the Grail Castle

It is said that at Solstice
the Sun stands Still
and the Grail Castle vanishes.

when danger threatens,
the Veil of Concealment falls
across the Island and the entire Realm
disappears.

And thus it is called
the Island In Between

at Corbenic, Dinas Bran,
the Castle of Souls, Castle of Joy.
at Avalon, Manawydans Caer,
Isle of Peace, Island of Joy,
the Peel Castle, the Crow Castle,
Island of Apples, Isle of Dreams,
the Choker Fort, Sea Fortress.

here is the Court of Bran of the Ravens,
the Grove of the Oracular Head.
the Court of the Fisher King
the High Temple of the Holy Grail.
Here Merlin reigns inside a Wheel of Fire,
here the Necropolis of the Kings of Britain.

here the Head of Bran upon its Platter,
here the Cauldron that Dwrnach the Giant stole,
here the Bleeding Spear that struck the Dolorous Blow,
here the Burning Sword of Destiny

here it was that Merlyn
cast the Spell of Sleep
upon the Giants who constructed
the Temples of Stone.
Deep in a Maze within the Catacombs
they Sleep for Aeons.

here the Treasury of Arthur,
Plunder and spoils from a hundred realms,
treasure trove from a hundred forts,
tribute from a hundred kings.

here it is that the treasure of Merlyn is hid,
waiting for the fair haired youth
with blue eyes
and a dog who can see the wind

here is the Seeing Stone, the Singing Stone,
the Stone of Echymeint,
in which the true King can see all in his Kingdom:
the King is the Land as the Land is the King.

This was the Third Entrapment of Arthur:
for three days and three nights
Arthur lay in a grave beneath the Slab
gazing enchanted at the Stone
that fell from the heavens,
while the carvings thereupon
writhed and flickered wildly.

And it was Lancelot,
the Queens Knight,
who summoned the strength
to lift the giant slab,
to free Arthur to be reborn.

And the second Imprisonment of Arthur
was by the will of Gwenevere, his wife,
when Arthur ran mad after the battle
with the Werewolves at Tryvwyd.

For three days and nights
She kept him chained in the dreaming tower,
whilst he raged and swore
and foamed at the mouth,
tried with the strength of ten
to rend her limb from limb.

And it was Goreu, son of Constantine,
who saved Arthur's sanity with a potion
brought with all haste from Nimue
on the Isle of Avalon.

And the First Exalted Prisoner,
entrapped in the Caer Siddhi.
Hostage of the Fair Folk
in the Castle of Marvels and Wonders,
the Turning Castle on the
Island of the Strong Door.
In a prison made of bones
of slaughtered sacrifices
for the Gods of the Dark Ones.

the Dark Ones who drink the blood
of the human sacrifice.
Who hang the Summer King
upon the Oaken Throne,
and with the sickle knife
take his manhood.
his Blood will fertilise the Land

And this was the Warrior
who rescued Arthur from this Captivity:

Owain of the Golden Torc,
Owain son of Urien
Owain of the Ravens
Prince of Reged.

the Three Flights of Ravens:
the three hundred swords of Kynvarch,
the three hundred shields of Cynwydd
the three hundred spears of Coel.
On whatever expedition they might go in unison,
they would never fail.