“Astal” the Dragon.
I was once a legend, a memory, a hero a father to my clan
My people gathered all their food and shared with all to plan.
The gates that guard this world of ours are closed and watched by night
And standing on the parapet’s the men who defend us as is their right.
The land is ours to farm and mill and keep our cattle safe
Our memories are our past, our future is ours my friend
I am one of the oldest in my tribe, one of the elders and so brave
I led my people to battle when the Silver heads came upon us
Our battle was glorious and many lives were taken and lost
But we secured our lives from the fire and the killing frost
We will always stand as one, as limbs off a mother’s body
As wolves guarding the lair from marauding humans.
Astal came and killed my kin and bombed and burned my land
For even though we were prepared for war, for this day we had not planned
His breath of hatred for mankind scorched away all we had built
His remaining eye saw only one thing, our, my destruction.
The glare from the sun meant we saw no smile on the face of this devil
Only a silhouette of death falling from the sky aiming for my heart.
“Get the children to safety, release the bows! Fight! Save your soul”
My orders given, my help and prayer we ran, to live be our goal.
The barn, the corn, the cattle shed we had to save these
Winter was upon us and food was hard to come by
The fight went on…
The mothers ran, our children ran, the men prepared to fight
Astal was a Dragon, a creature of legend, of terror and fright
The breath he spewed in glorious flames lit a sacred night
I was the man so long ago when just a boy was I
Who took my lance and threw it hard and took his vengeful eye.
For many years he had watched us and took a beast for food
But never before dared to threaten me and my brood
He was getting braver, desperate, and dangerous.
Our home was in a valley in the Northern part of Wales
We built a school, a barn and church and coracles without sails
But all the time we built he watched us waiting for us to fail
Our barricades were built and moats we dug and filled
Yet still he took our livestock and all our warriors killed
Astal would never leave us, he would see it to the end.
A dragon is a creature with heart or care
He never had a family or love or child to share
This evil flying lizard with claws that strike and kill
With breathe of pure heartache and hatred at his will
Astal will never ease the way he burns our land
Not until his body is burned upon our land.
But a time has come when I cannot with all my heart and mind
Carry on living with evil of this kind
My men must all now muster the strength to kill this beast
And then as a friend and brother drink and pray at feast.
So now a plan to action a method to our plight
And with our bows and arrows a means to aid our fight
The day was set, the time had come to lure him to his death
And from this day unto the end we shall not fear his breath
A trap was on, a time to hide a beast to set our trap
And with his sure great demise a cheer, a song a clap
Astal was now seen a mile or so away
So standing strong with hearts of gold this would be our day.
The wind that tore through every alley was heated by his breath
And every poor unhidden sole was burned and baked to death
Yet our trap was set to be the glory that we sought
And with a net, a sword and spear this was a battle fought
His skin was penetrated by swords of wish and faith
And as we ran for shelter his heart was targeted with haste
Astal was now upon us his blood began to pour
We threw, we sang we cried with pain and struck him down once more
The fire in his heart was as weak now as his breath
We all soon celebrated this mighty dragon’s death
We pulled out all his magic, his teeth, his claws and tongue
And gave a mighty roar as over this beast we had won
Our heard it now grows stronger and never are we scared
Our shields and men and hearts were all that we have bared.
But without the threat of Astal we are men without a ghost
Respect has us mourning the foe we feared most
So rest in peace Dragon Astal the last one of your kind
With all your pain and horror you are always on my mind
Our life in our village will still and strongly move on
And even though we are safe I miss you now you are gone.