Morning dawns like any other day
Light gleams over slopes of the mount
Time is marching in a different way
Toward a standstill it is bound
Bacchus loves these ridges more than hills of Nysa
But today the grapes turn sour by Forces of Earth
Many times the earth’s been quaking
Though the buildings have been shaking
People shake their heads (but remain unfazed)
Stop for a moment (but there’s no time to waste)
Chapter 2: A Festival of Ash
Behold! The temple which has been rebuilt
From the ruins a new splendor born unto our mystery cult
And it’s Lady Isis watching, the diligence that she will see
May the priestesses ensure us that we’ll live eternally
Behold! As we celebrate great rulers of the land
Hear the pipes of Pan they’re playing joyously triumphant
Yesterday the blacksmith of the gods shared in our laughter
As the mountain shook and plumes of smoke would follow after
Early hours of the final day
Countdown to the hour of dismay
Confetti of ashes sprinkles down
Changes laughter into a frown
All who sleep soon awake
All dogs barked, infants cried
Thunder takes hold of hearts
Peoples’ eyes wide with fright
Go grab your belongings, if that is worth waiting for
If only you’d realize time is worth so much more
The place is in turmoil, impending doom is in sight
And there’s indecision whether to flee or to hide
Chapter 3: From a Distance
(Pliny the Younger observes from afar:)
A cloud of black forms in the sky
Seems from a mountain that’s nearby
Grows and forms like a pine tree
It’s quite intriguing what I see
From a distance things always look less worse
Like invisible injuries from gladiators
But I’m feeling these earth tremors, and I see for myself
Out there, the sea seems to roll back upon itself
Uncle’s gone to rescue those in peril by boat
But I’d rather live instead of breathing cinders and smoke
Chapter 4: The Cataclysm
An endless rain of pumice stone falls down
All hide inside their homes, for stones can’t make you drown
But as the stone flood rises soon the shelters become a cage
Roofs start collapsing, we realize we’ve reached maximum age
On this mount of late the Satyrs set afoot their dances;
This was the haunt of Venus, more pleasant to her than Lacedaemon;
This spot was made glorious by the fame of Hercules
Now however, all lies drowned in fire and melancholy ash
Pyroclastic surge , No need to do the math:
Once breathing into life, It’s now you’re breathing into death
Boiling from inside, The heat inhaled: The fatal blow
It’s been the winter in reverse, The ash the hottest snow
Final Chapter: Eternity and Destiny
Lady Isis cries for us, poor souls under debris
Our hollow shells a warning for all eternity
A false sense of security comes with naivety
And Nature it will bathe us soon in dread and misery
Lessons are forgotten soon by humanity
Catastrophies of the past a future destiny
Taken and sidelined and rendered harshly off our course
There’s no stopping of manifestations of Earth Force.