Say that the men of the old black tower,
Though they but feed as the goatherd feeds,
Their money spent, their wine gone sour,
Lack nothing that a soldier needs,
That all are oath-bound men:
Those banners come not in.
There in the tomb stand the dead upright,
But winds come up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
Those banners come to bribe or threaten,
Or whisper that a man’s a fool
Who, when his own right king’s forgotten,
Cares what king sets up his rule.
If he died long ago
Why do you dread us so?
There in the tomb drops the faint moonlight,
But wind comes up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
The tower’s old cook that must climb and clamber
Catching small birds in the dew of the morn
When we hale men lie stretched in slumber
Swears that he hears the king’s great horn.
But he’s a lying hound:
Stand we on guard oath-bound!
There in the tomb the dark grows blacker,
But wind comes up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine.
skjaere –
This was the first BPAL scent I invested in a bottle of. I bought 5 ml in 2006, and 15 years later, the scent is still rich at true. Fresh, it is rich, bittersweet, and chocolatey. It fades to something sweeter, with a dark, rich undertone that can only be described as “purple”. An excellent scent for any time of year, though I associate it most strongly with summer. 5/5.
teagrrs –
My husband and I tried this on together. On me it smells more cocoa-y with maybe coffe/spice wine notes. On him the other notes were there but definitely more spice rum forward. Fun!
satsuma.rat –
Four stars for the concept and how it smells in the bottle (heady cocoa and hot, rich coffee). On my skin, it smells like sun-warmed hay and alfalfa with a hint of iced red wine. So, yes, it smells like drunken rabbits on me – but probably not in the way that was intended! I’m jealous of all the folks who get the intended scent, because it sounds amazing.
Gloame –
The most delicious purple-fruited chocolate, with a touch of coffee. I swear, coffee never shows up on me, even when it’s the first listed note (wahh), but this smells so good. It reminds me of the new American Gods blend, The Jeweled Spider, but less dirty. This smells happy and it makes me hungry for some non-existent tart. (Isn’t it weird how sometimes you crave a food that doesn’t exist, except in fantasy novels?)
Where I’d wear it: Picking out sweets from Honeydukes on the first Hogsmeade Weekend of the autumn term at Hogwarts
littlejackal –
A scent that perfectly compliments my bakery job! Extremely dessert-y, yet with a sophistication that renders it entirely separate from cheap sugar cookie spritzers a la Bath and Bodyworks. I wouldn’t recommend the scent for formal, refined events, but as an everyday fragrance it’s fun and appealing. I’d be careful wearing it to work however, the alcohol notes are apparent. My only complaint is that “blood” was in the description and I certainly do not detect any coppery or salty notes.
littlejackal –
Smells just like an old fashioned candy store! not picking up on much of the red wine or blood though.
lookingglass –
Dark, delicious and evil! Really chocolatey in the bottle, but as soon as it hits the skin it is zingy red wine, and spicy incense. On the dry-down it is kind of fruity, but dark and warm, cocoa adding depth. One of my partner’s favorites.
VetchVespers –
I like this one! Wine notes tend to go too sweet on me, b/this one has enough depth it works. Spicy, dark wine, w/a soft touch of raw cocoa. Those rabbits are really live’n it up!
I’ll enjoy having an imp around for the fall and winter festivities.
nephil9 –
I found this scent repulsive from the bottle, but very interesting when on the skin. On my skin it smells like bitter chocolate and Palo Santo incense. It’s a very potent combination that I wouldn’t personally use for daily wear, but would totally wear on special nights. Something about this scent feels very wild and magical… I feel it should be worn while dancing around bonfires as opposed to doing things like going out for a quiet dinner.
Nataliya Vladimirovna –
One of the best scents I’ve ever come across, sweet, touching and attaching.
To me it smells like cookies. Ginger Christmas cookies, to be more exact, with some cocoa and insence notes. I can say this fragrance is completely mine, I want to smell of those four hundred mexican rabbits all day long. Got the sample and will surely order a 5 ml bottle.
unicorngoth –
This is a very warm scent, with strong cocoa notes. It won’t make you smell like a chocolate bar, but it is fairly sweet. Unfortunately, the cocoa overpowers everything else. The rum and wine notes are too subtle for my tastes. It’s not a bad scent, but I don’t think it’s for me.