The Hero and the Monk

And as the hero wound his way
Between the pillars of ivory,
He saw a monk, all dressed in red,
Who told him of his destiny.

And as they walked and talked thus far
Beneath a moon of golden hue,
The monk forbade him live to kill,
But kill to live the men he slew.

And over hills, and over fields,
And over lakes, as well, they trod.
The monk showed him the ways of men,
And spoke about the ways of God.

And as the moon sank to the ground,
And as the sun dispersed the night,
He gave to him a silvery sword,
And quickly vanished from his sight.

The hero, left alone once more,
Took up the sword as day crept on,
Removed the weapon from his belt,
Replaced it with the bloodless one.

And as he turned to walk away,
The sun rose up into the sky,
The phoenix rose from out the flames,
The phoenix that will never die!