Poetry: The Ballad of Temeraire: Gen

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Title: The Ballad of Temeraire
Fandom: Temeraire [book 1, His Majesty's Dragon, Naomi Novik]
Poetic Form: Ballad
Rating: Gen
Word Count: 298
Prompt: 100 Fandoms Challenge 031. courage


A dragon’s egg, a spoil of war.
Ship’s crew draw lots and wait.
The hatchling chooses for the Corps.
A captain names his fate.

A virgin flight, a rescue brave,
a first kind word bestowed.
The sea gives up its fruits to stave
a hungry dragon’s goad.

On land, stern reckonings await
as rules are brought to bear.
But final say of handler-mate
belongs to Temeraire.

A day to bid farewell to old
and break unspoken vows
Then off to join the new life’s fold
of battle-ready boughs.

A settling in for man and beast
by training field and loch.
Some close-held notions rise like yeast,
some sink like cast-off rocks.

A dragon who’s not like the rest,
a handler much the same.
A bright, new pearl when laid abreast
turns savage doubts to tame.

Another rescue, bravely done,
a dragon’s mettle shown.
A first mate chosen, new start won,
an aviator grown.

A book of tales arrives by post
to while away the nights,
and Temeraire begins to boast
a ruff of tendrils tight.

The camp accepts a refugee,
a pair fast fleeing strife.
And Laurence gawps at just how free
is fairer flyer’s life.

A dragon hatched at sea returns
to fish and briny air.
Aboard rife speculation burns
of war: the when and where.

A trust betrayed, a traitor hanged,
a dragon exiled far.
At last, the battle threat is fanged.
The Corps is set to spar!

The dragons’ courage proudly gleams
like sunlight upon air.
And victory’s won by flying teams,
above all, Temeraire.

As victors celebrate, a guest
has news for Temeraire:
divine wind in a dragon’s chest
is mark of Celestial rare.

A dragon rests, a happy heap,
in perfect company;
a tired once-captain falls asleep
to a heartbeat like the sea.

Comments

[smallhobbit]

This is absolutely lovely. I enjoyed the progress as Temeraire and Lawrence grow into their new life, and the final verse is perfect - just how I like to think of them.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you! I really liked the way she ended the first book. It was deftly and beautifully done. And I enjoyed the re-read. I always think of Lawrence as the paragon of your competency kink.

[smallhobbit]

Yes, Lawrence was one of the attractions, plus having a dragon of course.

[ilthit]

*applauds*

This made me realize how little I remember of the series. Should put that on the re-read list.

I'm very impressed that you manage poetry so often, let alone rhymed poetry. :D

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you!

I haven't read all of them, but I enjoyed a re-read of Book 1 to do this.

I think of myself as a poet at heart. Even if I stop writing fic, I'll probably always scribble verse here and there. And it is usually metrical verse. I much prefer set forms with rhyme patterns to free verse.

[ilthit]

Well, you make lovely poetry! I've written some in my time but it's really a once in a blue moon thing. I'm still proud of the English poem I wrote for school that impressed my English teacher so much she sought me out after class to tell me how good it was. XD

I've been subscribing to DailyPoetry for a while now, it's almost all free verse, but some of it is very good.

[debriswoman]

This moves along really well, some apt and lovely phrases.

[stonepicnicking_okapi]

Thank you very much! That means the world coming from you. I do feel I'm getting better with my ballads with practice.