Mongolophobia and the Eastern Horde
Neither a fable,
Nor a tale,
This is a fact,
A story to tell,
To everyone, female and male.
To generations, younger and frail.
About a threat, a monster from the East,
That struck the world like a beast,
Attacked Europe by cold and mist,
Oceans of horsemen, millions at least,
Ravaged cathedrals, and crucified the priest,
How to cope and fight and face the ghoul?
How to reason with a barbarian, a crazy fool?
How to prevent a suicidal conflict to pacify and cool?
How to save the lore, the patrimony and the living soul?
How to reconcile with the unknown and use the best tool?
That was the question...
That was the wisdom to lead and rule,
The Pope decided to answer in peace,
Then sent Carpini after a blessing..And a kiss,
Advising him to inform...and not to miss,
To meet the Eastern father, son nephew and niece,
To call for salvation and the Chris,
As soon as the monk began to trace,
With a great shock he started to face,
An unusual nation that was in race,
With time, with weather, with the cosmos and space,
No one could classify it, No one could place,
Its barbarity, Nay! its grace,
They consume everything, greens, pulses including rice,
They are carnivorous, they eat mice,
They spare not a single creature, including lice,
All seem to them, healthy and nice,
They worship Shamanism, horses and they play dice,
They conquer for pleasure, and race with the skies,
When Carpini reached the rising sun,
The great Mongol..The supreme Khan,
Who crashed Empires, who enslaved the Han,
Who scared newborn babies, woman and man,
Who, no one refused him, and who dared had to run,
For his life, for his family, for his entire clan,
Then Carpini approached the formal bar,
And addressed himself to the Lord Tatar,
Explaining to him that he came from far,
To preach Christendom not the Latin Lar,
Before the monk finishing his say,
The lord stood up! Angrily, with a reply,
"Go back to your Pope! Before I'll flay,
You" and tell him that the Tatar ray,
Is invincible in a warfare-play,
Fearful, the priest returned deceived,
More than what he saw and what he perceived,
How would he break the news? How would he read?
The powerful message, the humiliating creed!
In the end, he stood on his heart and then he did,
Europe was ready for the Great War,
Nations of the crucifix, thousands and more,
The bells of alarm sounded the lands, and the shore,
To prevent the conquest, that was the heart! And the core!
The call was "fight or flight" or seal your door!
But halfway...they turned blind,
To change plan, they did not mind,
To strike east, and there to find,
A city of lore of rich and kind,
Baghdad the marvel that enlightens the blind,
There! They killed; they mutilated in countless,
There! They burnt libraries that were priceless!
They pillaged, they raped they were heartless,
No mercy, no help, the Baghdadeans were helpless,
To defend themselves against the infidel
Barbarian Godless!
No place was spared from vandalism,
Places of worship and mysticism,
Circles of learning and sciolism,
Poetry, literature and euphemism,
All had gone with "Gog and Magog" the cataclysm!
But "Ain Jalout" was the battlefield,
For generations to pick and read,
In history, and faith and heretical creed,
Where all religions had met indeed,
In a bloody war, all had to bleed,
In the end, the Armageddon had to finish,
To slow the spiting dragon and diminish,
Its arrogance, its myth and tarnish,
Its long lasting reputation, had to vanish,
Forever to allow another war and a skirmish.
How would I judge? What would I say?
Was it a truth or was it a lie?
Genghis Khan, and Kublai Khan,
Hulaku, Munghe Khan and low and high,
Were they all barbarians, or were all lasting heroes not to die?
This is the last verse and point to specify.
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