"I can still fight" - he snarls,
All is not lost - he knows,
He can match blow for blow
Anything fate can raise.
Blaze like a white-hot star,
Rising against all odds.
That`s how this story goes:
He goes a step too far.
He stands too straight to bow,
Meeting War face to face;
Finite, mortal - against
Slaughter and rage unbound.
Breakable human bone:
Feet, femurs, knuckles, ribs -
Flesh against ichor - this
Should not have taken long.
Should have been all in vain:
Who would you pray to? But
Some among all those Gods
Do love to help the brave.
Know this: if noone else
Stands by you - Pallas can.
Grasp your spear, scarlet-stained
And let Her take the reins.
Flame descends from the sky,
Just to dance
at your side;
Those who touch the divine
Always pay
for the ride.
But what price is too steep
For a shot
at this prize?
You have sown, you shall reap:
No lie dazzles
your eyes.
Chariot rushing forth,
Trampling all doubts at once:
Sometimes the one true path
Is made of blood and bronze.
Under the aegis ride
Those, who can take it`s heat.
No space for weakness - meet
Truth in the whirlwind`s eye.
Loud as a trumpet - claim
Victory, head held high.
If Gods walk at our side -
Enemies, cousins, friends -
What better ally, say,
Than Bright-Eyed Wisdom`s touch?
Heavy enough to crush
Spines too weak for this game.
Hey, can you still keep pace
With Her untiring flight?
Can you tell wrong from right,
If all is set ablaze?
Raise your voice, break the mold;
You are no clay-born slave.
Ice and flame forge the blade -
Sometimes Gods love the bold.
When the tempest comes down,
And no path
can be marked -
Do you burn? Do you drown?
Who are you
in the dark?
What are you? Answer now:
Do you count?
shall you hide?
Make it true, make it loud:
Darkness harnessed
is light.
