The Ballade Of Attila The Hun Poem by Gert Strydom

(after C. M. van der Heever)

Over the mountains they come through the wilderness
where murderous they do ride into war
as rough barbarians that do fear nothing and nobody
and every living thing does try to avoid them.

Chorus:
The wishes of Attila becomes the law
and nobody can oppose the Huns
where they come in a cruel multitude
and do threaten kingdom after kingdom.

On a high hillock Attila stares in the morning-light
with his eyes bright and blue in his face,
as a victorious monarch on his horse
and he does suddenly frown

when he notices a multitude of lovely women in the valley below,
most do bow down before him and are eager to serve
but one does resist him and turns away from him,
do treat him like he thinks he does not deserve.

Fury and fierce hatred suddenly burns in him
when his multitude on horses do come down to the city
bringing destruction and annihilation everywhere
and that woman cannot disguise herself from him

and when again she looks in contempt at him,
he does like her more than any other woman,
do grab her with violence and drag her along,
forces her against her will to marry him.

She becomes his property,
is forced to sit with him at the table
where from a skull he drinks his wine
while a pig is fried on a spit.

Later he cannot wait longer on the marriage-night
and he does conquer her with his body's great power
where in tears for hours she lies under him,
do wait for the moment to escape

but when she does come slowly out from beneath him
she is totally surprised and also astonished
as he lies streched out and asleep
and a big dagger is right next to him,

for moments she lies while guards do shine with a torch,
and they do satisfied walk away from them into the night,
with rage she grabs that dagger and lift it with both hands
where it pierces Attila's heart again and again in the moonlight.

That night there is a thousand torches shining everywhere.
Every hillock and mountain has with the lights a big golden line
and where Europe sleeps in tranquillity it is screamed:"Attila is dead! "
Into the nought the murderess has disappeared.

[Reference:"Attila" by C. M. van der Heever.Poet's note:In the year 453 A.D. Attila was busy attacking the Eastern Roman Empire and according to a story he was murdered on his marriage-night by a woman that he forced to marry him against her will.]

© Gert Strydom