A Blindworm’s Revenge

Cherry

By onemorething

Fri, 29 Apr 2022
  • 1410 reads
11 comments
 

This is based on the Grimms' fairytale of the Nightingale and the Blindworm. The Nightingale and the Blindworm both have one eye each. The nightingale is going to a wedding so asks the blindworm if she can borrow an eye, just for the day. However, she really enjoys having two eyes, being able to see from both sides of her head so she refuses to return the eye. The blindworm swears revenge, that she'll climb the tree and pierce her eggs, but the nightingale says she will build her nests high in linden trees and never be caught. The blindworm waits beneath the tree, bent on a revenge that can never be sated. The nightingale sings: 

"I'll build my nest in the linden, so high, so high, so high. You'll never be able to find it, no matter how hard you try."

Slawyrm - OE for slow worm

Macbeth Act 4, Scene 1, Second Witch: 

'In the cauldron boil and bake;

Eye of newt and toe of frog,

wool of bat and tongue of dog,

adder's fork and blind-worm's sting.
 

 

The slawyrm waits for night

in the wallow of a day's warmth,

dozes, dreams of a witch's pot,

her sting, a deft trick. 
 

But awake - smooth, smooth

in earthgold, shimmers and crawls,

starlit, blinks a way over heath,

ardent for revenge. 

 

The nightingale croons, 

hidden high, high; feathered thief,

scoffs - what justice!

laughs - this legless snake! 
 

And the moon is distracted

by questions of astronomy, 

the stars are silent, 

the linden tree sleeps.

 

Image of slow worm is from here: https://tinyurl.com/4a2j286s

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Comments

Submitted by celticman on

revenge always has a logic. I didn't think I'd start siding with a worm, but I guess that's the kind of worm I am. 

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Yes, it does. Sympathy for the worm...better than for the devil, I suppose. Thanks for the cherries, CM.

 

Submitted by marandina on

"And the moon is distracted..by questions of astronomy.." You have done well to give it a Shakespearean feel. It has a different dimension as a result and works well! Paul :)

 

Submitted by onemorething on

Thanks Paul, glad you liked it. :)

 

Submitted by Insertponceyfre... on

I never heard this wonderful story before. Beautifully menacing - thank you!

 

Submitted by onemorething on

It is, isn't it. I couldn't find it in my copy of Grimms' fairytales, I could only find it online. As always though, a dark little tale. Thank you for reading it. :)

 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

A slithering poem of thoughtful revenge by an avenging, warrior worm, and perfectly executed in Shakespearean tone. You have a definite talent for this Onemorething. Pray do more...smiley

Penny4athought

Submitted by onemorething on

Ah, thanks so much Penny. Am very happy you enjoyed it. I may well write more, am very keen on fairytales. :)

 

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I love your interpretation in this poem Rachel, it's both enchanting and menacing. A skilful description of a story I've never heard of before.

Thank you for sharing.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by onemorething on

You're very welcome, Jenny. I'm glad you liked it, thanks for reading it. :)

 

Submitted by Di_Hard on

Oh! I love the sounds in this one. 

"wallow of a day's warmth" this is PERFECT

".... smooth, smooth

in earthgold, shimmers and crawls,

starlit, blinks"   I like very much how you repeat smooth, making me think of the repeating shape of a snake's moving, the ripple. I love earthgold, the richness. And shimmers again makes me think of slithering, but so much more beautiful, and how it's linked with crawls which is often referring to ugly things, the mixture of the two. And then starlit and blinks, how stars often blink, but the creature cannot even blink for it cannot see at all, all this beauty,of itself, of the land around it, means nothing.

And then, there is also the character you give it, how it imagines the wtich's spell, dreams of being as powerful. And how revenge can do this, make one think only of one's negative qualities so as to weaponise oneself.

Is a WONDERFUL poem