Day 19: The King's Lament
Today’s the 19th instalment. Join me as we follow the fallen king, once mighty, now wandering through a broken kingdom, haunted by the mocking whispers of the dead.
Intro
Hey everyone,
I wanted to share a new poem with you today called The King’s Lament. It’s heavily inspired by two of my favourite epic works: Dante’s Inferno and Beowulf. Both of these classics explore big themes like pride, downfall, and the consequences of power.
The poem follows a king who, after years of conquest and glory, finds himself wandering a desolate land, haunted by the ghosts of his past.
As I wrote this, I wanted to capture the grandeur and tragic weight of those epic tales, but also make it personal, focusing on the king’s internal battle with regret and the fear of being forgotten.
I hope it resonates with you.
Today’s story is inspired by “Dead King” by Kara Malikova
As my horse’s hooves drummed the hollow earth, I wondered,
Where had all my people gone?
Once, my kingdom blazed with the fires of innovation and commerce,
The streets alive with merchants, the clamour of trade,
Bridges that spanned rivers vast and cities that gleamed like jewels.
Now, I wander in shadows, a king without a crown,
Seeking what was once mine.
The heads of fallen kings hang from the hump of my weary steed,
“Where is your kingdom now?” they whisper.
“Where are your banners, where is your throne?”
They chuckle, low and mocking, when I turn,
Their mouths frozen in silent scorn, their eyes rolled pale,
But I hear them still, even as they fall into lifelessness.
Long ago we rode to distant lands, conquering all in our path,
My banners fluttered over fields of war,
And I, their king, brought the conquered beneath my wing,
I was naive in my pride, believing I alone knew the way.
How foolish was my youth, blinded by the light of my own ambition,
And how cruel the passing of years, which stripped me bare.
The castles of my lords reached for the heavens,
But mine rose higher, a beacon to all lands,
It gleamed like gold beneath the sun,
Its spires kissed by clouds, a mountain upon the plains.
In the mist of early spring, it stood as a giant,
Draped in fog like a god’s temple,
Majestic and eternal, or so I believed.
I was loved, they sang my praises,
When coffers were full and the people knew only plenty.
My kingdom was a jewel among kingdoms,
But always did I crave more.
More wealth, more power, more land, more war.
War was my answer to all,
The clash of swords, the thunder of hooves,
It filled my veins like fire, and I was never more alive.
I believed I marched in the favor of the gods,
For no blade ever cut me, no arrow found its mark.
From the clergy to the commoner, they whispered my name,
The invincible king, touched by fate, chosen by destiny.
How wrong they were. How blind was I?
Now, only the heads of those I felled accompany me,
Kings who once knelt before me in defeat,
Their mouths curled into twisted smiles,
As if laughing at the irony of it all.
“Did you not promise them eternal rule?” they say.
“Where is your kingdom, O King? Where are your gods now?”
Above me, the crow's circle,
Waiting, always waiting,
As if sensing the inevitable feast to come.
They jeer with every pass,
And when I look up, their cries fall still,
Their eyes cold, gleaming like black jewels,
Mocking me as if they too were kings of a realm long lost.
Once, my halls were filled with music and laughter,
The court was alive with dance, the clink of goblets raised in my honour.
But now, there is only silence,
Save for the harsh cry of the crow and the dull thud of my mount’s hooves.
My faithful steed, his name lost to me,
As lost as my crown, my kingdom, my name.
How many battles did he carry me through?
How many enemies did we ride against?
Yet now, even his strength falters,
And I can no longer recall the warmth of his loyalty,
For all that remains of those days is the fog of memory.
Years passed, and the land, once so fertile, withered beneath my rule.
After a few seasons of failed crops,
And murmurs of unrest spread through the streets,
The people, once content, now grew hungry,
And to quiet their rising voices, I opened the coffers,
Spending the wealth of a thousand conquests on feasts and revelry.
I gave them distractions while the kingdom crumbled beneath us.
Our enemies, whom we once held in chains,
Regained their lands as my own shrank in defeat.
Piece by piece, they reclaimed what was theirs,
And my kingdom, once as vast as the horizon,
Was reduced to little more than a shadow.
The people fled, first the discontented,
Then the loyal, until none remained.
Even those who once swore undying allegiance,
Left me in the cold of winter’s breath,
And I was left with nothing but the stones of my castle
“Do you hear them, O King?” they taunt.
“The people sing no songs of you now,
They have forgotten your name.”
And still, they laugh, even as they decay in the sun.
Now I wander, a ghost among the ruins,
A king without a kingdom,
Searching for what I have lost, though I know not what it is.
Perhaps a memory, perhaps a glimmer of the past—
Something to anchor me to the man I once was.
But with each step, I feel my mind slipping further,
A king unmoored, adrift in time.
I reach out, trying to grasp it,
But it eludes me, like mist slipping through my fingers.
What future remains for me,
If I cannot find what I have lost?
What good is a king, if his kingdom has turned to dust,
And the last remnants of his mind scatter to the winds?
For all the crowns I wore,
And all the lands I ruled,
I am left with nothing but the heads of kings,
And the unyielding silence of the grave.
Thank you for joining me on the nineteenth journey of my 30-day storytelling challenge. Each day brings a new tale, and today’s poem delves deep into the haunting lament of a fallen king.
I hope you found The King’s Lament a resonant exploration of lost power and the fragile nature of ambition. Our king, once triumphant, now wanders a desolate landscape, haunted by the whispers of those he conquered. Tomorrow brings a new adventure, so stay tuned. As always, if you have any thoughts or feedback, feel free to share them in the comments below. Until then, keep dreaming and stay curious.
