It
seemed like a straightforward thing.
Four
towers and walls with a keep built inside.
So
he thought that he’d give it a fling.
The
place he selected was level.
He
cleared out the woods all around.
He
quarried the stone just two miles away
Then
hired a crew to break ground.
They
dug out a shallow foundation.
They
laid out the stones in the trench.
The
Britons were sure to be proud of this place.
The
King watched the work from his bench.
The
walls had reached just about ten feet
When
the earth shook and trembled below.
The
workers went running and dodging the stones
That
tumbled and bounced to and fro.
The
King was discouraged, but stubborn.
He
called to his workers, who quailed,
“Start
over again, use more mortar this time.
Surely,
this time, we won’t fail.”
So
they built the walls thicker and stronger
And
they had them about twelve feet high
When
the earth shook again, knocking over the men
And
the walls fell before the Kings eye.
The
King said, “We’ll start her again boys!”
The
crew said, “We’ll not touch a stone
Till
you’ve called on your druids to find out what’s wrong
And
a way to correct it they’ve shown”
So
he called on his wizards and druids,
And
they read every omen they could.
They
read entrails and stars and the flight of the birds.
They
consulted the bees and the woods.
“The
gods want a sacrifice proper,
Laid
under the stones that you lay.
A
boy, six years old, with a father unknown.
You
must mingle his blood with that clay!”
So
the King sent a search for the child
And
they brought one back really quite quick.
Dark
hair and dark eyes with a faraway look,
But
the boy put up quite a kick.
“What’s
your name?”, the King asked the child.
“It’s
Merlin, but what’s that to you?
My
death will not help your castle stand strong,
If
you spare me, I’ll give you the clue.”
“If
you can make quit of my problems,
I
gladly will spare you your life.
I
need this place built ‘fore the summertime comes
And
the Saxons arrive with their strife!”
“Dig
down,” said the boy to the monarch.
“Right
there where your keep’s to be built.
Dig
deep and dig wide and a cavern you’ll find,
Right
under a layer of silt.”
So
they dug, and they found there a cavern
And
two dragons sprang up in the air;
A
Red and a White and they battled and fought
As
they leapt from their prisonous lair.
“The
Red one fights strong for the Britons”,
The
boy, Merlin, said to the King.
“The
White one contends for the Saxons cruel horde
And
the blood and the burning they bring.”
“Build
your castle, and build your defenses.
Call
your allies from all over Wales.
The
Cymru must fight with all strength they can find,
Or
be nothing but old poets' tales.”
Merlin
went on to raise Arthur.
The
war lasted two hundred years.
The
Red Dragon still flies from the Welsh flag today
And
helps them to banish their fears.
=============================================================
This poem is in the collection Poetry's Purpose
Available for Kindle download at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YX2VZ78
Available in Printed version at http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/uicearbhaill
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