TLoCE - Canto III. Zeroing Out

THE LEGEND OF THE CURSED ELINVAR


CANTO III
ZEROING OUT

When everything was supposed to end as soon as possible,
The tyrant suddenly ordered to stop.
He said: – The people will love him,
As a martyr, he will love him with death
His naive pieces of paper. So we are
We must dehumanize him by turning him into
A laughing stock. Lock him up in the punishment cell
And let my messengers speak
All over the Empire, let them tell who their
The idol actually turned out to be.
Traitor of the Motherland, lampoon author, beetle,
The would-be wrestler, imprisoned in the stocks.
Let him become an example for others.
Send him to the Silver Tower,
So that he endured such torments,
Which have not yet seen the white light.
Poetry is the same toy
In the hands of the law. If there is among you
The artist, let him go too
On the block, but first – in ridicule.

So that everyone remembers what eternity leads to...
So that everyone remembers what eternity leads to...

For months Devterion rotted there,
My good friend, foretold by the gods,
Who, defied, was beaten
And thrown out of life for good.
Now, losing his honor and his pride.
In the dungeon of the Empress.
His tormentor, the Lady of the Night,
Tortured every moon his temple of flesh.
Thus went the days, Between whip and knife,
In the order of blood, those became friends.
She alone, the Warden of this Tower.
And he alone, in unity imprisoned.
Their union strengthened with every blow, shriek,
Till she knew who she had been given
In the reprisal, remembering that the hero
Fought for her deliverance.
Love is born of pain, of guilt,
So the old slanders whispered.
And, having made up their minds to flee together,
They decided to burn the Silver Tower.

So that the fire would devour the guilt in their silhouettes...
That the fire would devour the guilt in their silhouettes...




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Acknowledgements

D.&T. – for their titanic work on AFTD, conversations and discussions about English, American, and European poetry, guidance, and listening skills;
Nyx – for reviewing the AFTD, moral support, and motivation;
A.V. – for translating the essay "Shades of Black" and patience;
The Russian-English Dictionary and Father's Language Library – for oversight of smokeless;
Charles Simic – for inspiration, conduct, and providence;
Marx Square and my alter ego – for providing material for the book and its plot.