I inserted his poem here below mine as well as his link as I feel mine will make much more sense and be so much the more enjoyable if you read his poem ( the inspiration for mine) first.
Here is Albert's amazing poem...........
"A soul, which is full of belief,
Always generous, clever,
Feels compassion and grief-
Blessed forever..."
Dedicated to the defenders of Rhodes.
The good natured dawn gives a new, ordinary day
For the one whose brave soul has no any fear,
And though this cutting wind tries to rip his worn but reliable cloak
From his tired and wounded shoulder,
Yet he drives all his vague heavy doubts away,
While he has this sharp sword in his hand and the spear
He will never step back from this border.
So he stands here like a solid unbreakable rock
For in order not to let any foe come further.
And the dry, dusty ground is covered with a smock,
That brings bitterness into the eyes and the smell of burning tar,
Yet he sees the sunrise and there somewhere far
A jamb of magnificent cranes flying in the blue sky
For a moment, it brings him a feeling of his native place
Where once he vowed to carry mercy and grace,
Everywhere, be always fair and honest, to despise any lie,
Even always be ready at any moment to die,
Stand a danger face to face…
Many others like him there are standing side by side
Clad in armour and holding their shields in their arms,
Every one of them has a hot hammering heart,
That filled with spirit of holy belief and the pride.
They’ve come here not from the fields or the farms,
All of them are the masters of military art.
Call of duty has brought them together this time
To defend their Order of Hospitallers,
That is based on the island Rhodes at the edge of two seas
With their brave and strong leader the Grand Master Phillip de Villiers,
Who is more like a father for them, he is their prime,
Who never has his sensitive vigilance at ease.
The hard Turkish shelling destroyed the bell tower of St. Paul’s Church,
But it has not shaken the faith of the citizens in the defence,
And the English tower is brutally blasted; it looks like a ruthless and demonic torch,
Yet the defenders are trying to stop the invaders, this cruelty, and this violence.
Janissaries occupied the shore,
Right outside the inner walls of the destroyed English Tower,
And the knights are all ready to meet them and give them a worthy repulse.
There’re broken stones and the dust, every inch of the ground is sore
From the rise of the rage, that has a brutal and boundless power,
So that everyone can feel its frantic pulse.
For the years in the past
On this fruitful and beautiful island
Many people's thoughts and experience,
Like a fresh, lively wind covered everything fast,
Brought for many weak, sleepy souls the enlightenment and clearance,
So it finally became for them their new home and their land
In where an earthly man found the long awaited goodness at last,
Witnessed genuine grace and true compassion appearance,
Even some say that also the touch of the god's holy hand
Helped the people to build the place from the dust.
And now is the time,
When the fate presents the strength test of all residents,
And it shakes the entire island from the top and beneath.
The exhausted bells filled with anxious chime;
Again and again confirming the horror presence,
The Grand Master pulls out his sharp sword from its sheath.
Here he gives a clear sign
To be ready to go on the offensive,
The Knights of Saint John are in full ready state
There’s no time to lose, now the time is expensive,
And they bravely go forward to meet their fate;
None of them intents to resign,
Every one of them stands at this gate.
There is one of them with wounded shoulder,
Who with others, pulls out his strong sword from its sheath,
When the sharp stabbing pain shoots through the knight's bleeding hand;
Though the pain is still the pain even when you are wiser and older,
Yet he goes with the others, he clenches his teeth,
For in order to take this decisive last stand.
And the deafening clang
Of the swords crashes into the air,
The gap in the ranks quickly narrows.
Now the soldiers in the front line get a powerful thunderous bang,
And the crossbows release their deadly sharp arrows,
Taking lives of the good men and the men of the attacking gang,
Indiscriminately, rough, and unfair.
Janissary swings his sword,
And brings it down onto the knight
But he dodges the blow at the very last moment,
Then the knight gives his enemy a full worthy fight,
And defeats the opponent
Without any effort.
Another truculent foe,
Takes the chance and attacks him,
Shouting furiously, swallowing the dust,
Janissary's leaden face is brutal and grim,
Now the knight misses a sharp, deadly thrust
Of the enemy’s spear, and the powerful blow
Brings him down so ruthlessly and very fast,
So that he falls unconscious without any vim.
But his struggling mind still goes with the flow,
Clenching his bloody fists as the last.
For a moment he feels
Like the strength leaves him quickly,
And the hectic environment dissolves into the air,
Now the voices he hears waft vaguely and weakly,
Then, without any reason disappear somewhere,
And the pain from the wounds now is no longer there…
He opens his eyes,
And sees a beautiful glare;
It is all around him, and the glorious sound
Is flowing right out of the gorgeous, outgoing light
That is vast, so incredible, for there is no a certain bound
Of this place, that is friendly and heavenly bright,
It is open and clear, without a disguise,
And he looks with the wonder around
With the genuine delight and surprise.
“Where am I?
And what is this place?
It is beautiful and full of grace!”
And though he did not say it aloud,
Yet his thoughts had created the sound-
Like an echo in empty space.
Then he sees,
How out of the light
Glowing figures of people appear.
With the genuine ease
They approach to the knight.
Now their faces are visually clear.
There he falls on his knees,
He is so dazed and surprised.
For there are all his friends,
And the people he knows;
From the world's far ends,
Among them even those,
Who have died a long ago.
And everyone emanates
An unearthly, fine glow.
This environment creates
Sound's beautiful flow.
“Rise from your knees,
My dear, faithful friend”
The tender voice says gently from above;
“This place is a temple of holy grace and peace,
Your earthly trials came to their end,
Now you deserve forgiveness and love!”
“Please, go and join them,
They are all your friends,
You've saved your island, kept your strong belief,
Your earthly life will live on as a poem,
But holy life in here never ends,
And you’ll no longer know a loss and grief!”
The knight stands up,
And suddenly his soul fills up
With immense happiness and joy,
Its pure undefiled alloy...
* * *
He joined his friends as story says,
And there were other knights,
Who perished there on those days,
And went to their holy lights.
Through all these years,
And centuries that gone,
Unfading memory of those uneasy roads,
That faithful knights and Philip de Villiers
There passed with honour, will live on,
About who bravely fell defending island Rhodes...
~~~~~+++~~~~~
