X-xii

X

Meanwhile, there was a feast in the capital:
The bards were bawling, the people were cheering,
The men were brawling, the women were sneering,
And nobody was sad in the capital.
The feast was held in the capital,
To see off the Autumn, to greet the new Winter,
To drink to the bottom, to forget about whimpers,
And nobody was sad in the capital.
But then someone entered the capital,
With his eyes mad, with his breath heavy,
With the news sad, with the news savage.
And silence fell unto the capital.
What to do knew no one in the capital.
Someone passed out, someone just sagged,
Someone cried out that it was a gag –
Hesitation took over the capital.
And only one man in the capital
Decided to pack, to go to the vale;
Took a sword from the rack, put on his mail,
And set to go from the capital.

XI

He wasn’t a knight of noble blood,
Just a peasant – as any around.
But he was bored – he lived in a hut
And never had seen the new grounds.
He strived for adventure, so he set forth
Upon hearing of the danger.
Behind him were people for whom he was worth
Their lives, which they had wagered.
He had nothing to lose, save for his life,
For he was an orphan from birth;
And he’d gladly die for his village to thrive,
And this thought filled him with mirth.
Silently villagers saw off the man –
Even the boy, for he was young;
Scared and confused, they patted their hands
On his shoulder, some of them clung.
He turned round at the gates, to see the last time
The people who gave him their faith;
Then waved his hand, and with an absent smile
Ventured to meet his own fate.

XII

The day was coming to its end,
The Sun was setting, red and bright,
Awoke the creatures of the night,
And lonely stranger warmed his hands.
He walked through forests for a week,
Stood camp at fast streams in the woods,
Went in small villages for goods,
And sought for tracks, though they were weak.
He saw that faster was his aim:
It seemed he never stopped for rest,
So our hero feared lest
He should be late for his reclaim.
He tried to lessen camping time –
He slept now only for three hours
And his food was just devoured
To keep on going on a line.
But there was no sign of his foe:
He ventured swiftly as a shade –
A shadow creature through a glade
Of light, cursed by his flow.
But young man didn’t leave his hopes.
He followed tracks left on the ground,
He paid attention to the sounds,
And stuck to them as if to ropes.
He didn’t lag behind the beast:
He kept up with his frenzied tempo,
The blood hammered in the temples,
And the distance yet decreased.