Hymn to the Winter Hunt

Hymn to the Winter Hunt

When cold winds from the northwest blow,

When moonlight casts its silver glow,

When the dark skies threaten snow

‘Tis then I hear their call.

It echoes through dark forest and fen,

A droning horn—and silence then

That makes the wary traveler ken

The truth behind the squall.

In icy blasts of wind that cut

Through clothes and doors kept tightly shut

There is a pounding; do you seek what

Lies out there in the thrall?

The Horned Man on rugged beast

That hunts the boar to make his feast

Or maybe like some darkened priest

Beckons you to heed the call.

To ride on winds above the ice,

To give the greatest sacrifice,

And surrender to that which does entice…

Are you ready for the fall?

Or perhaps, in swirling dark

You’ll fly just like a meadowlark

And find some light, a warming spark

Of truth behind it all.

Take heed, take heed, oh you who go

To travel in the ice and snow,

For hunters harry you as you go—

Death comes to us all.

 

Original Poetry