An Ode to Shadow of the Colossus
Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2016 6:05 am
PART 1: Dealing with Death
My love lies lifeless.
A cursed fate; a sacrifice.
Mono. Once my maiden fair with flowing long hair,
Now fallen. Her skin feeling cool as ice.
For her I follow this bridge, I must acknowledge my plight.
My life left behind, I find
the Forbidden Land in day's first light.
Off furthest, the Shrine of Worship stands mirthless,
that foreboding tower of mystery and might.
My fingers feel for the ancient war sword,
for I form bargains with Dormin tonight.
Gravelly gates grind open... groaning... moaning...
'tis a ghoulish warning most grim.
Agro, my steed, takes heed, and ignores the reins
'til my grip pulls them tight in on him.
Intrepid, we step in and descend in the stairwell
spinning round and round the spiraling spire.
Down and down we go, sinking deep in,
as do my feelings, seeking for what soon shall transpire.
A wicked wind rolls in, blusterous,
whirring past idols of illustrious giants inset in stone walls.
Industrious in my goals, I set forth with no care for their stares,
in full gallop toward the altar at the end of the hall.
With tender care, and whispering prayers,
I rest her alone on the stone bed of the shrine.
The outdoor air is rustling her hair
Her cheeks warmly glow in flowing sunshine.
In moments as this I feel quite convinced that she must still be alive,
merely sleeping supine, her death but a guise
Open your eyes, Oh Love! Open your eyes!
Creeping behind me, crawling from cracks of concrete
slinking shadows coalesce into inky black forms.
I swivel, with my sword drawn, they shrivel, and are soon gone,
startled, as am I, by the blade glowing green and warm.
This stolen relic indeed holds magical power.
Dormin has taken notice. His voice swarms in like locusts.
We now settle upon that most fateful hour.
"A soul, once lost, cannot be reclaimed.
Is that not what the law of mortals ordains?"
"I care not for such laws, only the law of love!
A law as divine as the heavens above!"
"I will barter what you need, but I warn you take heed
for the price that you pay may be heavy indeed."
"Though you bear no eyes to trust in, nor hands to shake in custom,
your disembodied voice may name whatever its price.
I shall meet no offer with rejection. Mono's resurrection
is worth any conceivable sacrifice."
"Very well. The idols lining these walls, standing sixteen in all,
are guarded by magics making them impossible to crush.
You must embark thus, seek and destroy each colossus,
and the corresponding statues will crumble and fall."
His calls for violence fade to serious silence,
leaving me to ponder our agreement alone.
My heart pounds anxious palpitations
for surely his motivations are not mine, but his own.
Whether I be helped or betrayed, the deal is made.
There is no other way that the rule of death may be so disobeyed.
I glance back to the altar, "I promise my love, I will not falter in this task."
I raise my sword to the sun, light gathers unto a beam brightly cast
through this barren landscape, stretching the world's curved shape.
Atop my horse, I set course for horizons most vast,
littered with ghostly remnants of civilization's past.
Lonely and estranged, only one thing has changed,
now that this fearsome journey has begun:
Once again there is hope in my heart, whereas at the start, there existed none.
My love lies lifeless.
A cursed fate; a sacrifice.
Mono. Once my maiden fair with flowing long hair,
Now fallen. Her skin feeling cool as ice.
For her I follow this bridge, I must acknowledge my plight.
My life left behind, I find
the Forbidden Land in day's first light.
Off furthest, the Shrine of Worship stands mirthless,
that foreboding tower of mystery and might.
My fingers feel for the ancient war sword,
for I form bargains with Dormin tonight.
Gravelly gates grind open... groaning... moaning...
'tis a ghoulish warning most grim.
Agro, my steed, takes heed, and ignores the reins
'til my grip pulls them tight in on him.
Intrepid, we step in and descend in the stairwell
spinning round and round the spiraling spire.
Down and down we go, sinking deep in,
as do my feelings, seeking for what soon shall transpire.
A wicked wind rolls in, blusterous,
whirring past idols of illustrious giants inset in stone walls.
Industrious in my goals, I set forth with no care for their stares,
in full gallop toward the altar at the end of the hall.
With tender care, and whispering prayers,
I rest her alone on the stone bed of the shrine.
The outdoor air is rustling her hair
Her cheeks warmly glow in flowing sunshine.
In moments as this I feel quite convinced that she must still be alive,
merely sleeping supine, her death but a guise
Open your eyes, Oh Love! Open your eyes!
Creeping behind me, crawling from cracks of concrete
slinking shadows coalesce into inky black forms.
I swivel, with my sword drawn, they shrivel, and are soon gone,
startled, as am I, by the blade glowing green and warm.
This stolen relic indeed holds magical power.
Dormin has taken notice. His voice swarms in like locusts.
We now settle upon that most fateful hour.
"A soul, once lost, cannot be reclaimed.
Is that not what the law of mortals ordains?"
"I care not for such laws, only the law of love!
A law as divine as the heavens above!"
"I will barter what you need, but I warn you take heed
for the price that you pay may be heavy indeed."
"Though you bear no eyes to trust in, nor hands to shake in custom,
your disembodied voice may name whatever its price.
I shall meet no offer with rejection. Mono's resurrection
is worth any conceivable sacrifice."
"Very well. The idols lining these walls, standing sixteen in all,
are guarded by magics making them impossible to crush.
You must embark thus, seek and destroy each colossus,
and the corresponding statues will crumble and fall."
His calls for violence fade to serious silence,
leaving me to ponder our agreement alone.
My heart pounds anxious palpitations
for surely his motivations are not mine, but his own.
Whether I be helped or betrayed, the deal is made.
There is no other way that the rule of death may be so disobeyed.
I glance back to the altar, "I promise my love, I will not falter in this task."
I raise my sword to the sun, light gathers unto a beam brightly cast
through this barren landscape, stretching the world's curved shape.
Atop my horse, I set course for horizons most vast,
littered with ghostly remnants of civilization's past.
Lonely and estranged, only one thing has changed,
now that this fearsome journey has begun:
Once again there is hope in my heart, whereas at the start, there existed none.