Hey everyone. I wrote this poem for my symphonic band piece of the same name. So if you want to read this and then listen to the piece for the “fuller” effect, I’d highly recommend it. But I think it works just as well on its own. Who knows, you tell me!
I’m gonna format it a little differently so that it doesn’t take up a bunch of space, but just so there isn’t any confusion, you should know that each stanza is and originally was four lines, so I’ll try and represent the breaks when they’re there. So, Without any further ado, here ya go!
“Arise O Mountain from Thy rest / Amidst this cruel and raging tempest. / Never cease, O living stone, / To reach the gold that dons our globe!” //
Long ago my people trembled / ‘Fore Thy feet and holy might. / Thou didst ward off ev’ry evil; / Rend us of our mortal blight! // “Lord of Earth” we called Thy spire— / Rarely did our praise abate—And / Yet we knew not how Thou tired / Saving us from this world’s fate. // Thou didst shake us when Thou’dst parted, / Leaving but a scarr’ed cliff. / Yet Thou spake to us, unguarded, / As thou sank in the abyss. //
“There are no words which I shall gesture / If thou think’st thyself the fool. But / Listen close to this, thy measure; / Listen: see my words fulfilled. // “Many years have I protected / Thee with both my law and land. / Yet my strength’s become subjected; / Ground in Time and turned to sand. // “Leave must I to break this bind, / And—though this stupor’s etch’ed in— / Know it is for thee, this time; / This act of metamorphosis. // “Yet in this time, thou must prepare, / For jealous men shall soon draw nigh, / And make thee into pure night stare; / Face once again thy mortal blight. // “Though all seems lost, and naught but faded, / Know that thou shalt pass this test! For / In defeat, thou’lt find salvation / In a call for final rest!” //
… Left were we before the dawn, as / Wells of gold bled through its rays. / How for Thy rough shade we longed; / Our Mountain which had left the day! // Raiders seized us soon thereafter— / Lusting for Thy powers, gone— / Choked us both of land and laughter; / Greed, it came—the jealous won! //
… / … / … / … //
… Time was present, and then past. / Indentured to our captors, we / Within Thy words screwed hope so fast, / Till Thou becam’st but memory. // Then, within The War’s eruption, / Born and forced to fight was I, and / All of this, (Thy grand instruction), / Learned we as our Captain died. //
“For fear of death, we did not speak; / Mere conscripts for our enemy. / But in this War, so dies the meek; / To never once behold Thee, cease. // “Though we are defeated—lowly— / Act as heroes for our race; / Go and find our Mountain holy; / … our final resting place.” //
So became we resolute / Upon the night we buried him. And / To his words we followed suit; / Deserters for our folk and kin. // … In that time, to stave dejection, / Made was I our people’s head. / Pris’ners did we free and beckon; / Grew we more, and more I led. // Wan’dring in bedraggled features / To this cliff have I now come. / Remnants of this War, in rapture, / Look to Thee; Thy words be done! //
Deep in oceans Thou hast slumbered— / Time in constant, rolling waves— / Waiting for Thy call, encumbered / ‘Neath the earth, Thy temp’ry grave. // ‘Liven Thee shall I in wonder, / Calling out upon this cliff, /
“It is time to take Time over; / Overtake this precipice! // Show Thy face once more, O Saviour / Nevermore let us be strangers! / Come and know Thy faith, O Summit, / Know Thou art our life, our solace! // Gather up the earth’s remains / And break the waves; Thy course restraints. / Pierce the clouds and all their reigning; / Towards the heavens always gaining! // Arise O Mountain from Thy rest / Amidst this cruel and raging tempest. / Never cease, O living stone / To reach the gold that dons our globe!”