Lament, by Zdenka

[zdenka]

Author: Zdenka
Title: Lament
Characters: Rían
Text type / Format: poetry
Source / Fandom: The Silmarillion
Rating: T
Warnings: Choose Not To Warn
Word Count: 122
Summary: My heart goes calling, calling, / Like a small bird in the leaves.
Author notes: Written for the 2022 amnesty, for the thematic prompt "harvest" (September 2022) and the formal challenge "quatrains" (April 2021). I realized on rereading that I hadn't actually used the word harvest, though I was sure I had . . . But I sometimes get music running through my head while I'm writing, and for this it was the opening chorus of Mendelssohn's Elijah: "The harvest now is over, the summer days are gone, and yet no power cometh to help us." Also written for fffc 2022 Winter Calendar for the prompt "four calling birds".


Lament

The summer days have ended,
My foolish spirit grieves;
My heart goes calling, calling,
Like a small bird in the leaves.

Bare are the branches,
Black is the thorn;
My heart goes calling, calling,
Like a small bird forlorn.

The leaves have all fallen,
The fields are bare of grain;
My heart goes calling, calling,
Like a small bird through the rain.

My spirit still is grieving,
And will not be consoled;
My heart goes calling, calling,
Like a bird in bitter cold.

Heavy the snow falls,
Loud is the storm;
My heart goes calling, calling,
But my voice dies unborn.

Late comes the pale dawning,
The night is drear and long;
When will the spring return,
And bring back my song?


also here on AO3