Star of Hope

Shining down from enthronement high.

A Queen of Elves with hair as gold,

Sat in a grab of night blue fold,

In her hand lay an empty flask.

And now she began her tedious task,

Of catching the light of unfailing star,

To shine ever bight in darkness far.

Long hours she labored and weary grew,

But naught did she cease till the task was through.

Her face was warmed by morning light

As she held up the glass now shining bright.

With the light of the star inside woven fast

To give to the hopeless courage that will last.

The Ages passed; the beam was still bright

When she gave it away on Midsummer's night.

To a bearer of a thing so little, yet strong

As to throw all the earth into great shadows long.

The Queen raised her hand in a fond, sad farewell

As she saw not far ahead a shadow fell.

The Travelers traveled both long and far

Until one friend in death did depart.

The two stayed true and kept to the quest,

And hardly at all did their weary feet rest.

His limbs were weak, his breath shallow,

As his lungs fought for clean air to swallow.

The pit was dark and of evil smelt;

A threat in his mind he truly felt.

A darkness thick fell o'er his head

His companion wept when thinking him dead.

But to his mind, the light suddenly sprang.

He pulled forth the cord on which it did hang.

His sword he drew, the ghouls slashed,

As he rescued his love from horrid bonds fast.

And the light served him well,

Bringing joy to his heart, chasing shadows fell,

Until the brave elf had use of it no more.

In a peaceful glade he lay tired and sore,

His life was fading, his sword was broken

And still he kept the crystal token.

As his breaths grew more shallow and mind dark,

A sound pierced his fading heart.

The star above his fair head shone

Giving light to his eyes, he before him found

That the shadow had fallen from his body

But a sign he would always bear of its folly:

Of a flame on the cheek, in triumph gained,

And this mark's heat never to wane.

The pureness of skin in this triumph lost,

And for such goodness so little a cost.

Norlif of the Fire-cheek sailed away,

To the lands where the lights undying play.

Behind him stayed the Elfin gleam

And from the sky it can be seen,

Shining bright o'er Tenor Alvaron

Its rays near as gleaming as the suns.

From sky and hearts its glow shall not fade

Even under the clouds dark shade.