Now a misty figure stealthily approaches
To be joined by another swirl of mist and led indoors.
Can this be Gorlois, stolen away from battle
To visit his wife Ygraine before returning to the moors?
Beyond the keep, mad Merlin watches from his lair
And a cunning satisfaction now lights the wraith's vacant eyes.
The next step of his scheme must indeed be foolproof
For in this next evil step the mighty warrior Gorlois dies.
The rest will be easy; Pendragon is a fool
And a dupe. And why should it matter what happens to Ygraine?
She has spurned him; she'd be getting what she deserves.
He despises her; why should he care if her tears fall like the rain?
Indoors, the two share love, happy till the early morn,
Unaware that Merlin's scheming means that Gorlois has to die –
Unaware that of their love a child will be born
And the story of his parentage will forever be a lie.
Did the shock of his betrayal hold Gorlois there,
Fighting bravely on and on and on, through all the days of time –
Stealing in at night, unseen, to visit Ygraine?
And was she, too, held fast here when her body had left this clime?
Will mad Merlin hold them forever locked in time?
Must they live through their love, their grief, their loss, their pain?
Will he keep them his prisoners forevermore
To relive it all, over and over and over again?
And what has happened to the child born of their love?
The child Merlin took from Ygraine, the child who fought Merlin's evil will?
Is he, too, a misty figure
To be seen on moonlit nights in a shadowy Camelot?
I marvelled at the beauty of the night;
The world seemed awash in silver-blue.
How could anything be more beautiful?
I wished my days were like this, too!
Following the course of a rushing stream,
The moon shone on a path which led
To a high, steep hill with a waterfall
Tumbling into the stream's rocky bed.
Nearby there lay a patch of green meadow
Like an emerald in the moonlight
And, just beyond, in the edge of the woods,
I though I saw a flash of white.
Was someone lurking there, and if so, why?
Perhaps they had not seen me here.
I stepped behind the frothy waterfall
To hide myself away in fear.
Peering through the lacy moonlit curtain,
I saw them come out, one by one,
To the small patch of grassy meadowland
For a night of frolic and fun.
I'd never seen such beauty nor such grace –
Heads high, a flash of gold above.
I stood transfixed with wonder and with awe,
My heart bursting with joy and love.
Such lovely games they played -- and how they danced!
So stunning, in that blue moon's glow!
I longed to watch them on and on and on
But I knew that I soon must go.
Sadly I stole from out my hiding place,
Hoping not to frighten them away.
I circled widely, keeping out of sight
And it was almost break of day.
But I had found something more beautiful
Than the blue moon's magic light,
For I had seen six baby unicorns
And watched them dancing through the night!
Hand in hand we walked the silver seashore
I, barefoot, swinging sandals from my hand,
Splashing through the silver pools of water
The tide had left upon the silver sand.
You, in uniform, wishing that you, too,
Could bare your feet and wade along the shore . . . .
A golden memory of a silver world –
A silver world that came to us no more.