Lute Of The Troubadour

Lute Of The Troubadour
© Surazeus
2023 12 18

Patrolling lands around the castle hall, 
young Sheriff Herrius on white prancing horse 
spots beautiful girl with long golden hair 
who strums new polished lute and sings sweet tune 
while couples dance among the apple trees 
where they make love, enchanted by her spell. 

Entranced by gleaming diamonds of her eyes, 
Herrius pushes her down by garden wall 
and fills her womb with spirit of his love 
while she stares surprised at the silver sky, 
then gives her soft kiss on her blushing cheek 
while he rides away with a cheerful wave. 

Enraged at violation of her right 
to choose the man whose child she wants to bear, 
Garsenda retreats to her secret cave 
where she eats mushrooms to abort the child, 
but she sees Phoebus descend from the sun 
and fill her body with transcendent glow. 

When morning sun gleams on the apple trees, 
Abbot Rolandus strolls on the lake shore 
where he finds her baby boy in a basket, 
so he gives him to the gardener Alis 
who breastfeeds him while yellow sparrows chirp, 
so Garsenda slips away as she weeps. 

The little boy, that Alis names Albric, 
tries to play the large lute left in his basket, 
but people throw cabbages at his head, 
so he finds the old troubadour Giraut, 
who teaches him how to improvise ballads 
while strumming sweet notes that enchant the heart. 

Knocking at the gold gate of paradise, 
he asks admittance to Garden of Love, 
so Isolde, princess surrounded girls, 
invites him in to play, but when he sings 
they mock his croaky voice and call him crow, 
so he runs back to the abbey to cry. 

Hiding among the rosemary and thyme, 
Albric plucks strings on the lute of his heart, 
till from anguish he composes sweet tune 
and sings about the girl with starry eyes 
when Beatriz, daughter of the gardener, 
brings him roast lamb and apple pie to eat. 

Kissing his mouth smeared with her apple pie, 
Beatriz pulls Albric deep into her heart, 
and they make love among white butterflies, 
then stroll in woods to find berries and eggs 
for Alis to cook for their wedding feast, 
and they dance all night by the silver moon. 

After giving birth to boy of their heart, 
Beatriz calls out for Albric to appear, 
but no one has seen him for several days, 
and she cries when Roger, the blacksmith, claims 
he was seen running away to the castle 
and told farmer Pier he was seeking fame. 

Three years after kind Albric disappeared, 
Beatriz marries Roger, and bears three sons, 
but she favors her eldest son, Perseval, 
who learns to play the lute from Auberon, 
so they play in the castle for the Duke 
when he entertains courtiers from the King. 

One day while foraging in the deep woods, 
Beatriz finds hidden under pile of oak limbs 
mangled skeleton of Albric, her love, 
skull crushed as if from sharp blow to his head, 
whose hand still clutches his time-weathered lute, 
so she weeps in shock from her broken heart. 

Cooking special mushroom stew just for Roger, 
Beatriz places large bowl with beaming smile, 
but, as he eats with relish of his pride, 
she shows him the old lute, still stained with blood, 
then smirks with knowledge of his evil deed 
while he chokes to death with fear in his eyes. 

Dressed in elegant gold-embroidered cloak, 
and leather hat with feathers of the swan, 
Perseval performs by the garden pool 
before beautiful Princess Eleanor, 
whose emerald eyes gleam with flirtatious glee 
when he compares her to the graceful hind. 

Holding hands with warm electric desire, 
Eleanor and Perseval, secret lovers, 
run romantically through beams of sunlight, 
cloaks fluttering in cool eager river breeze, 
eyes flashing with joy at forbidden passion 
as they smile at each other with sweet lust. 

While the Third Son of the King with his crew 
hunt for the gold hind and the silver wolf 
with arrows notched in yew bows taut with rage, 
Eleanor opens treasure of her heart 
for Perseval to pleasure her with love, 
and they grasp each other tight as they kiss. 

Filling her heart with spirit of his love, 
Perseval cries out with ecstatic joy, 
and Eleanor sees him become the god 
as Phoebus beams bright spirit of the sun 
that luminates her mind with holy vision 
that she will birth the Angel Gabriel. 

Collapsing on her breast with anguished cry, 
Perseval stares so deep into her eyes 
that she feels strange terror strike at her soul, 
then finds that an arrow has pierced his heart, 
and screams as Third Son of the King appears 
and kicks the dead troubadour in the stream. 

Stretching out her arms to touch his cold hand, 
Eleanor sobs at sight of his dead eyes, 
then screams and punches Third Son of the King 
as he rapes her with fierce possessive growl, 
declaring that the first child she will bear 
will blossom from seed of his noble power. 

After wedding with Third Son of the King, 
Eleanor sits numb, paralyzed with fear, 
between the old king and his half-blind queen, 
feeling nauseous as she stares at the beef, 
but drinks the grail of wine with grim ennui, 
and weeps when Tibors sings a sad love ballad. 

Naming the daughter she bears Gabriela, 
Eleanor treasures angel of her heart 
whose eyes gleam silver as eyes of the wolf 
who wooed her heart in garden of delight, 
and teaches her how to play the small lute 
in secret while her husband plays with whores. 

When she is thirteen, blooming as an angel, 
Gabriela dresses in long white gown 
with swan wings, and tiara with nine diamonds, 
then stands before the whole court in the castle 
to sing hymn she wrote that celebrates Easter, 
about how Christ has risen from the dead. 

Realizing with shock of bitter rage 
that beautiful and elegant Gabriela 
is daughter of the troubadour he killed, 
the Third Son of the King runs to their chamber 
where Eleanor laughs at him with despair 
as he chokes her to death on the silk bed. 

Shocked to see her father killing her mother, 
Gabriela races to tell the King 
who sends soldiers to arrest him for murder, 
but he runs spiral steps to tower room 
where he leaps in attempt to fly to Heaven, 
but tumbles wingless on sharp rocks below. 

Wandering on the signless road town to town, 
Gabriela strums lute and sings sweet tune 
while couples dance, enchanted by her spell, 
then spies handsome Sherrif on prancing horse 
who offers her shelter in castle hall 
where they kiss after eating lamb and wine.