This is the poem that Evelyn recited to Julien, fortelling the
coming through of Lasher and of disaster ahead...
From Lasher, pgs. 417-418
Caution - some spoilers ahead!
One will rise who is too evil.
One will come who is too good.
'Twixt the two, a witch shall falter
and thereby open wide the door.
Pain and suffering as they stumble
Blood and fear before they learn.
Woe betide this Springtime Eden
Now the vale of those who mourn.
Beware the watchers in that hour
Bar the doctors from the house
Scholars will but nourish evil
Scientists would raise it high.
Let the devil speak his story
Let him rouse the angel's might
Make the dead come back to witness
Put the alchemist to flight.
Slay the flesh that is not human
Trust to weapons crude and cruel
For, dying on the verge of wisdom,
Tortured souls may seek the light.
Crush the babes who are not children
Show no mercy to the pure
Else shall Eden have no Springtime.
Else shall our kind reign no more.
I do not recall where I learned this, but I had read once that Stan
Rice had written this poem for the book Lasher. If this is
so, then this is a superb example of his prowess as a poet. It is
a darkly beautiful poem about real people in real chaos. See
www.stanrice.com to
visit Stan Rice's site. As it is stated there, if you
have any of his work, his family is searching for it. Please
contact them if you can be of any assistance.
Despite a witch's inability to control the future, this poem
demonstrates that, with the power to see, it is possible to see signs of
it. Those signs will not tell you in exact detail what you must do
when the hour arrives, but you will have some knowledge that the hour
was coming. Evelyn was clearly strong enough to envision such a
poem and to recite it to the one person determined to remain after death
to continue to fight Lasher and stop him from achieving his diabolical
goal.
Even in our most mundane, trouble-toiled lives, there is still that
connection to the spiritual and ethereal that does not necessarily
transport us, but informs us and broadens our understanding of our
world. Poetry conveys a great deal of ideas and emotions in a
short amount of well-chosen words and expressions and makes us ponder
the true state of our existence. Poetry makes us
think. It sharpens our minds, broadens our outlooks and
enriches our spirits.
This simple yet eloquent poem sums up the story of the Mayfair Witches
and advises Michael as to what he must consider if he is to defeat
Lasher. Again, it provokes Michael's thoughts, even if
it does not spell out exactly how the end is to come. It is
intended as a help if not a set of explicit instructions. Poetry
never worked that way.
Michael understands. Michael knows, somewhere in his mind, what
must be done. However, he knows not how the circumstances will be
set up or how exactly he will do what he must do.
