Chrysogonus #24 - oath of Mount Merapi

oath of Mount Merapi

the mountain never forgets

the sacred oath it swore

so many harvests back

a consecrated contract

sealed in molten earth, in fire

to be the warden of the north

for the kingdom of Ngayogyakarta

it had stood firm and unmoved

for ten generations of royal blood

never for a second would it leave

the land unguarded, unobserved

to be the cradle of the land

where rice will rise abundantly

where there will be no starvation

this side of wall of rocks

coated in lush green leaves and grass

the harvest moon enduring

to be the father of the land

ready to punish and destroy

all evil in his children

pyroclastic clouds and lava

sent to demolish

sand and rocks sent

to rebuild post-wrath

the mountain never forgets

ancient words uttered

kept in solemn silence

among peak crowning clouds

a contract we may forget

but the mountain remembers