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.
andthelawwon –
I ordered this as an imp. I’ve amassed maybe 25 or so imps, and I’ve found a lot of scents that I love, but this was the first time I smelled my own personality in a tiny bottle. Red, resinous, and ruthless. This scent all but screams “If you had fought like a man, you would not have died like a dog”. This smells like my personality but, like, more.
CarolineCarnivorous –
Wet it’s overpowering incensey. As it dries down it becomes warmer and more pleasant. It smells kinda exotic and sweet on me. It mellows down at a good pace, and as I’m writing this it might have lasted me 12 hours already.
fionnulaocahill –
Deliciously smoky with creamy undertones. Patchouli is a forerunner whereas frankincense is secondary. When I first smelled it, I thought there might have been tobacco, but I think its the patchouli playing off of the sandalwood. Sweet and smoky.
gaia.earth24 –
– [ ] Not as incense-y as I was expecting straight out of the bottle. Definite patchouli. First whiffs is a tamed town Malediction (my fav BPAL scent). Dark and wild. Warms up a little on my skin and really gets deep and complicated. I really love it. Partner didn’t enjoy it on me at all. Would be nice to pair up with a lighter fragrance. After I put it on I couldn’t smell it. Not sure if my nose just got used to it or it faded away. Probably wouldn’t buy a bigger bottle since I already have Malediction.
thecoffeeslayer –
Note: My nose doesn’t register Sandalwood. It’s a genetic quirk. So, take my review with the appropriate grain of salt.
In the bottle: A little bit of sweet, moist earth. incense (unlit) and faint wood smoke
Wet: much the same as in the imp, but the earth is no longer sweet.
Dry: faint incense (my roomie says it’s strong incense, thus meaning it’s very sandalwoody) & something “green”
Aftermath: Ok, this scent confuses the heck out of me. My allergies aren’t set of by the incense. The sandalwood “blank spot” leaves all the secondary notes to play. I know I’m missing a lot of the scent. That said, it isn’t bad.
Gloame –
Herbal, confusing, and self-assured. I like this a lot, but maybe it smells too similar to another blend I have. I want to say Tombstone, weirdly.
Where I’d wear this: To keep cool (and cool-headed) in Arizona
Jadeah –
Daring and wild woman, proudly standing on the board of her pirate ship and laughing…her long black locks wavering withthe wind. Adventurous, but sensual and hot scent. A scent of a woman who loves the life, the pleasures it gives and which is not afraid of anything.
Chelsea –
I’m so very torn with this scent. I was super excited and was the first one I put in my cart. I LOVE the smell but I don’t know if I like it on my skin. If it were an incense I would probably burn it in my house all the time but its very powerful and more of a sandalwood scent on me. It lightens up a smidge as time goes by making it more pleasant to my nose. I do think everyone should give this ago at some point though.
Mandillynn –
I thought I had a favorite… but then Anne Bonny sailed into my life! I’m a huge patchouli and frankincense, so I figured I couldn’t lose. I absolutely ADORE this fragrance!
[email protected] –
The Lab’s frankincense note seems to love me – this is a wonderful resin and wood blend, with patchouli acting as a light grace note. Bold yet sensual, a truly outstanding blend!
taloscar –
Hands down my favorite scent, it’s my signature. I wear this, with the Amber & Patchouli hair gloss from the Trading Post and they compliment each other so well. It’s earthy and lasts all day. I haven’t used any other base perfume in years. Highly recommend it.
LostLoveOfTheAges –
Honestly I am really surprised that no one has reviewed this Oil. As soon as I ordered it I was SOLD! I loved the combination of this product the smell on my skin really works and after buying an imp of this I am definitely buying a full bottle. This is my favorite by far … then again I haven’t really tried many others but I will. I still name this as my number one favorite perfume oil. I recommend this one to every person who likes the smell of incense.