An Epic Poem
(Guide Theme in 4/4)
Many great deeds have you done, my son
Many great deeds have you done
Many campaigns by your hands were won
Many great deeds have you done
But orders were given, as well you knew
Thus did you forfeit your life
Ruled by your wrath you the prisoner slew
after he murdered your wife
Still to be questioned, he’d freed himself
using the shards of a lamp
Using the moonlight to lead himself
he sought to flee from the camp
Into your tent went his wandering route
Natiri screamed her last breath
Hearing her you, Kangkex, killed the scout
Thus were you sentenced to death
(Egyptian Theme in 7/8)
Darius the third was king
in Mesopotamia
He did not fear anything
but the king of Macedonia
Alexander’s reach had grown
Marching southward still he came
threatening the Persian’s throne
and his rule of Egypt just the same
His vast forces, some on horses,
he sent forth to the north
There they chanced upon a scout
who knew Alexander’s plan
Thus his army they might route
so they started questioning the man
He was wounded in the fight
when at first they’d captured him
So they left him for the night
as the light of day began to dim
Kangkex caught him and he fought him,
sealed his fate by his hate
(Horseman theme 4/4)
Beyond death Kangkex awoke
and the world rolled away like so much smoke
and he found himself in the judgment hall
in the palace of Osiris, his deeds upon papyrus
(7/8)
Kangkex stood before the judges in their hallowed hall
Being of Egyptian birth he knew them one and all
His heart was placed on their scale, a feather lay on the other side
He knew those magistrates very soon would his final fate decide
The scale revealed his heart was true; he thought he was in the clear
The Fields of Contentment therefore waited and the one he held dear
But then the god Osiris spoke and this is what he said,
“Your deeds have damned you and you must face the Eater of the Dead.
“You killed the scout and he knew the route that Alexander would take
You cost your master the war and you must compensation make
Because you faced the Scales and won, these short swords you may take
To your beloved, Natiri, you may yet a passage make.”
Kangkex entered the lair where he would face the ultimate foe
There was a maze on the other side, the only place he could go
But he would have to use his short swords to climb a vertical wall
The maze held horrors and he would have to face them one and all
Kangkex swung his swords with all his might,
Waging war on the Beast of Night
It was immortal, so it couldn’t die
Around it he needed to get by
His short swords gave it a big surprise
But it refused to be robbed of its prize
By fancy footwork he’d learned to do,
the swordsman won his way through
He maneuvered his way to the wall
From its purchase he dared not fall
With his short swords he climbed up its face
Barely did he just win that race
The creature swiped at his climbing feet
but could not reach him in his swift retreat
He reached the ledge and then disappeared
into the maze that he feared
The darkness surrounded, robbed him of sight
His eyes were confounded to face his fright
He heard the coming of fearsome wings
It chilled him to the core of his being
He had to silence his primal fears
and find the creature with just his ears
He swung his swords at the flapping sound
His weapons somehow their target found
But more such monsters flew to the fight
He had to disavow all his fright
His foes were hovering at arm’s length
and quickly sapping him of his strength
But through attrition their numbers fell
as he confronted the Wings of Hell
Kangkex was not overcome,
not even by the monsters’ sum
He met their challenge through his travail
And ultimately he did prevail
♫
(4/4)
But soon he found
his way no longer went on solid ground
It went below
with water the only way he could go
The tunnel dove
Against now an airless passage he strove
So he took a deep breath
and hoped that this wasn’t death
A strange weak light
came out from the walls and broke up the night
allowing him to see
the tunnel abruptly split into three
If he chose wrong
he knew it would be the end of his song
But he’d not be denied
and would not turn aside
(7/8)
Coming up through the surface
he could see a faraway light
Gratefully he took in a breath
He clearly had chosen right
He kept the points of his short swords
up against each opposite wall
The sound they made suddenly changed
and kept him from taking a fall
Striking out with the sword tips
he was able to make some sparks
Using their meager light gave him
a way to peer through the dark
A yawning chasm stretched out before him
fully blocking his path
And he was weighted down by his swords
and soaked from taking a bath
One of his swords he tossed onto
the other side of the pit
The other he dropped into the chasm
hoping to fathom it
If he fell in but survived the fall
a weapon he just might need
But hoping to cross that gaping gulf
he sure was missing his steed
No sound of the short sword striking bottom
ever did reach his ears
It left him bemoaning his decision,
magnifying his fears
(7/8)
With a running start Kangkex did leap,
springing over the chasm deep,
landing lightly on the other side
Soon now he would rejoin his bride
The time for violence was now quite past
He walked around the short sword he had cast
And as he stepped out into the light
Natiri greeted his sight
