Red Path of the Stag

The story of why the Stag motif is on clans of the Eoghanacht family arms… a rather gorey practice from pagan times to mark new land…

Set free, running free, blood flowing, fleeing fast in fright
Wild eyed, pursued, the stag takes to flight
The tribesmen of the Eoghanacht in hunt they pursue
To mark out the boundaries of land according to traditions they knew
He who slays the stag with the move of his hand
He shall be king of this blood marked land
Shed in the chase by the wounded stag
Of whom and of whose killing the chieftains shall brag
Their issue the stag in their arms they will bear
The world shall know that once, a lone stag died there.

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Reviews

[Asya Kardzhaliyska]

I have nothing but positive things to say about this piece, it's wonderfully written and clear with it's message and tone :)

[Einstein Noodle]

well told says i ..and i love the lore and history ..a fine read for me!
E.

[softlyfall]

Carefully crafted, skillfully metered and rhymed. And it is lovely that the theme is so personal to you and your heritage.

[An owl on the moon]

You awaken such a beautiful ancient flow of feelings through your words, my friend. There is a movement and foreboding shadow that hangs on the words, and the whispers of the past.

[Richard🖌]

Tomás,
Such a story steeped in tradition makes for powerful poetic imagery, indeed, stealing one's mind and heart into the adventurous hunt and ancient tale of clan history.
Tho', a sad and unfortunate demise for the stag, what an honorable tradition to die for by being respectfully emblazoned upon a clan's coat of arms, and oh what fabulous meals he must have been for the hunter and family … an amazing tale and recounting of historical significance, I love it!
Poetically speaking, your Rhyming Couplets would read for more smoothly and enjoyably separated, singled-spaced, the lines put into equal count and cadence, and by eliminating as many "the" filler words as possible. Less awkward word-choices and arrangement would help, too. One example of all these (in ten-counts each) might be:

"Set running, blood pounding, fleeing in fright …
wild-eyed, pursued, the stag takes to swift flight.

In hunt, Tribesmen of Eoghanacht pursue,
to mark their lands by traditions they knew."

Tomás, knowing a poem is never fully complete, these are merely suggestions shared in spirit of enhancing the poetic expressions and lustre of this virtual masterpiece to Celtic history and lore … if you've a mind to.
As a Welshman by ancestry, I very much enjoyed and relate to this wondrously rendered work.
Blessing to you, My Fine Poet Friend! ⁓ Richard

[Tomás Ó Cárthaigh]

Thanks a million for your suggestions and feedback! A lot of our legends are similar: the one I'm reading up on at the moment is Nuadha of the Silver Arm and the Welsh equivalent!