This hour I tell to thee the tale of Astrophel and Dysis,
Now King and Queen of our fair land; once lost in vague abyss
Till our Creator knit their forms in warmest womb and breathed
Into them life, whilst the yonder earth then in great sorrow seethed,
For wicked men did roam her fields, with naught in mind but gain.
So our dear earth hid the secret, by shrouding all in rain,
That the two destined to commence wrong’s great fall and reign of right,
Two new souls made for higher things, were to be born that night.
In the stone castle on the hill, the hill of wind blown grass,
Was born the shining Astrophel with sweet cries, but oh alas
His once fair, vibrant mother heard not his resounding pleas
She had found her way out of this world, leaving a decree
That the child was to be cared for by her faithful servant, Laithe.
But cruelly, there within her heart was lodged a barb of hate
For beautiful was Astrophel, as had been his mother
And on this fresh night of his birth Laithe said, "He’ll see no other!"
Knowing well that her young charge would ever love the darkness,
For ‘twas at night first he felt love in mother’s last cold kiss.
Laithe was jealous, only she would own center of his dreams.
His attentions, would he to no other give. Though extreme,
Her plan began and Astrophel was introduced to Day.
Soon he never slept while sun was up, nor woke in sun’s away.
He knew not of the color black and gloried in sunshine.
His warm bright days flowed merrily along in such a line,
Until his warm skin gleamed golden, his soft hair was pure as light,
His dark eyes flickered with hot fire. He grew in strength and height.
Before long Astrophel turned rich and robust as an ox.
From his hunting all the day he became like a quick, lithe fox.
He owned a lance and bore it well. Vain Laithe, of him, was proud
And content as long as no one spoke of things ‘not allowed.’
So dear Astrophel continued in his vivid, brazen way,
Never knowing the sting of fear in the sun’s lambent rays.
But now there was another born on that one rainy night.
We travel now to the bleak place where for life a small girl fights.
A blackened cave, haunted by a lone maiden dead to view,
Sightless, white, searching marble eyes pierce the dread dark anew.
By fictive accusations, torn from her love and left to death,
Now screaming to the silence, sighs with pain filled, heavy breaths
As into the world another she brings, stained with disgrace.
Her tender tears caress the babe. She strokes its tiny face.
Unseeing eyes turn their pale orbs towards ones of brightest blue.
With cracked bleeding lips she whispered, "Dysis I shall call you."
So thus began the dismal life of one thou might call accursed.
In eternal darkness there, witha stream to quench their thirst
And florescent mushrooms casting glows only Dysis saw,
Lived the blind maid and her daughter, a life worn ragged and raw.
The sun’s gentle fingers never reached eyes blind or sighted,
Nor was ever moon and heavens glimpsed, and so benighted
Was poor Dysis in mind and soul, though her blue eyes grew large and
Lovely, how graceful was her step and steady was her hand
With which she her mother guided to safe paths through the grey,
Who in turn told lavish stories of the world beyond; of day
And of the light and sun that she had seen when she was young.
She taught her small child ancient songs to sing and them they sung.
So Dysis grew in such this way; having only weakest light
From mushrooms, wond’ring of this ‘Sun’, and letting dreams take flight.
Of late had Astrophel been known to wander out too far
This was troubling Laithe, therefore she commanded, "When the great star
Touches yon horizon, thou must return or meet my wrath!"
Astrophel heeded Laithe in form, but inwardly he laughed,
"What strange foe does roam the earth that even I might not subdue?"
For he was master of the spear. Beasts feared him, it was true,
And there without concern he felt the thought fall from his mind.
Next day in the morning frost, he left the castle, unconfined
While hidden in the frozen earth, Dysis awoke in woe.
How long she had lain shivering in fear, she did not know--
But keenly was aware that the black prevailed; she could not see.
The mushrooms gone, as was their glow. She thought, "Where can it be?
The light whereby my eyes knew things before hands felt the way?
The Dark has hurt mother and my lights and taken them away!"
Disease had snuffed her mushrooms, but this she was naïve of.
Thus, Dysis began searching for the ones she dearly loved.
[to be continued]
