(прием работ) Сказания о героях Рохана!

[Crimzon]

A Bedside Tale

***
Lend me your ear, dear son,
And hear a tale of old,
When kings and princes - now long gone -
Did feasts of might untold

Of kings and princes, dear lad,
One great by name and crown
Was Theoden of Riddermark, -
A lord of great renown

And though his arm’s a’crushing blow
Few foes had ever braved
A snake that in his Hall lay low
Got Theoden enslaved

Through treachery.

O, hear me now
What grief to him it brought!
His son was slain, his kingdom – burnt
In fires the goblins wrought

But as the dawn will follow night
And shall be seen the sun,
The madness that had held him tight
By Gandalf was undone

***
And then, one lonely night and dark
When distant stars just gleam,
The mighty King had left his home,
Unguarded and unseen.

To Isengard he set his path
To challenge Saruman,
Whose evil deeds and devilry
He’d sworn to see undone

“Come forth, you foul son of wyrm!
Respond for all you’ve done!
For blood, for pain, for crops that burn,
For murder of my son!”

“Begone!” – a voice cold and shrill
Responded from within
Once mighty spire of Numenor –
Now evil and unclean.

“I shall be gone, thou craven rat
But heed my final word:
Before it’s over I’ll be come
And shall retrieve this sword!”

And saying so he raised the blade
That Kings of Rohan own
And with a stroke of fiery wrath
He thrust it into stone…

and left.

The sword though still remained -
A fear to marble bound
And neither orc, nor mage, nor troll
Could claim it from the ground…

***
But hey, you’re dozing, my sweet boy!
No good to end the tale…
Well done to me, then! I deserved
A pint – or two – of ale!