He stood upon his royal rock,
His eyes aglow, defiant.
Three times he heard the booming knock:
The summons of the giant.
The servant fawns began to pull.
His mighty doors strained wide.
And there the threat to his long rule,
The monster stood, his falcon cried.
The raptor flew, the giant roared,
The challenge had been made.
They all cried who him adored,
"The monster must be slayed!"
The King leapt forth, pursued by fawn
Assembling battle armour.
The ogre did his broadsword don.
All felt the combat ardour.
Long they readied for the duel,
And stared at one the other
In a manner cold and cruel,
Alike as man and brother.
Then, at last, the clarion sang,
And sun lost to horizon.
They to one another sprang,
Amidst the shadows rising.
The titan's blade scored the king,
The silver antlers ripped.
The flashing blade, the horns aswing,
The giant feinted; the stag, he slipped!
Whereupon the falcon swooped,
And fell upon that regal gaze.
Its claws went in and out they scooped.
Bloodied orbs now lost their blaze.
Sightless now, the king, he charged,
And giant danced around,
In royal guts his blade submerged.
The stag fell to the ground.
The monster raised his sword aloft,
Directed at the royal throat,
And happened then as happens oft,
The bully, he began to gloat.
"Kill you I will, and then your Queen!
And burn you in a pit, I will,
And make this kingdom clean!"
But then, gave beast a call most shrill.
For stag had raised his sightless eyes,
And sunk his antlers in the heart,
Bringing giant down to size.
And then at last did king depart.
The tale is closed by those attending,
With pious deer in keening threnos,
With cry of loyal bird ascending,
With monster under light of Venus.
But more was seen by those at hand,
Two shadows in a blinding light,
Fighting still in far off land,
Till phantoms faded, gone from sight.
As all before the king's son yield,
The courtly poets tell in rhyme,
He battles still in distant field,
With father's love till end of time.
