The Tragedy of Brandur and Perlise

In honor of valentines day I finished my epic poem about the tragic love of Brandur and Perlise. Side note: Brandur is pronounced BRAN-dir, and Perlise is pronounced Per-LEES. Also, yes this happens about 7 or 8 generations before my main story.

The Tragedy of
Brandur and Perlise


Canto I: The Beginning

When earth was young and heavens bright
Great light and dark strove in fierce might
Men and elves and sorcerers too
Rallied with purpose: darkness to undo
The world divided waged war on itself
And slowly corrupted earth’s glorious wealth
Till finally, with blood, the gateway was sealed
And the land once more began to heal
But darkness and light took different forms
The light as men and the night, wyrms
Fell beast that lurked in places dark
Leaving evil and destruction as their mark
But Carolman, the sorcerer’s home
Rose to fight the wyrms, alone
And soon was thought, with great fame,
They had vanquished all in light’s name
And so they grew and prospered well
And the world loved their tales to tell
But in this time of bliss and art
Arose a tale made by the heart
A tale of tears and greatest grief
When things forgotten came as a thief
A tale of desire and great passion
Love given freely without ration
A tale of evil and dark deeds
Men driven by great evil’s needs
A tale of many adventures grand
Rough sailors sailing to distant lands
A tale of love so true yet sublime
It all began “Once upon a time…


Canto II: Perlise the Perilous

In Carolman lived a sorcerer old
Who had a daughter fierce and bold
She spoke with authority and great power
And even the strong before her did cower
In tower high wrought of white ivory
Surrounded by silks and golden finery
She sat on her couch of vixen firs
Watching the stars whose keep were hers
Her eyes were violet like breaking dawn
Her hair was white, from moonlight drawn
Her teeth were straight, her fingers long
In her shape was found nothing wrong
With beauty she tempered wisdom deep
Reading tomes whilst others did sleep
Her mind was quick, her wit was sharp
Her words as thunder or soft as a harp
And from her forefathers she did receive
A gift that one could scarce believe
Foresight of a peculiar kind
The future wound its way in her mind
And so looking forth she did behold
That from her womb might greatness unfold
But mark she well whom she chose as mate
For they would steer her perilous fate
So men and sorcerers like the rest
All came unto her and were put to the test
But none found favor, heartbroken were all
And still she waited for love to answer her call
Perlise the Fair, whose beautiful eyes
Shamed the bright stars in the skies


Canto III: The Beast in the Shadow

Far across the deep blue sea
Beneath the shade of the evergreen trees
In a forest ancient, evil and dark
Something had left its shadow mark
A wyrm of old, from the wicked days
Who had even turned men unto it ways
They worshiped the beast in its cave
Sacrificing children, the life it craved
And so it grew stronger each dark night
Crafting stranger darkness with its might
It twisted the mind of one man to its will
Its high priest and herald, the victims to kill
And began to form in the wicked man’s mind
A plan and desire to journey and find
A maiden strong that it could transform
A suitable mate so more wyrms could be born
The wicked man left and crossed the sea
A cloud of darkness in the lands of the free
He sought for days and nights and hours
Till came he to Perlise’s tower
And ascending the mighty ivory keep
He found her on her bed asleep
And beholding her knew at once it was she
The one to share his master’s destiny
But she awoke from troubled dreams
And seeing the man gave yells and screams
Her father’s guards were awoken from slumber
And saw the tower alit with thunder
But once, to her chamber they did come
They found Perlise the Perilous was gone


Canto IV: The King’s Commission

Wilts a great feast was held in his halls,
The sorcerer, Perlise’s father, heard her calls
And ere the guards entered the great hall
He fell to the ground, weeping before all
“What ails you so, O son of the light?
What makes your face turn pale with fright?”
But the words had not yet flown from their tongues
Then the guards entered the chamber of great ones
The tale was told, the darkness inferred
All was silent, but the Great King was heard,
“Now from among us, swiftly go, one must
To save the maiden, and bring the beast to dust.”
And many brave men and sorcerers great
Were ready to arms, casting all unto fate
In silence the assembly stood at the table
Till came forth a young man with hair as sable
“This task is small for such great a host
And much power here, rightly we boast.
And verily so the beast shall also know
And so catching her up, away he shall go.”
Then all were amazed at the young duke’s perception
For he had seen through a part of the beast’s deception
And seeing the youth’s mind as sharp as his sword
Stepped forward the King, his ruler and lord,
“Now, young duke, wise words you have spoken,
And truly the beasts’ plan you have broken.
For he does not expect a single man
Would dare to come into his land
Therefore you go forth now and save her,
Your quest before you, young duke Brandur.”


Canto V: The Ballad of Brandur

Brandur followed the trail to the dark cave
And before it he saw the altar to the knave
But no moment for reflection on the ghastly rites
There stirred in the cavern a roar and strange lights
A long serpentine head extended outside
Its eyes were black like some thing long died
He stepped forth, with his brave sword ready
But then spoke the beast in voice low and steady
“Be gone, thou man, thy kind shall fail,
Think not thyself safe, boy, with thy sword and thy mail.”
But Brandur charged with his sword strong and gleaming
The vile fiend’s mouth opened with smoking and steaming
From its jaws came forth a column of fire
But Brandur merely raised his shield up higher.
But before the duke could move to strike true
A clawed hand descended and clove his shield in two
And then the creature with its talons of steel
Grabbed the duke and would have made of him a meal
But as the large toothy mouth stood ready, agape
The duke pulled forth his dagger from beneath his torn cape
And struck true and hard at the mighty beast’s face
And as the blade entered its eye, so died its race
For with the one blow, the villain was undone
And changed into nothing but smoke in the sun
The brave duke staggered forth, his wounds grave
But he had to endure for he had her still to save
He found Perlise bound and set her free
Then she tended his wounds, as slept did he
Then by sea they returned with greatest speed
While born in their hearts was true love’s seed


Canto VI: In the Glade of Selene

When returned Brandur and Perlise
There were many a celebration and feast
And all would hear the daring tale
Of how the light once more prevailed
But in the morning’s early hour
The two met in a secret bower
For in the woods of sweet dreams
They found the hidden Glade of Selene
And there in dawn’s violet light
The world was soft, not dark or bright
As moon, sun, and stars mixed above
The two whispered softly to each other of love
Their eyes met and their hearts beat as one
In time with the sky, and the earth and the sun
And they pledged their love for eternity
Bound their fates with all certainty
Perlise had found the one she had sought
Brandur, a treasure for whom he had fought
He was the night and she was the moon
And daybreak came always too soon
And so they met on in the secret glade
Where laughter and love would never fade
The mornings were short they had together
Yet their memories were locked in their hearts forever
Wed in secret in the mixing of the light
Their love and future then seemed so bright
But this time of bliss was not to last
For one day her servant followed them in the grass
There saw them in the Glade of Selene
And reported to her father what he had seen.


Canto VII: When The Walls Were Raised

The aged father of Perlise the Fair,
An olden sorcerer with greying hair
He called a council of the many wise
To hear what ways they would advise
But ere they spoke of the two lovers
They first brought curses upon others.
They called for their mantles and staves
And spoke their words like roaring waves.
“Men of Tara who hid in the shade
Be thee and thine children now remade
For hiding the wyrm in the green trees
Be forever more bound unto these.
But only to honor the great King
Who sent Brandur to make right everything
In marriage to his sons alone
May thine daughters leave their arboreal home!
But thou, O man who took Perlise
Thou shall find no sweet release
Be thou bound unto they corpse-lord
Till madness take thee forever more.”
Then called they to the ever blue deep
“Rise now a wall, our lands to keep.
Let no more man or beast enter here,
Let all be shut out, never again draw near!”
Then rose up the glorious white wall
Fierce and magical but worst of all
Perlise and Brandur were now separated
For the elders saw together they were ill fated
She was locked in her white tower
While he was cast out in that same hour.


Canto VIII : The Shard of the Shadow

Brandur the Heartbroken dwelt by the wall
And would no more answer the Great King’s call
But Perlise appeared in his troubled sleep
And told him a secret power kept deep
And with this power in his hands
He could gain access to the locked lands.
Brandur sent word to his faithful friend
Einri the Navigator who sailed to worlds end
And soon to the land of Teaul they came
Brandur alone set out with one aim
And in the forest he found the Sedna way
In days when a friendlier people were they
They welcomed him in, and showed him their home
The secret glades where they dwelt alone
For the caribou people were once Elvenkind
Charged and bound to make sure no man would find
The ancient crystal wrought by the old elves
When deep into darkness they had delved
And Brandur knew this was what he did seek
For in the dark crystal remained power weak
But even at the crystal’s faint glow
The mighty walls of Carolman would be brought low
So in night’s shade he broke of a piece
And fled that place as shadow was released
The vines of darkness burned his hands
But he did not stop running till he left the shore’s sands
And as he sailed away on the ship so bright
He felt his mind slip further into the night
For the crystal began burning away at his soul
Only recalling Perlise’s light keeping him whole


Canto IX: The Breaking of the Walls

Then came Brandur wreathed in shade
And the seas before him were even unmade
And he reached out and touched the white wall
And it cracked and then began to fall
The void swallowed all that towards him fell
And soon there rung the warning bell
And all the sorcerers gathered in all their might
To stand against him with all their light
But Brandur covered in the darkened smoke
Tears flowed as in hoarse voice he spoke,
“Where is Perlise? Where is she kept?
For long have I longed for her face as I slept”
And thinking to deter him they all lied
“As soon as you left in great sorrow she died.”
But overcome with grief to the crystal he gave in
His body turned black and took the form of a raven
Then flew he over the gathered mighty host
Who did in their scheming and lying boast
His tears fell like a foul rain of oil
And burned man and beast and plant and soil
His anguish scream of loss on the air
Echoed around, traveled everywhere
Perlise heard it, and thought him in pain
And found a great light did in her remain
She flew from her tower and came to the wall
And there she cried when beheld she all
For Brandur lay there broken on the rubble
She came to him and removed the source of the trouble
And with the crystal pried from his fingers
His soul returned for a few moments to linger


Canto X: The Fall of Brandur

Perlise wept as she cradled his head
For she knew in her heart that soon he’d be dead
The darkness had taken a part of his heart
And torn his soul completely apart
But still she held on with all her might
And shone brighter still with a pure light
The breath remained still in his chest
And he still remained, did not go to rest
For he saw the shard and knew its mind
So when he saw it quiver he pushed her aside
The dark shard found him its target instead
He had saved her once more and he then said,
“Good bye, my love, my light, my wife.
I gladly give, for you, my life.”
Then a roar fell from the skies above
And a creature grabbed Perlise’s love
The corps of the wyrm bound to the madman.
Was drawn by the shard from across the land
But even as he grabbed Brandur’s still form
Perlise’s light burned him and so fell the wyrm
The beast-man perished within the great waves
They beat him against the rocks for days
Brandur and the shard came into the hall,
Of the Seakings so mighty and tall
The shard was thrown back onto the shore
For they knew its evil would make the depths war
But Brandur’s body was kept in the deep
And there for three years he did sleep
While sweet ocean waters washed away the shade
Until he was once again, a man made.


Canto XI: The Fall of Perlise

Perlise the Widow lived for three years
And saw the wall rebuilt amidst more fears
Her twins were born that same fall
And sent to live in their father’s great hall
They had the dark hair of Brandur their father
But white skin and violet eyes of their mother
They grew up there away from her sorrow
For she knew not if she would arise in the morrow
When three years had passed to the very day
She found herself atop the walls some way
And sang her lament for all to hear
Of love, and light, and shadow and fear,
“My water is parched, my food is dust
The sun grows cold, the flowers to rust
Since the day my love was taken from me
By cruel fate and its uncertainty.
In our arrogant pride we had thought
That love could be steered, bribed, or bought
But, lo, the price that foresight does bring
For I have lost him, and so lost everything!
My children shall carry the weight all their lives
And their children too shall have sorrowful eyes
Yes, I have foreseen that this cruel fate
Shall be a shadow of sorrow and hate
Until my Brandur comes back once more
And turns back even fates strong door.”
Then finished was she, she stood on the wall
At the high tower where it was so tall.
And threw herself from the ivory seat
Taken by the sea, her Brandur to meet.


Canto XII: The Reunion

Many years later, the sorcerers wise
Hearing the full tale only then realized
And repented when heard the part they had played
Wishing deeply they had but let Brandur stay
Still knowing the past was gone and done
Instead they gathered everyone
And called unto the Seakings of the deep
In whose halls the two lovers did sleep
The Seakings rose with a great host
For in their lands they loved the two the most
And would not let the Sorcerer’s come
And take the two, or even just one
For the tale of the two was well known
And the seas were called their final home
So then the sorcerers, to honor their love
Wished to do something worthy enough
And so they met with the High Seaking
Who hearing their plan, approved of everything
The sorcerers with their staves shining bright
Began weaving magic with all their might
The light wrapped round the sleeping forms
Scales upon their bodies, heads crowned with horns
Mighty wings which with the rainbow did shine
Bodies stretched far, into straight lines
Arms now long, with golden webbed claws
Silver sharp teeth lining their jaws
They were remade into the dragons of the sea
Who would live now together for all eternity
Guarding the seas by the great white wall
And so their love continued forever more.


Canto XIII: An Ending

This tale of love, truest and strong
Tells of many rights and wrongs
But more so still it tells the tale
Of two lovers whose love would never fail
Perlise the Moon and Brandur the Night
Who loved each other with all their might