Strolling down the beach in the placid dark of night
I heard an ethereal tingling in the silvery tide.
Looking around, I saw nothing – but then I heard a song,
a tender, meandering melody followed me all along.
A softly humming voice made me almost forget
all about the foamy waves that left the beach so wet.
My shoes got soaked, so I took them off and carried them in hand
and made my way back to the dunes to repose in the sand.
I just dozed off into sweet dreams when the voice returned to me,
I couldn’t help but listen, so beautiful sang she.
Her language was a strange one, I could not understand,
she must have come from very far, unknown, exotic land.
Then there appeared a shadow out of the misty dusk,
and I did smell the perfume of sweet seductive musk.
She danced towards me, almost nude, dressed in pearls alone,
and kept on singing all the while in the most harmonic tone.
She took me by the hand, and towed me back to sea,
the tide was out, which sealed my fate: the current soon took me.
I tried to swim for life, yet I was going down,
but much to my surprise, the water did not make me drown.
Instead, I grounded on a bank, of coral it was made,
and there she lay beside me, just in her natural state.
Then she told me of her life, they were wondrous tales,
she said: “welcome to my palace, I’m the princess of whales.
If you will be my prince, wherever we may roam,
then write a goodbye letter to your folks at home.”
So here it is, dear finder: so long and fare thee well,
if you take this message home, you’ll have a tale to tell!
*
You are astonishing, Peter! I’ve read so much so-called rhyming poetry written by native English speakers that can’t hold a candle to this. Very well done 🙂
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Thanks, Jane! I’m honoured. By the way: My reblog of your ‘Only the night’ earned a well deserved 5 stars!
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I’m very flattered 🙂 It’s a poem I liked too.
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Pingback: Poetry challenge: Message in a bottle – Jane Dougherty Writes
I could imagine a bard telling (or singing) this story long ago.
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If anyone feels like setting this to music, I shall be happy to sing it 🙂
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🙂
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Het blijft hangen..mooi
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Flessen die overzeese stranden met elkaar verbinden, daar ga ik makkelijk voor zitten. Alleen las ik het alsof het proza was. Dat doe ik altijd met een gedicht dat mijn aandacht trekt want, wat het ook moge zijn, íets belet me om poëzie te waarderen. Ook als echt afscheid zou deze brief een romantisch vaarwel zijn! .-
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Bij een herlezing amuseerde ik me met het geluk dat je later toch ging begrijpen wat zij jou vertelde, en ook met de vraag of the “princess of whales” afkomstig kunnen zijn uit Groot-Brittannië? 😉
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