A hero like the ones of old
I ply my skill to sing.
What would you call the hero
Who comes to serve a king
Whose country needs his power
Lest they fall in dark despair?
I call him one sent by the gods.
But no bard's words compare
With deeds of men whose sacrifice
Save a nation's men from death.
Of one such hero, fingers pluck,
And his praise is on my breath.
O hear the bard that singeth
Of the one a nation praises.
Hear of his might and power,
In each of these poor phrases.
A nation, deep in darkness
Beleaguered by fell beasts
Who ravage flocks of sheep at night,
Cause fear at merry feasts,
Called for a hero bold,
And this they did require:
That he give his all to nation's needs
And of battle never tire.
A nation needs a hero
With armies at command.
The king requests a hero
With strong and steady hand,
Who shall humbly offer services
And exploit not those he serves,
For his success determines payment;
He receives what he deserves.
Oh hero, lest you fear
The nation is too lost,
We desire you remember
The king will spare no cost.
Come, our hero bold,
With a touch of godlike power.
This bard could list your qualities
Nigh this whole dinner hour...........
........................................................
.............
And thus the beast-foe vanquish'd
Fell beneath the flaming sword,
And the victory was gained again
For the heroic dragon-lord.
O, the nation lifts its voice
Through the words of this bard's tale
The nation will remember thee,
And how your might prevailed.
postscript
For a project back in '09 in a British Literature class. We had to practice writing what we pretended were artifacts of old English literature. While we didn't have to write in old English, we had to use characteristics of the genre to make it convincing. And of course, I couldn't write an entire epic poem, so the ......... is where pieces of the artifact were allegedly lost in the last several centuries. Enjoy!