The Fall of Barram Ui Faelain

Old is my years upon this earth;
Born to the age of gods and men;
Whom lived together in harmony;
Sharing the bounty of Erin;
For many an Ard Righ I did scry;
And convey the prophases of the Shea;
To Crimthann mac Énnai today I serve;
And protect Leinster sovereignty;
Tis’ he whom asked me to spy the veil;
Tis’ he with whom I shall answer;
On Midsummer’s eve did the vision appear;
Betwixt the waxing and waning year;
A bright blue star rose too high;
And aimed to outshine the sun;
A star named Barram by the Shea;
Descendant of a house of kings;
Liam Ui Faelain’s second born son;
From avarice and want of power;
Barram did slight the gods;
He ignored the omens brought from storms;
And sought new conquests beyond his scope;
With borrowed ships and thinning rations;
He kept his weary men afloat;
For two moon cycles they searched the shores;
Opposite the Isle of Erin;
Looking out for a ripe small town;
With cattle fat and grain fields golden;
By accident a village he found;
Nestled with in a tiny bay;
And thought good fortune made his day;
Yet Midsummer fell upon that eve;
And his men worried and warned;
To cross the gods this fairy night;
Will surely bring their wrath and scorn;
His greed and lust pushed them ashore;
And all the gods cursed and cried;
Instead of a simple cattle raid;
A bloody battle became their fate;
Man and gods rose against them;
Fighting for their lives and souls;
Many a good man died upon the shore;
Some retreated to their vessels;
The gods struck lightening on borrowed boats;
Those remaining drowned at sea;
Only Ewen did survive;
For cowardice pulled his anchor aboard;
Before Barram did so call for it;
He raced his ship to Erin’s coast;
Fleeing like a frightened pup;
To beg forgiveness from his King;
With nothing to show for his work.


This poem is an excerpt from my novel-in-progress, The Wanderers.

©Copyright 2009. Deborah Szajngarten.  All Rights Reserved