cyrilan

• betrayal in antara'da bir ballad
  
  once there was a vessel as proud as she was tall.
  many hands of men did toil to build the graceful yawl.
  her bow was arced, her belly lean, her sails were clean and white.
  there was nothing in her form to lend a shadow of her plight.
  
  the emperor benarren’s fair daughter isabelle,
  was pledged to wed the prince of fain, of whom the stories tell,
  he sought cavotte to build a boat, and said,
  “a vessel gay that’s fit to give as wedding gift to bear them both away!”
  
  *****
  
  for her mast they felled an ell tree, for weight and flex and strength,
  to the forests of januli went to harvest planks of length.
  her lines they made of silk to trim her rig and tie her wales,
  set the greatest weavers in the land to labor for her sails.
  
  on a summer day in riva, the cyrilan was named.
  the triune’s three did come in peace to bless this vessel famed.
  on her maiden sail to the isle of fain, her bearing filled with pride,
  for aboard this day the honored pair: the handsome prince and bride.
  
  *****
  
  the sea was gaily dancing in indigo and green.
  the crew all swore this was the finest day they’d ever seen.
  the sun shone bright, the wind blew strong, the wingfish jumped and played.
  in the evening breeze the cyrilan was steady on her way.
  
  in a night sky torn asunder,
  the sudden maelstrom came,
  the darkness pierced by spears of lightning, thundering hail of flame!
  the boat began to spin and sink, the crew fled to a man when the captain cried,
  “abandon ship! save all that ye can!”
  
  *****
  
  young derek was the ship’s boy, he jumped atop a float.
  and with luck and speed was tossed away from ‘round the burning boat.
  a mighty beast of legend rose to kill the sailors brave.
  the prince and isabelle embraced to share a watery grave.
  
  for weeks the ship’s boy drifted to land in sea unknown,
  and eleven years it took for him to find his way home.
  when derek finally crossed from chail, he sought the emperor great
  to lay to rest the mystery of fair cyrilan’s fate.