Jubal's poems

[Cuddly Khan]

I was just saying that I like your poems better.

[Andalus]

Changed to "mere idea" - thoughts?

Yep, I think that's definitely improved now.

[Jubal]

The Minstrel

I sing of swords and dragon-scales,
Of sundered shields and shining mail,
With eyes aflame, with words that fly
I sing of days gone by.

From Arthur's Seat to Cam Long Down,
From Milford Haven to Yarmouth Town,
Beneath, this isle, above, the sky;
And songs of days gone by.

Of Lancelot and Robin Hood,
Of Gogmagog and Hereward,
The lives of heroes flicker and die;
And fade to days gone by.

When I am dead and gone to rest,
Then lay my lute upon my breast;
And sing for a man, with head held high,
Who sang of days gone by.

[Jubal]

Song for Snufkin

When summer comes, and the valley's green,
I'll stay for a month or more;
When summer comes, so too come I,
A-knocking at your door,
But when the autumn winds blow cold on the windows of your home,
You'll find that I am southward bound and walking on my own.

I'll walk away
To Mandalay
Or Nineveh or Timbuktu
Caring for nothing and nobody's rule
Knowing I'm wise while seeming a fool
So far away from you,
So far, so far away from you.

When summer comes, and the valley's green,
I'll stay for a month or more;
When summer comes, so too come I,
A-knocking at your door,
But when the autumn winds blow cold on the windows of your home,
You'll find that I am southward bound and walking on my own.

With hat of green
Unfolding scenes
Will spread before my wandering shoes
Sitting in tents in the high Pyrenees
No money or passport, just living at ease
No care for "what's" or "whose",
No care, no care for "what's" or "whose",

When summer comes, and the valley's green,
I'll stay for a month or more;
When summer comes, so too come I,
A-knocking at your door,
But when the autumn winds blow cold on the windows of your home,
You'll find that I am southward bound and walking on my own.

Perhaps I'll speak
On Ararat's peak
Inspiring all who hear;
Spreading my tales with the prints of my boots
Whistling my way to taste tropical fruits,
No home, no lies, no fear.
No home, no home, no lies, no fear.

When summer comes, and the valley's green,
I'll stay for a month or more;
When summer comes, so too come I,
A-knocking at your door,
But when the autumn winds blow cold on the windows of your home,
You'll find that I am southward bound and walking on my own.

When winter comes, and the valley's white,
I'll leave 'til the icicles thaw;
When winter comes, then leave must I,
Far from a friendly door,
But when the spring buds all burst forth with flowers around your home,
You'll find my song comes ringing out... until the north winds blow.

[Jubal]

The Danger of Humility
Based on "Ozymandias"

I met a scholar from a well-known land.
His eyes were lead, his face a mask of stone;
He was a sad and strange and lonely man.
He smiled, began to cry, then laugh, then frown;
He could delight, beguile, or command.
And yet the scholar ill those passions read
Which come to pass in all true living things,
On which our appetites for joy are fed:
He spoke just once for me to hear:
"My name is truly meaningless, though my words have wings:
I look upon all works; though mighty, I despair."
He fell quiet. There was nothing left to say;
From that poor dead-eyed wreck, alone in his lair,
I turned, to leave his wisdom far away.

[Ladyhawk]

Wow Jubal. Your very, very good.

[Andalus]

That is indeed a good one. Thoughtful inversion of the original.

[Cuddly Khan]

It felt more like a story to me. When you only make the last four lines rhyme it doesn't sound so good. I still liked it though.

[Jubal]

Ink-Cap And Nightshade
Ink-cap and Nightshade and Hemlock all danced
And the flowers of the forest stood silent, entranced,
In a blaze of dark colour, in a cold shivering breath
In time to the music, a waltz to the death.

Ink-cap stood tall, with his hat dripping tar,
And he played a slow dirge on a fungal guitar;
He whistled and laughed and he sang and he cried,
And he moved to each chord 'til the last phrases died.

Nightshade twirled round in a Tyrian dress,
That dark Belladonna whose gentle caress,
Was caring with love and was deadly with hate,
The slow spreading danger no man could abate.

And Hemlock looked on, with a cruel violin,
Playing melodies, reeling and calling for gin,
And his smile was warm as the couple's embrace,
As his notes pulled them on to a dank resting place.

Ink-cap and Nightshade and Hemlock all danced
And the flowers of the forest stood silent, entranced,
The poisons of beauty flowed freely and whole
A fair trade to be sure; one last dance, for one soul.

[Trippers]

Not entirely sure how to use this yet, but Jubal I absolutely adore Ink-Cap and Nightshade. I can certainly see it being in my anthology, amongst your other poems.

[Andalus]

Probably the best I've read from you, Jubal! Amusing and beautiful.

[Silver Wolf]

The best one so far Jubal... Simply amazing.

Maybe you could post your poems on Deviant art? One thing is certain, you would sure get a lot of publicity.

[Jubal]

Yeah, I'll think about publicising it a bit more. It'd be nice to get more people visiting this area of the site really...

I once was mate of a sailing ship
  Am                        Em
Her name was the Endeavour,
      Am                   Em
You never saw a craft so fine,
   Am                  G
For calm or stormy weather;
      Am       Em        Am
Her captain, though, was a cruel hard man
  Am                        Em
The like you ne'er did see,
      Am                   C
And so that hardy crew and I,
      G                  Am
We set to mutiny.
     Am     Em  Am

And so we'll roam the waves,
Am                            F
All English sailors bold;
C                     G
And soon we'll gain
Am
On the Spanish Main
           C
Five hundred pounds of gold.
      G            Em          Am

The Ballad of the Endeavour

I once was mate of a sailing ship
Her name was the Endeavour,
You never saw a craft so fine,
For calm or stormy weather;
Her captain, though, was a cruel hard man
The like you ne'er did see,
And so that hardy crew and I,
We set to mutiny.

And so we'll roam the waves,
All English sailors bold;
And soon we'll gain
On the Spanish Main
Five hundred pounds of gold.

We set that captain soon ashore
All with pistol and with powder,
And when he wept and when he bawled,
We only laughed the louder;
The navy then gave chase to us,
But our ship was the faster.
And when their ship was still at night,
We soon slipped gently past her.

And so we'll roam the waves,
All English sailors bold;
And soon we'll gain
On the Spanish Main
Five hundred pounds of gold.

And so we robbed and raged like men,
And so we roved and swore,
'til all the navy's captains vowed
That we should sail no more.
They caught us running by Cape Horn,
And the Endeavour faltered,
But none of my gold did they find,
For I had sent it homeward.

And so I'll breathe no more,
And swing 'til I am cold;
But I've left my son
In Portsmouth town
Five hundred pounds of gold.

[Andalus]

Nice one! Very old-timey feel to it.

Though - "All with pistol with and powder," - should that be 'and with'?

[Jubal]

Yes, yes it should.