Canticle for a Last Stand
XLV
The prince of the kingdom of the Persians resisted me:
And behold Michael of the chief princes came to help me,
And I remained there by the king of the Persians.
Storms were upon east winds, and we marched with habitual caution
Finding conducive to holding our captive division of duty;
Mountains unveiled breathed cedary forests with towers uncommon,
Black-barked sentinels crowded by passerines — audible beauty —
Silverine streams by their ankles, the peace of a gilded allotment
Callously kissed with a bite of a cold wind downwardly rolling,
Wherewith we carefully carried our man to forbid his abscondment
Wearied him, harried him, punished him; little exchange for our tolling,
Though it is true, wrath knows it cannot overcome limitations
Set by the wroth, and we tired of this, but determined no other:
Whence could we bring him? for fortune he lacked and by varied locations
Zealots pursued us in number and force, as to bring us to suffer,
Showing perhaps to their name by their zeal, forasmuch we escorted
Even so followed his friends, and the sting of our sweat from the weather,
Humid and draining by heat, had us question to tactics resorted
Garnering freedom, might he be left dead? maybe; however,
Shedding the blood of a man in the portrait of heaven
Only to salvage ourselves from potential avenging is craven,
Wherefore we better a chance to engage eight, possibly seven,
Whether we live or we die, we are guiltless, the Lord is our haven,
Not death! Saleh was bowed but remorseless, and spoke to us plainly,
Fortune shall run dry, traitors, for each man: God for my judgment,
Death is upon thee; Baruch said Nay, thou speakest but vainly,
Then spoke I, Be done soon, and I struck in begrudgement
Knowing him right, and the knobbles of conifer-flecked, unexplored hills
Hid us and them from the other, but leading the two had advantage,
That we could ambush our tail, so inspecting the forest the Lord wills
That we have found, opportunity seemed to abound, if we manage,
Cautiously, hiding behind one hill to deny their advancement,
One at a time and retreat to another, but lower in risking
Might be to set out Saleh, a means to our ambush’ enhancement,
Might his discovery show us to nowhere be surveyed, but missing,
Trying themselves to recuperate, plan and vigilance nurture
Seeking a respite in further pursuit; so a survey committed,
Found an encirclement ringing a grove and a ruggedness further
Which would permit us to hide and emerge to attack unrestricted;
Saleh was thrown to the ground and declined on the turbulent down-slope
Falling a good ten yards, and he stayed there feeble and groaning,
Then we retreated, and soon from our vantage they met our profound hope
Numbering eight in all, finding him, then their environment combing
Seeking us after confirming his safety with weapons uplifted:
This was our strategem, opposite-facing from hills we were nestled,
Thus as a straggl’r appeared he was thoroughly beaten and sifted,
Further provoking a search, but we, armed, could continue to wrestle
Cutting apart each man, this deed sufficiently fleeting,
Brutal and hidden to earn us the blood of their company middle,
Four were remaining including the champion (never retreating),
Simon as well with his master, hidden in equal a riddle,
Jair disappeared in the trees and the foliage, densely surrounding,
Masked us from sight and they equally, till it was clearly a stale-mate,
That we could better withdraw to a better position in grounding
Higher and far, and we listened intently, a path as our fail-safe
Narrowly bending about, and no steps could be heard, so departing
Both of us crept on the path, and we crashed into two unexpected,
Equally taken aback, so Baruch struck first, and his smarting
Quickly dispatched one; then I was struck on the leg but corrected,
Feigning a fall to attract a pursuit, so Baruch could deliver,
Once he was open, a punishing blow, and the two were defeated,
Bleeding in grave spurts, then we approached to deny them their quiver
Kicking it far, and we knew from our count we had far from completed:
Jair was about and we likely could not stand long to his stature,
Simon and Saleh would come if alerted as last reinforcements,
Therefore we grouped to prepare and determined to fall on them faster
Might be mistaken: we wanted a safer and cleaner performance
Thus we retreated to where I had seen, with my predative-sharer,
Saleh and Simon, and there we advanced in a protocol gainful
Finding the movements on gravel and grass as an obvious error
Letting us track both hidden, we knew his condition was painful,
Saleh required assistance to move, and the ground was its proving,
Wherefore we steadily crouched and I watched for a motion to kill me
Either my flanks, so Baruch at my right had our vanguard in moving
Toward the Zealots in pair: the terrain was no longer as hilly
Laying a risk on us stalking, if chance for us came to be vengeful,
Caution indeed was required, and caution is best to be wasted —
See, for it might be or not unexpected, but not uneventful —
Now was an hour of judgment, and judgment is bitterly tasted;
Watched we for movement and found we in moments a gasp and a silence
Round to our left, so we perched on our ledges and held in a tension
Though no disturbance of gravel or foliage came to our science:
Suddenly something erupted unknown, broke wry apprehension,
Something alive: it was like to a man, but a surlier creature,
Hulking and fast, with a night-dark mane on its neck and a wiry,
High-on-the-head mop, snarling with bestial leonid features
Baring its fangs, with a frightful complexion, its visage was fi’ry
Brimming with furious focus, and leaping as though unaccustomed,
Yea, it was lurching about, and it reared for my stump with a clawed grip,
Missing me barely: Baruch struck first, and it dashed into mustard
Sprouting a leaf, and it threatened a bite, wide that it could jaw-rip
Opening broad as to swallow a man, and it ducked and evaded
Grabbing Baruch, and he shouted, for claws had his flesh in a searing,
Bellicose boil, but holding his arm, it released and abated,
Clambering back to the wood, and we armed at its petulant leering
Whence it would (suddenly) lunge and withdraw as we stood to it square-fast,
Twice or perhaps thrice, then as it backed up it lustfully howled,
Finding the two men Simon and Saleh who hid in the bare grass
Prone on the gray rock soil: and fear to be thus disemboweled
Cross to their faces observed from our stance at a cubit and twenty
That it was clear it was malice they observed in its countenance open
Therein it gripped fast Saleh, and sounding a guttural, empty,
Wordless decree, it expanded his mouth and no words to him spoken
While it proceeded inside him, no sound and no fluidic torrent,
Only an echoing scream as it lodged into Saleh with black hands
Quickly receding inside, and it ended with naught, and no warrant
Seemed me appropriate now for our fight but to fly to the grasslands
Where we could travel for days, but Baruch had a slight disputation
That we would, easily sighted, be object for stranger’s resentment
Naught for supplies and with little direction or good calculation,
This he continued to offer the same flight, though with amendment
Toward the forest of cedars, and this I obliged as our charter:
Desp’rate escape and a sprint to a cover we heeded no noises
Snapping of twigs and forgetting the Zealots we journeyed the harder
Till we were miles at least from the gurgl’ng and suffering voices
Wedged in the thicket of wood, tight-trunked and foreboding of fateful,
Reticent calls from the plentiful wilds of Babylon’s fringes,
Which, for our safety, had reason to see it and not be ungrateful
Left us with doubts, for in hours of hand-waves scattering midges
While we searched for where we could egress to people or places
Fresh heat-hampered and breathless, but naught had we supplies but weapon,
Holding a spear was Baruch, and I holding a sword, and our faces,
Caked with the grime of our moment, with neither a river to freshen,
Spring to imbibe or an orchard to pilfer we solemnly shuffled
Wearied and knowing no rest, and our silence but rarely subsided
Only with questions with none to respond but be stiffened and buffled
Hour for hour, and soon we had found fell cedars all blighted
Tempoing well for a seat, and I laid on the trunk monumental
Closing my eye with my hand on my chest, and Baruch, who was stronger,
Cushioned himself on the ground with the trunk as support incidental;
There we were silently breathing and wordless and fleeing no longer,
Thirsty for certain, and drowsy, and majorly appetite-whetted,
Felt for a moment despair, but Baruch, saw quick to convince me
Pressing on now would reward us, and turning him noon-silhouetted
Rose us from lethargy, two of us gripping our wanderings wincing
Toward a noon that found us complacent and near-catatonic
When we observed twin figures afar, and at distance to hear me,
Shouting Go back! as I thought them pursuers; my voice was in chronic,
Agonized dryness, but loud for their ears, and how wonderf’ly eerie —
Clearer their figures, their faces, us! these were our own silhouettes there,
Mirror-myself and Baruch had a mirror-himself as a pairing
Motionless, waiting aloft, and I recognized each with our sweat-hair,
Mine had no arm as I also, but each had a costume they’re wearing:
Gossamer-gold and distressed white tunics, appearing a vision:
Both of us rose and approached, as if these could be maybe befriended,
Though they advanced to us sternly, with faces denied to decision
Giving us cause to be still, as if somehow we these had offended
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