Last week I shared some poems I’m working on about the life of Merlin along with a little explanation of the project as a whole. If you haven’t read that article already, you might want to start there. You can find it by clicking HERE.
After Merlin retreated to the forest to escape the trauma he experienced during a horrific battle, his skills as a bard began to develop. Alone in the woods he loved to call home, Merlin spent much of his time prayerfully composing sacred music. The spiritual power of music is a repeated theme in The Life of Merlin.
The first three songs Merlin sings are cries of lament, conveying the relationship between hardship and wisdom, which is essential to Merlin’s character. Merlin is losing touch with reality, yet gaining a deeper understanding of it at the same time. His descent into madness and his prophetic gifts go hand in hand.
Songs of Madness
As summer season came and went,
the food all disappeared.
His forest home, once bountiful,
now barren, cold, and drear.
And so, Merlin poured out a song,
just like he’d done before.
His wild voice, both sad and strong,
cried in lament once more:
“Son of God in heaven above,
I lift my voice to you.
I beg you, grant me wisdom for
I know not what to do!
Where shall I go? How can I live
with nothing left to eat?
No springs to quench my thirst remain.
The frost has claimed my feet.
This forest was in harmony,
her creatures loved to play,
until cold winter’s fury came
and led them all astray.
Now when I try to dig up roots
and turnips from the ground,
the wild boars like bandits come
to steal what I have found.”
In this, Merlin perceived the Fates,
three sisters who spin threads.
His mind was opened to their ways
and this is what he said:
“Fighting for me, then against me,
they give and take away.
Illuminate my inner eyes
but then lead me astray.
For I have seen with outward eyes
an orchard in this wood.
To my surprise it’s disappeared,
no longer where it stood.
Four times three and seven trees,
apples who fed me well,
once clothed my body with their leaves
and hid me from the spells
of summer’s sunbeams hot and bright,
as in their shade I’d dwell.
Where they have gone, I cannot say,
no stumps left in the ground.
What strange power stole them away
without making a sound?”
Next Merlin turned the song towards
his dying friend the wolf,
from whom he learned to live outdoors
as one with Mother Earth:
“My silent mentor, how I weep
to see your wretched state,
who once ran proudly through the glen
as master of your fate.
I followed you down every path
and mimicked all your ways,
on hidden trails to holy groves
where we would stop and pray.
You called the forest home before
this madman came around.
Your soul will join its ancient song
as you rot in the ground.
For old age is upon you now,
your strength and vigor gone.
Limp in the snow, you whine and howl.
The end will not be long.
Just like in battle, death is found
out here amidst my trees.
I thought I had escaped the sound
of dreadful, dying pleas.”
If you enjoyed this poem, keep your eye out for the last one next week. I still have a long ways to go before the story is finished. How much time I focus on it moving forward will likely depend on how well these poems are received. So, if you want to hear the rest of Merlin’s story after this series, please be sure to let me know! If you would like to contribute financially to my ongoing work, click HERE for our donation page.