The Last Song of Neras the Prince

The Last Song of Neras the Prince
From The Songs of Peiboth's Children

Weeping Neras, famous princeling,
Stood upon a tall ship swaying
On the waves of outer Ocean,
Waters that our Treian fathers
Knew, before the wrath of Heaven
Scoured Feihoth, gleaming Starland,
Sent the remnant into exile.
There upon the high ship swaying
Neras, princeling, darkly pondered.
Beloved Kanle now at judgment
Him awaits; bitter sorrow
Drove a knife into her bosom.
All the bitter years between them
Lay, and no arts of magic
Or cunning rhymes of Treian harper
Could close that gap. So weeping, Neras
Made complaint unto the Sea:

"Tell me, Ocean, mighty waters,
Tell how heart of man is driven
Like the tide, to beat the coastland
Of desire, its rocks unyielding?
Star-eyed Kanle I see before me.
My father's throne, or star-eyed maiden:
These two paths were set before me,
The first I shunned, a gift unwanted,
Though it was given by my father.
The second came, a gift unlooked-for
By the arts of Brother Landras
And the witch he wed, who taught him
How to delve into the secret
Places in the heart of mankind.
Yes, I know it--I confess it
To the Sea who like a mother
Nurtured mighty Feihoth's people.
Yes, I know, I do confess it--
All the cunning works of Landras
Now I clearly see before me.
He desired throne of Treians--
And he saw my heart's own weakness.
Blood civil war he pondered:
How to bring the House of Hagnor
Down to bitter ruin; my father
Slay, and seize the iv'ry scepter,
Become the king of Feihoth's children.
All his plans have well-succeeded:
Peiboth slain, and Hagnor with him--
He is king, and I have aided
All the evil that my brother
Has pursued in lands where Starlight
Tells to men the will of Heaven.
Now two paths stretch out before me:
Raos, Polestar, came unto me,
Came at midnight to my cabin.
Then his Starlight filled the chamger
And I bowed the knee before him,
He who heaven's hosts had marshalled
In the war which earth's wide mantle
Vishnarr sundered in his falling.

"'Neras, princeling, son of Peiboth,'
So the Polestar then addressed me,
'On the morrow your fleet, sailing,
Will challenge Vishnarr's fleet for mastery,
Break the fleet of Giant-kindred,
Those who serve the Southern Polestar,
He who fell ere days were numbered.
Their ships are mighty--you will break them.
You will send them down to darkness.
Waves will swallow, deep abysses,
All the seaborn might of Vishnarr.
Nevermore on outer OCean
Will fleets sail, arrayed for battle.
Then, O son of mighty Peiboth,
A mighty fleet upon your order
Waits, and all the men of valor
Praise your name, many whisper
That the king of Star-born Treians
You might be, if you desired.
Then two paths lie clear before you:
Sail in arms and conquer Feihoth,
Claim your right, cast down your brother
Into darkness, under shadow
Of the dark and bloody Vulture
Who, for sacrifice of mankind--
Blood of women and their children--
Empty promises he offers
To those men who, judgment fearing,
Would forestall the day of dying.
If this path you choose, the conflict
Will be bitter, long and bloody.
Many Treians with their lifeblood
The price will pay of your refusal,
When you spurned the Doom of Peiboth.
Yet at last a Treian remnant,
Purged and holy on the Island
Which the Maker, Nankeinela,
Gave to Feihoth, your first father,
You will rule in bliss forever--
A bliss unmarred by Vishnarr's hatred
Or the sins of ancient Peiboth,
Or his sons, Neras and Landras.
Otherwise the end is dire:
The sins of Landras rise to Heaven,
Greater stench no man or giant
E'er has raised since the Maker
Gave the Kingdoms Under Starlight
To the rule of mortal monarchs.
Even now the Mighty Ocean
Rises up o'er Feihoth's Isle,
So to wash the stain of evil,
Which that happy land defiled,
Wash it clean as when first Reinfal
Looked upon it, loved it dearly.
Thoranrai, your weeping mother,
Doom foresaw as I have told you.
She it was who warned your father--
Later in a dream I warned him,
Showed the fate which for the Treians
Waited if they would not heed me,
Would not heed high Heaven's warnings.
Warnings two; and now a third time
Heaven issues you a challenge:
Take the throne, to repentance
Lead the mighty sons of Feihoth.
A long and bitter struggle waits you
But at last your sword will triumph.
When at last your sword will triumph
Then an heir of Hagnor's household
Will sit upon the Throne of Feihoth--
But you will rule long before him.'

"So the Polestar then address me,
So my heart is full of sorrow
As I think upon my father
And the doom he set upon us--
Neras rules, and not Landras!
Landras the Stars of Heaven fashioned
By their subtle music singing--
As the casting of the smelter
Works its shape upon the ingot
Giving form, but not the substance
To the fire-pierced iron--
He it was their singing fashioned
More like Peiboth, our mighty father.
Heaven fashioned Landras kingly,
Fashioned him to rule empire.
How then can I overthrow him?
Heaven plays some game with mortals:
Makes a man most fit to rule,
Gives him gifts above all others,
Above all mortals under Starlight.
Heaven makes such men, then bids us
Cast them down and set up others,
Set up Neras, weak-willed princeling.

Here begins the Lament of Neras the Prince.

"And now, O Sea, be my confessor,
Hear the song of Neras, princeling.
Nearas, son of mighty Peiboth--
Peiboth, he who ruled the Treians
With a heavy rod of iron.
He wed a Queen, the fair Thoranrai--
She his right of lawful rule.
Sons she bore him, twins in childbirth,
Then passed in sorrow to the pathways
Which at last all mortals follow
Down to where the stone of judgment
Sits, uncut by hand of craftsman.
Hear the sins of youthful Neras,
Sins which brought the Sons of Feihoth--
He who in the Western Heaven
Looked upon his Isle, and loved it;
Hear my sins, which brought our downfall:
Father Peiboth for the kingship
Chose and raised me, though my brother
Suited more in soul and body.
I had loved the field of battle,
Loved to war against the giants,
Loved to ride my horse at hunting
In the great and virgin forests
Beyond the Bay of Bitter Ice-floes.
Neither throne nor hand of maiden
Had my heart, content, desired
Ere this doom was laid upon me.
Then, by craft or will of Heaven,
Star-eyed Kanle stood before me.
I was smitten by her beauty.
My heart was filled with strong desire.
I forsook the verdant forests,
And the deadly field of combat.
Secret trysts, embraces stolen--
These were all my heart desired.
This my sin, my first undoing:
I stole away fell Hagnor's daughter,
Brought down war on both our houses.
Afterwards another evil
Added I, when Kanle's kinsmen--
Those the law would call my brothers--
Their blood I spilled in bloody battle
On that day when countless Treians,
Princes all, sons of nobles,
Gave their lives because of Neras.
Blood of kinsmen, flowers of Feihoth:
Their voices crying from the soil
Of the battlefield condemn me.
Then the madness of my sorrow
Brought about two greater evils:
Kandle, burning with a fever
Drove a dagger through her breastbone;
Landras, seeing my contrition,
Seeing how the weight of sorrow
Drew me down into the chasm
Of my guilt, took the kingship--
Set upon the throne of Treians,
Bathed his hands in blood of victims,
Led our people down to darkness.
Can I slay another brother?
Raise the standard of rebellion?
Can I once again the flower
Of the noble Treian people
Mow like grass on field of battle?
Rather I the word of Raos
Would transgress, go down to judgment--
Leave my people to what waits them,
Pain or triumph, as wills Heaven."

Then the song of Neras ended,
He like falling rain on water
Gave himself unto the Sea.