will alone could not by any man be stopped.
The hand that held of the steel was the victor…
And the steel had so lost, for I was far sharper.
Tasting of this old wisdom, I thirsted for more,
So I left that vale, and I did travel much farther.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“Swords of savage iron, the kings of iron went to claim!
Giants in the earth they fought with might and sorcery.
Into the earth beyond the north, their power did wane…
Against the forces of the ancient ones’ old sovereignty!
No war would cost them dear, no mortal power stand…
The hoofs of their steeds beat into the soil at their pace.
And so they journeyed long, in that most ancient land…
Hyperborea, beyond the north wind, decadent and base!
And there they bowed all their proud heads before me…
For I am doom, and no prideful man knows my visage.
They claimed to serve doom, and yet they failed to see,
That the steel I held came not, from any human village
For me there is no rest, only the most brief of reveries,
Wherein my dreams rise taller than the high pine trees!
Slavery to one’s ideals is freedom, for it is by a choice!
Madness is sanity when it enlightens so that we rejoice.”
Shall I tell: of the tall ziggurats of the deserts…
And how beneath the sun their steps rose high?
In the east they rose, where power perverts.
The kings who ruled there, no man could deny.
Mountains made by man, in the earliest days…
Those temples, that are now broken asunder.
It is pride that upon all such works oft preys!
The gods grow jealous, and will hurl thunder.
Is it right to fear the messenger for the patron?
And yet, men feared me for the one I served.
They knew not the glory of that great matron…
And before her might they became unnerved.
The sacrifices of kings, ended ancient empires,
As they did bend their necks: upon crude stone.
In my name, many were cast into sacred fires…
On the tops of the ziggurats, the pyres shone!
The scales of the Serpent Mother coiled tightly,
Wherever the sins of man grew beyond reach.
Her eyes see all from the dark, shining brightly…
And no heart is too secreted for her to breach.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“Before the spirits of the dead, as well they bent knees!
And in my name they laid low those enemies of an era,
Who challenged doom and sought, my sword to seize…
And so the kings of iron knew hot battle, and mad terror.
Rivers of blood flowed before us, for a forgotten cause,
And they who were about to die saluted us with honors!
I became their divinity, and taught secrets without pause,
Whispering in mortal ears both of wonders and horrors.
My mother, the goddess, they served before gold altars,
Placing their steel in the flames of her everlasting forge.
I ruled them with wisdom, and as my arm never falters,
I ruled them with ice and flame wherein dragons gorge.
For you there are but questions, as my mind is a cipher,
A riddle no word can penetrate, a locked golden coffer!
Right is wrong, unless your mind is open to experience!
Goodness is evil, when in its’ name you cease to dance.”
But all was not for battle nor blood, nor fame.
I sought for wisdom and for love, amidst it all…
And the things I found left me never the same.
The passions that moved me made angels fall!
I am a Child of Dragons and I cannot be else.
Though time has caused mankind, to be less…
I remember what was, and I know it not false.
For time robs us all even when it would bless!
The old magic is there but it is like a thin light…
Shining in the darkness, begging to be beheld.
I have seen even in the midst of a heavy night,
Things more spectacular that can only be felt!
Oh man, if only you knew what history is lost,
By the fall of great libraries built to house lore.
To know the truth now, you must pay the cost!
For the guardians awaken, their tests in store.
I walked in their halls, I learned their old way,
And I emerged changed, to work their magic.
Would you walk with me, where spirits play?
Be not afraid, child, for my truth is not tragic!
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
“They sacrificed to me for a thousand years, and gladly,
At the oracles where my voice spoke through dreams…
Laying grapes upon my shrines, and dancing so madly.
They found paradise in Hell, and their ecstatic screams!
Light in darkness, beauty in the light of the eternal pyre,
Immortality in doom, and life beyond the passing flesh!
My mother, the goddess, quenched all our mad desire…
But like the grape, the blood of our foes flowed as fresh.
Too deep did the iron kings ride: suffering in my name.
Beyond the north wind, down in the paradise beneath…
So now they are no more, and they have no more blame!
Only doom is left, to lay on their graves a holly wreath.
For them an age had passed, as they rode away in vain,
Until the sun had set on them, with no treasure to gain!
Humility is pride, when you seek some prized reward!
Peace is just strife, unless it is stronger than the sword.”
Such words I spoke to they who did descend,
From the farthest winds to emerald banners…
As we gathered in spires beyond mortal ken!
We crushed the deceivers in the high manors.
For truth cannot be constrained, by any will,
And all who came to know the Queen’s face…
Were as the land freed of the last winter chill.
The maids who danced for me had her grace,
And, I who bled for them gave them new life.
I laid aside the steel, the jewels I gave to she,
Whose power made me great, beyond strife!
And I became the Dragon’s Heir of prophecy.
My sword lay upon my lap, and at my side…
The Dragon Queen reigned again, for an age.
Now none can say where we once did abide,
And man’s ignorance fills me often with rage.
Were we good or evil, who can today recall?
Myth and legend obscure our very natures…
And who now can see beyond that high wall!
I pass on the old tales from across far waters.
I was a barbarian sorcerer, as well as a sorceress!
For those who looked upon me, saw I was androgynous.
The powers I served were terrible, but beautiful as well…
And those who served me served them, even unto Hell!
Published 24th Aug 2012
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25th Aug 2012 2:49am
I am so glad you loved it, Grace! In far too many sword and sorcery tales, the hero is always the conquering barbarian with the sword who battles the "evil" sorcerer. But I thought it would be far more interesting to tell such a tale from the sorcerer's perspective for a change and cast such a character in the role of the hero or anti-hero.
I basically combined some of my more ancient past-life memories, added some epic mythical touches here and there, and combined fact with fiction to create my own sword and sorcery tale with myself cast in the role of the "evil" yet tragically heroic sorcerer / sorceress. The resulting poem was a rather unique mix that I am happy to see did rather well. :D
I basically combined some of my more ancient past-life memories, added some epic mythical touches here and there, and combined fact with fiction to create my own sword and sorcery tale with myself cast in the role of the "evil" yet tragically heroic sorcerer / sorceress. The resulting poem was a rather unique mix that I am happy to see did rather well. :D
27th Aug 2012 3:24pm
