The Emperor

The Emperor

The hush of the breeze,
and the trees beyond;
which shrug their leaves,
lest they make a sound;

THe plebs, the faex populi,
hushed were they too;
could hear the infant cry,
in an far abode afar;

Gray and black were,
the shirts , an the skirts;
distress on their faces
concern in their hearts;

The colours of the day,
sombre and sad;
Rainy clouds hung around,
in the dark gloomy sky;

And the sun hidden,
by the gloomy rainy cloud,
but strewn by the breeze,
thunder rumbling

courtiers, wise and brave,
O'er their faces, a grim blue,
eruditi and egregins,
of Kingdoms, distances afar,

Came the Kings and Queens
brought their princess too,
And the wisemen, And the thieves,
brought their proteges too.

They waited at the doorstep,
of the great mighty monarch;
And they waited at the doorstep,
of the great mighty monarch

The gates were huge,
dark and grey;
of gold they were,
gleaming a dull red

Two lions guarded the gates,
One at each end,
And they bared their fangs,
whites gleaming beneath.

Their paws of gold,
hung menacingly in air,
the fearful eyes shone,
glowing embers they were

Scary they were,
Even evil shunned away,
But alas! cannot scare they away,
the fearless footsteps of death.

Beyond the gates,
lay the palace;
magnificient in splendour,
cast in gloom.

Walls, a dark green,
royal resplendent green,
hung glorious trophies,
on many walls.

Many a painting too,
adorned these walls,
haunting they were,
few rare in the world

Many a story too,
had they to tell,
of wars fought,
of lives last

Even their melodies, drowned
under the silence of gloom,
the splenderous chandeliers hung,
like sun in midday sky.

Beshone they splendid light,
under the oily lamps,
Glittering like diamonds rare,
sparkling like the shimmering sun.

Wondorously bright they were,
scared the night away,
but even their splendid magnificience
cannot keep the dark footsteps of death away

Swords and scabbards hung on the green walls,
gleaming dull in the glow of the chandeliers,
the sharp painted and cavernous edge,
glorified by the enemy's blood

The mightiest and bravest enemy,
withered to shreds, they stood tall,
but even their glory in the battlefield,
cannot keep the irreversible footsteps of death away.

law beyond, the alley,
each brick a story to tell,
a conquest that had made,
the monarch to pride

The ladies cried too,
half in despair, an admiration,
THeir tiaras and jewels,
hung away in the deepest closet.

And they herd themselves away,
with black silks and satin,
wiped their tears away,
into the depths of women's heart.

For they stopped crying,
lest the silence disturbed away,
hid the truth, they,
deep within themselves

The trusted few,
sorrow in their heart,
remained in the palace,
for the word of the emperor.

law the might body,
its life ebbing away,
And death,
you could hear its footsteps.

air, filled with gloom,
the silence overbearing,
And it came, the truth of life,
the sounds echoeing the city walls.

The music of death,
a melancholy unchained,
hung in the air, lingering
for the moment to arrive.

And a frown came,
upon the mighty brow,
Ringing the tinkering bell,
"Water," he cried.

And the vassals rushed,
And the courtiers rushed,
they brought him water,
he sipped from an amber glass,

There he lay, the mighty monarch,
end staring at his way,
for he had but never lost,
nor could he win his final battle.

A mighty man he was,
he conquered lutetia,
he ruled Anglia,
And the immense asia hung at his feet.

Silently he stared
at the dying candle,
for his desire was still,
valient and unbroken.

And he fought with his will,
against the mighty death,
while his gaping wound bled,
the blood crimson red.

A sword had pierced
the abdomen open
but still he fought,
for he had a desire to live,

Many a promises, unkept,
Many a deeds, undone,
"And so", said the mighty monarch
"I shall not die."

The angel of death chided,
"you have lived your time"
neither, withholding to budge,
in the battle of life

And the angel said,
"thou hath done your work
and now O' great monarch
unhand me your soul."

The monarch valiant, fought on,
with his ironwilled desire,
And the angel spake,
"Death is your destiny."

The great monarch laughed,
a hollow, crackling laugh,
"thhou shall not speak, O' angel,
For I am the master of my destiny."

The angel smiled, a gentle smile,
Her voice echoed in the monarch's ear,
"your destiny hath written, O' monarch
by your deeds and actions."

"Ha!" the emperor cried,
"your heart is black, O' angel"
for you life, And he fought on,
with his ironwilled desire.

"O' young monarch, angels not falsify,
for destiny is destoned,
And all are but lies,
O'monarch , you are destined to die."

"Whither shall happen to the needy?
Whitehr shall happen to the meek?
Whither shall happen to my country?
for they are destined to live, aren't they"

"you hath lived your life,
and God awaits,
So shall you die,
for your judgment awaits"

"Whither have I sinned?"
the folks are merry,
And the hungry fed,
So have the guilty, punished.

"So shall you reap,
in the court above,
for your deeds pure,
so is your heart."

But the valiant monarch fought on, unconvinced.

"There is but one truth," the angel spoke,
birth and death,
everything is but false,
and born, shall you die.

The monarch thoughtful,
sorrow in his heart,
"Whither shall happen
to the noble land o' mine?"

"O'wiseman" said the angel,
you shall die, veracious it is,
but death , "Ah!"
tis only the beginning.

your spirit shall live on,
for your object divine,
And so shall thy be immortal,
until eternity of time

"O'ruler of many nations!
so repose down, conflict not thee,
slumber in peace,
And the agony shall go.

The shall you know,
about heaven, about hell,
about truth, about lie,
about God, about sin.

Shall thy see - the splendours of heaven,
the milky purity flows,
And shall you be judged,
by the holy one himself,

"But my tasks, undone," cried the Great Monarch

your name hath called,
and the great doors wide open,
the divine melodies,
a milky splendour

"And this, your duty, accept and die," spoke the angel.

The Great Monarch cried

Thou a liar, a temtous liar,
am strong, am strong and young
so shall I struggle,
so shall I breathe

O' angel of death,
Destony is written spoketh thee,
then shall a man really sin?
for it is written

Whence shall there be a Judgment,
for written it is a man shall sin,
A man's life, tis not his own, sayeth thee,
Whither shall that be plausible

And the Great Monarch spoke on,

"you speak of heaven,
you speak of the one above,
you speak of the judgment,
you speak of the origins,

But O' Angel of dark,
Whitehr shall I believe,
Whitehr shall I sacrifice,
for something I may have not but seen.

"You speak of truth,
of the lifes unkown,
but wither wonder I,
am I but a lie?"

Thoughts of my own,
wishes of my own,
so whither should I believe,
that everything is but a lie

Remind me of my duties,
speak of the one above,
"but O' angel of death,
"my Lord!, he lies in my heart!"

The evening came slowly from the west,
And the dark rainy clouds, still hung
The twitter of birds, heard,
chirping songs unknown

And, the people waited,
And, the scholars waited,
And, the Kings waited,
And, the women waited,

And, the lions waited,
And the chandeliers waited,
And the swords waited,
And so waited the pictrues

The gloom still hung in the air,
scent of death unmistaken,
And the stoutwilled monarch fought,
against the angel of death.

And blood poured like water,
bright red from a gaping wound,
But the Monarch fought on,
with the weapon of life,

Whitehr shall thy wonder,
Whost thou born?
for is it not the one above
that created you all.

your destiny, hath written
by your actions, by your deeds,
for when shall a man sin,
doth by his heart's folly,

Sin and truth, a man knowsn,
but he care lest for truth,
but he care lest for the judgement
but he care lest for the one above,

so man sins,
for hell he hath not seen,
but O' Learned wiseman,
look around you,

A world filled by lies,
A world full of sorrows,
of deceit, of greed,
of sins and of lifes.

Stained, man's blood,
of palace, of gold,
And murder, And adultery,
crimes of passion unknown

O'wiseman of this earth,
Is it not what hell is?
of hatred, of fury,
of duties trampled underfoot

cleanse up your thoughts,
O'wiseman of this world,
It is your Judgment time,
And fear not if thine not sinned.

But the Great Monarch fought on

Has the comforts of the world
clung onto you?
Has the drunkeness of power,
gotten within you?

Has the glory and the fame,
blinded you? Or
Did the pleasures and passions
awaken your selfish side

And the angel of death spoke on,

If not O' noble MOnarch,
give me your life,
for your time has come,
and Judgment awaits

Grey silence, hung around
the Great Monarch, grave,
the black angel , waiting,
And the people, waited.

And the lifeblood oozed out,
in fountains and splashes,
And the Great Monarch lay,
with but a desire to die

The ironwill was broken,
the heart fell slower,
And a smile on his face,
for he was complete.

The last breath, a painful gasp,
painful it was,
but pleasure flushed,
on the monarch's face.

And his breath ebbed away,
out of the lifeless body,
And said alast the Monarch,
"My Spirit shall live."

And the Great Monarch slipped,
into the icy realms of death,
And at the distant end,
found lights ahead.

The grey Angel of death,
carried his soul away,
And the people,
carried his body away.

The rainy clouds thundered,
a bolting flash.
And they paid their tribute,
to the great dead man

The birds wept,
a sad melancholy song,
And the animals roared,
for the departed Monarch.

The Kings and the wiseman sorrowed,
And did the Princess and the proteges,
the commonfolk prayed,
peace to the great leader.

The funeral, never had it happened so grand
for any dead living soul
And the people flocked, And the animals flocked,
from distances afar.

And the angel carried away,
the monarch's soul,
into the glorious magnificience,
of the humans above

© 2006 T.Prabhakar. All Rights Reserved