III MALTA ROMANCE ANNO DOMINI
A servant of the poor and sick (Our Lords)
With all of one's being wounded, uncertain
In the most humble city built by gentlemen
For gentlemen, the umbrella is like a sword
The cloak of purity and innocence to wear
And the Beatitudes in a necklace hanging
On hope when it is hopeless, dry and barren
Ground to stand even against the odd(s)
Where thoughts are falling to pieces
Amidst the limestone and sand
At the square of my namesake
No shelter from the bombs raining
Hundreds of thousands, the great sieges
Or another traitor with a forged letter
”Now lies at anchor under the guns of...”
The island will receive them
Not unlike the George Cross
Along the movements of this wheel
Of the sun, the cardinal points and virtues
Will Providence be the seafarer's guide
A servant of the poor and sick (Our Lords)
With all of one's being wounded, uncertain
In the most humble city built by gentlemen
For gentlemen, the umbrella is like a sword
The cloak of purity and innocence to wear
And the Beatitudes in a necklace hanging
On hope when it is hopeless, dry and barren
Ground to stand even against the odd(s)
Where thoughts are falling to pieces
Amidst the limestone and sand
At the square of my namesake
No shelter from the bombs raining
Hundreds of thousands, the great sieges
Or another traitor with a forged letter
”Now lies at anchor under the guns of...”
The island will receive them
Not unlike the George Cross
Along the movements of this wheel
Of the sun, the cardinal points and virtues
Will Providence be the seafarer's guide
And the knights were (s)ailing
The broken-hearted carrack St. Anne
The Hospitaller flagship came to Malta
And saw fishing boats with the eye
Sacra Infermeria
In the arms of his brethren,
Almost without any sickness
Blessed Gérard fell and died
How arms were meant for men
Like the Grand Master La Valette
Who fought back against the wall
There in the Unconquered, Conspicuous
And the Victorious, the three cities
And witheld, to last one more time
”For the beheading of St. John the Baptist”
Safe Haven Garden and vedette
Byron's farewell becoming a salute
In the flows of time from and to this day
With the shipwrecked who brought
The Icon of Our Lady of Mellieħa
And the sacred convoy arriving
In the weakest hour, the weakest moment
The most humble city built by gentlemen
For gentlemen, the umbrella as my sword
And with my back against the wall
Terrified I stood there, losing sanity
When thoughts fall to pieces, vulnerable
Hope when it is hopeless (Ecce A. D.)
Near St. Lawrence and Fort St. Angelo
”And witheld, to last once again”
Courage in Malta
September 8th 2014, the Victory Day
The most humble city built by gentlemen
For gentlemen, the umbrella as my sword
And with my back against the wall
Terrified I stood there, losing sanity
When thoughts fall to pieces, vulnerable
Hope when it is hopeless (Ecce A. D.)
Near St. Lawrence and Fort St. Angelo
”And witheld, to last once again”
Courage in Malta
September 8th 2014, the Victory Day
For Lavra, Saint Lawrence and Blessed Gérard,
To the Island Fortress and Republic of Malta
I go – but God knows when, or why,
To smoky towns and cloudy sky,
To things (the honest truth to say)
As bad – but in a different way.
-Lord Byron / Farewell to Malta