Ragged walls of the tower are hidden away By the cloak of dark moss and small flowers, They saw triumphs and grief, scrolls of stories they lay And cold mists of the past tell us even today Of the glorious years and hours Years never erase words of glory You have only to lift their veil, And to squeeze their necks for the story, And to capture the truth by its tail Locks will rust, guards will sleep, haughty towers will fall, Many years will pass, as if no time at all, And full hundreds of songs you will hear, as then, Of the tournaments, sieges, of keen merry men Among tunes, you will find a familiar one, And observe star-crossed lovers’ endeavors For the Love is as old and as high as the Sun, In the past, in the future, forever. Armor sang in high voice and gave way under blade Bowstrings smoked, wooden shafts snapped from pressure Death himself rode on lances, all true to his trade People fell into mud and for mercy they prayed Trading honor for life and possessions Many lived, but too few of the living Kept their vows to the merciful sky And did not stoop to vileness, receiving Cruel blows of the slanderer’s lie As is well, when your steed kicks dry dust on his trot And your lance hand is steady, and sharp is your sword As is well, when you know who will slash at your neck It is worse when you fear a stab in the back Do you bow to the villains, or do you still fight? Do you still fear hags and their cunning? Do you dare to declare wrong deeds outright In that kind and safe future that’s coming? From the old dawn of time, maybe even before, Traitor’s shame is unpaid and unmeasured. Foe is always a foe; war is always a war; Prison ceilings are low, only freedom can soar And we deem it the highest of treasures Years never erase ancient glory Human feelings don’t die, always reign And they flow onto you from each story Dark and steamy, as blood of one’s veins Yesterday and tomorrow, forever, my friend There are prices to pay, there are errors to mend All is well, if your conscience has nothing to hide And true friends will protect you from blows from behind        
© Oleg Roderik. Translation, ?