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"Fate of the Gods," or Ragnarok. A fusion of Norse and Christian apocalypses.
This is a ljóðaháttr poem, a form characterized by alliteration, lifts, and caesuras (here denoted by "|").
It draws heavily on the Völuspá for the course of events, more so than the Bible.
Schicksal der Götter
Harsh was the world | with whoredoms rife
The once-wise children gone to play
Sword-age, axe-age | vainglory swelled
No man gave mercy for his brother
The black worm writhed | the world's Trunk shook
The Book of Life was brought from Its place
Wind-age, wolf-age | desolation wrought
The Good Folk groaned and coughed in desert fields
Venom dripped down | filled and burned his eyes
Tongues of flame licked up his tears
Satan shrieked | He stressed his chains
Till at last his writhing broke his bands
Hell's legions languished | they heard his laugh
Rushed out and rode the flesh of men
Who needed no urging | who set the flames
That burned the cities and brought them down
Hell, once harrowed | now harried worlds
Gabriel, from his heavenly perch
Gazed on the sight | gave his horn a blow
Which was cut short (and he cut down)
The armies of Heaven | spectral and arrayed
In glories and splendor mighty and grand
Michael held fast | at the head of the Host
Waited till it was ripe, then let out a roar
Demons ascended | directed their fury
Left behind death that was wrought by their wrath
Ran up the ramparts | oh, the Bright Radiant Tower!
Until their mob then crashed into Michael's
Rage-given-flesh | ravaged their ranks
In vain Heaven tried to hold up against it
The Beast was mighty | Michael much more
He brought his mace home down on its skull
The seas turned dark red | life therein died
Blood poured from the Beast, and venom too
And Michael, sick | with that most dreadful ichor
Took
But
Nine
Steps
And
Fell
And
Painly
Died
The sixth Heaven burned | the seventh also
Where rode the Devil in a ship of dead men's sins
That was too large | of the lusts and lies of Man
But larger still it could have been
Then down below | arose majesty bright
The wraiths He passed were paid no heed
The corpse-girl stood | had not power to head Him off
Thus the Christ ascended to His hall of red gold
Curled round the corpse | of the All-Father cold
The Dragon hissed in sick delight
Which turned to terror | before the Christ's face
When through Its heart He speared that Snake
Thus Hell was routed | the day won by Right
But in the slaughter's midst Christ stood alone
The sky was black | from the burst flies of Beel
That filth that had swallowed both moon and sun
Thus Christ divided the Dragon | to make new domain
Bones in the hills and blood in the rivers
Sun from Its eye | moon and stars from the other
Then remained but one task before He could rest
The fires had cooled | the World clean and pure
Clay and Life, male and female, crept out from the branches
Fires had raged forth | the Tree of Life gave them shelter
And to this couple would Christ now add more
The Dragon's strength was seen and seized
***
Each sly fang was sewn in short ditches, and then there arose
***
New Men out from the thick mud
***
Our Lord saw it all,
***
Declared it all good
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