Satan and St. Michael

By: Rob Batton

For several weeks, an image of a conversation and subsequent clash between Lucifer and St. Michael had been bouncing around my brain. Though I originally planned to write it as a short story, I received an assignment for an English class to write a hundred-and-fifty line poem in the alliterative-accentual style of Beowulf. The requirements for the poem were that each line contain four beats, and that three of every four beats alliterate. I realized that I could kill two birds with one stone, so I began to write. This is the result.

When the Lord’s light was yet unlatched
During days of perfect dark
The God of glory, in greatness unmatched
Sculpted from the space, substance.
Before the world, wondrous and wide,
God arranged the angels, alight
With power and potency, past
Ill imaginings of ice-hearted men.
Purely he positioned angels’ purpose
Nary-one less than noble knight (10)
Great were God’s guides, for gallantly
They made ready for mortal men,
Working well for wonderful Master.
Among the angels, God arrayed
Rulers four, fervid and fearless:
Michael, leal and loving of Lord, 
Watchful warrior for the weak;
Gabriel, giver of God’s Will
And messenger to mortals meat-cage bound;
Raphael, healer of hurts and harms (20)
And watcher of wanderings wide; 
Lastly Lucifer, lusty and quick
Son of Morning, and mourning soon.
So brothers fair bore blessings
To Christ and Creator and Consecrate-Spirit
Who ruled above the regal rood.
But God, gracious and giving, 
Knower of knowledge new and old,
Looked into Lucifer’s heart-house,
And there pride, powerful and pernicious, (30)
Indwelt within the wary walls
Surrounding suspect angel’s soul.
So God the greatest of governors gave
To Michael, Magnificent, a true task:
“Discern me, Michael mighty,
Bearings of your brother bellicose.
For I foresee foul fire
And smell savage sorcery
Alive in his heathen heart-hearth.
Saint Michael, soldierly seraphim, (40)
Took leave, neither lazing nor lounging
But stepping with sure strides
Coming closer to corrupted corpse,
Brother-betrayer and back-stabber.
Lucifer lay in languid lapse
At Michael’s abrupt appearance,
But lithely leapt up laughing
To hide his harmful habit.
“Michael dearest, Michael mine!
Why do you wander this winding way?” (50)
Tutted the traitor, false in trouth.
The offspring honest offered his own–
“Might I meander merely
For appreciation abundant of the abyss? 
Alone and asleep you appeared,
So there I then entered that minute
Hoping to hail you in hale state.”
Lucifer laughed at lovely-one’s banter,
Speedily spoke to suspicious Michael
“Encounter then a thriving thane, (60)
For I feel like Father God.”
Words leapt out Lucifer’s lips
And hung like harlots drug from house
Swinging high on the hangman’s tower.
And Michael, magnificent, saw the malice
Swept into corners and soul’s shadows,
Hiding in his brother’s hollow heart.
“Dear brother!” broke his bold words,
“Could conceit have crept,
Slipped like a serpent into the suckling’s cradle, (70)
Molested your mind and marauded about?
Vanity’s caress, corrupting and caustic
Destroys all with doting disguise!
This river you ride runs to Death,
And its rapids sing requiems for repose unreachable.
Lucifer lurched at Michael lovely,
Sneer splitting countenance sordid–
“Why would not we worship ourselves?
Fair are our faces and strong are our swords,
Built for battle and breaking of foes. (80)
Were I to whale on one I’d win,
My fists fracturing foe’s face!”
Verily righteous saw vicious’s vice,
Flawless eyes flowing fast
With tears for treasured turncoat,
‘Til traitor treatised to true,
“Now stand aside or be swept so!
I go to challenge God the Great
Or notch his noble neck, unmarred
As yet by any broad-blade’s bite!” (90)
Michael, stolid, steadied his stance,
Planted in power, pure in heart,
And drew from darkness, Devotion, his sword,
Whistling as she sliced the silence that suffused
The yet untroubled universe young.
Morning’s Son slung his scabbard,
Dim dark-fire dancing bared-blade:
Daybreak was the dame denominated,
Though foes and friends feared
Her more than mad-moon midnight.
Then Satan swung his serpentine sword (100)
And Michael mustered his man-heart and caught,
Diamond edge of Daybreak, dark
Blade of his now broken brother.
The tainted and pure traded taunts
Through whistling weapons, warping
Spotless space with angelic spittle.
Force and fury of fighting echoed
‘Round cold caverns of Creation 
Before beginnings of the bones of man
Were knit of Never-Ending One’s knowledge. (110)
Then lo, light leapt from figure
Verily as vast of the vacuum of space;
And “Cease!” sang sound itself,
Speakers three spun into soliloquy.
Trembling, the traitor stood as in trance,
The weight of his works washing over him.
Then great God with sov’reign gait
Strode to stand at Lucifer’s side.
“Six wings I subscribed for the seraphim:
Two to float and fly to the far-reaches (120)
Of time and traverse the twisted ways;
Two to obscure thine oculus offensive,
For the golden gleam of my glory glistens
Too brilliant and bright for the brethren angelic;
And two to facade your feet behind feathers,
As foul feet are not fit
For powerful presence of the Pater.
With your wings six you wandered
Instead, endeavoring to encroach on holy
Heights, building a Babel of your baubles. (130)
As touted tower of man will topple
You will fiercely fall from faultlessness.”
Then his gold-fist, gauntleted in glory
Smote Satan from sky.
As soul-stealer and sin-dealer
Fast fell to furtive depths,
Heathen called to heaven’s host,
“Wishers and wanters of different way.
Follow me, for Father fails
To allow us angels all-power deserved, (140)
For he fears our furious might”
With him went one-third of host, 
Devil and his daemons dark to
Fire-oceans far-below world’s foundation
Spinning like spiders the sinful trap
From thalassic throne, there-
After awaiting arrival of man. (147)

Rob is a first year intending to major in English and Commerce