Apr 13, 2009

Rowan of the Wood by Christine and Ethan Rose

I'd like to welcome Christine Rose and Ethan Rose, authors of Rowan of the Wood, to Savvy Verse & Wit. They kindly offered an epic poem in honor of National Poetry Month.

In th’ mists of time of ages past,
Two mighty druids were wed.
By truth and wisdom, strong and kind,
Their people would be led.

But raiders came from ‘cross the sea
And tore the two asunder.
With blades of steel and a righteous god,
They came to kill and plunder.

The Samhain gate let some escape
And hide in the Summer Land.
Fiana went through; but Rowan remained
To protect their tribal band.

...but alas...
He waited too long; the door was gone
When he went to join his wife.
The men approached; He hid in his wand
To try and save his life.

In one year’s time, the door would op’n,
Then Fiana could release him
But a warrior monk then grabbed the wand
And carried if off on a whim.

When she returned, her heart did break.
Her love was not t’be found.
She vowed her life to find her love
And searched the world around.
She traveled far to tell her tale
With spells both canny n’strong.
The wand still lost, eluded by fate:
Her powers almost gone.

To another she went and power he lent
To keep her hale much longer.
A boon he sought; companions he gave
To continue her quest far stronger.

With th’ Sons of Fey in canine form
And a century more of life,
She sought the spor though the trail was cold.
A true and faithful wife.
An impossible quest, pursued without rest
But still she would not falter.
She search the East; She searched the West.
Her goal she would not alter.
Her companions true, in closeness drew
And helped her on her way.
Sharing her road their pleasures few
Beside her never to stray.
Though th’ road was dark; their future stark,
Their quest now grown to a myth,
She journeyed on and left a cairn
For Rowan, a stone kiss.

New century gone and death approached!
A choice now had to be made.
To darkness turn and companions lose:
A grim and costly trade.

Moroi had come with their midnight ways
to offer life eternal.
Death the price and endless thirst,
Her fate now infernal.

The sun was lost; the earth was gained.
The canine spells were broken.
Two fled in fear; the mad remained.
Their bond but now a token.

Her soul was lost beyond recall.
Her quest became a danger.
If ever she found her missing love,
To him she’d be a stranger.

With darkness entwined; her power combined,
Would give rise to something evil.
Deep, dark despair would cover the earth
And cause a great upheaval.

So Arthur knew, and Duncan too,
That she could not succeed.
The Sons of Fey must find the wand,
So it could be concealed.

They traveled far on separate roads
‘Til their quest had ended.
Now hidden deep ‘neath puissant spells,
The wand, it fin’ly rested.

For more information about this book, check out their
Website and check out the book trailer.

About the Book:

An ancient wizard possesses a young boy after a millennium of imprisonment in a magic wand. He emerges from the child in the face of danger and discovers Fiana, his new bride from the past, has somehow survived time and become something evil.

About the Authors:

Christine & Ethan Rose have marvelous imaginations. Often finding their inspiration among the trees, they write as they lead their lives…with plenty of adventure, magic and love. Although many tragic heroes begin as orphans, Ethan actually was one. He grew up amongst the magical redwoods in Northern California and has read virtually every fantasy novel ever written. Anglophile Christine holds her M.A. in Medieval/Renaissance Literature & Folklore. She wrote her Master’s Thesis on Le Morte D’arthur, and produced two documentary films. Christine’s scholarly, goal-oriented background mixed with Ethan’s in-depth knowledge of modern fantasy creates an impenetrable team of writers who look forward to writing more books together. They live in Austin with their three canine kids and Shadow, the cat. This is their premiere novel.

11 comments:

bermudaonion said...

What a great post. I love the picture of them by the camper.

Christine Rose said...

Thanks for hosting us today Serena!

And thanks for stopping by bermudaonion! I'm glad you liked the post.

Since our book is based in Celtic Mythology, we wrote the story in verse to serve as a the Bardic Tale of our own Celtic Myth, handed down through the generations (Rowan and Fiana are druids from the 6th c). We might put this poem in the beginning of the sequel Witch on the Water.

We're also working on a prose story to be told in the Bardic Tradition, as told in fireside storytelling with harp (or lyre) accompaniment.

You can see the Sutton Hoo Lyre Ethan built me on one of our YouTube videos. My first storytelling performance is in May, but you can bet I'll put it on YouTube as well.

I'll be around all day to answer questions and respond to comments!

Serena said...

Bermudaonion: I love that photo as well.

Christine: That is not a problem at all...thanks for making up a poem to help celebrate National Poetry Month here. I wish you luck with all these great projects and I'm happy that the poem may make it in the sequel!

LuAnn said...

Bravo!!

Christine Rose said...

LuAnn:

Merci!

Anna said...

Interesting poem. I'm enjoying all your National Poetry Month posts.

--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric

Christine Rose said...

Hey Anna! Thanks!

It was fun to work on. I haven't written in verse since I tried to write sonnets back in college, nearly 20 yrs ago.

:-D

Christine Rose said...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by today and left a comment!

Thanks also to Serena for hosting us!!

It's been fun!

Nicole said...

I am not usually into this kind of work, but I think I'm hooked. I'm going to have to "step out of the box" and look for this one.

Serena said...

Nicole: I'm glad that their epic poem was inspiring enough to get you to look outside your normal reading habits and consider something new to you.

Christine Rose said...

Hey Nicole! You just made my day!