The long night
The first glow of dawn
The Jackal, lion, wild bull
Mourned the death
Of the Hyena.
They cried:
“He is dead, he is dead!
How can we bear this sorrow?”
(like a woman with birth pains)
The wild deer, leopard
Ragging in the wilderness—
(gnawing at their bellies, restless).
But the god’s of the underworld
Would not hear—
For they wanted his head
Like a scorpion prizes his tail.
Darkness was inside the tunnel
Inside the tunnel it was deep
Deep darkness that lead to the gates;
Nothing could be seen: behind,
Along side, in front of the Hyena;
No breeze, no light, emerged.
The gate keeper appeared—
Agaliarept, the Henchman was near,
The Hyena looked up, saw them standing
He shouted (face burnt like coal),
Maggots crawling from head to toe,
As he leaped from the dark—
A demon severed his head,
Placing it upon Agaliarept;
As his lower body turned into clay.
His head was now hollow
His cheeks were ravaged,
His eyes frozen, burnt black
His crooked teeth, yellow
His facial muscles pained
With anguish—
Agaliarept had many heads:
The bear, lion and leopard;
But the hyena was the prize.
“The god’s of Hell envy me,”
He cried—(unsleeping-undying
Demigods, shadow-gods).
“This is the way of the underworld,
Death drags all away,” he whispered,
Whispered to the pile of clay.