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.
Joseph Gonzales –
I love the earthiness of this blend. It evokes mental images of roses and freshly dug wet earth, like a funeral or a fresh grave…there is something mystical and otherworldly to this scent. I absolutely adore it.
Emmalyn –
My favorite rose scent. Strong rose base, hints of patchouli, and the sandalwood comes out more strongly on my skin after 15 minutes or so. Love the complexity of the scent.
Witold –
By my wife: It’s a pleasing and a bit floral and woody scent. I really like aroma of patchouli and sandalwood, unfortunately when I put oil on my skin rose is so dominant that basically it’s the only thing I smell. Anyway I enjoy this simple scent and really like it.
Gincat –
I had hoped this would smell like Aveda’s Love. It doesn’t, really, but it has a similar hmm, theme, perhaps. It’s got that warm, slightly woody feel to it. My very untrained nose gets rose, mostly, underlaid by sandlewood. Not much else going on. It’s warm and enveloping, has a sharpness that I don’t get with the Aveda. But I like it.