the Lament of the Last Lunar Queen

poem by Belladonna Jaide

My kingdom in ruins upon the ground;

My people slaughtered all around;

My heart is to my kingdom bound –

I'm nothing but an empty shell.

I know I cannot change my fate,

I know the sacrifice I must make,

I lift my life for God to take

To save my daughter's soul from Hell.

You see, my daughter simply could not bear

Life without her lover there,

Or the absence of the love they shared;

To suicide she was compelled.

With an anguished wail, my daughter died

A tragic, bloody suicide,

Fallen at her lover's side;

This future I could not foretell.

But oh my precious daughter, you,

Your hair like sunshine, eyes of blue,

You will be reborn anew.

Reclaim the Grace from which you fell!

Forget this sad and tragic place,

Forget your mother's tear-stained face,

Remember only Love's embrace.

Forget the past, and be bespelled!

Luna, keep my daughter safe,

And guide her when her true self wakes;

For Evil will rise again in hate.

Prepare her, friend, and train her well.

And you, you demon beast from Hell!

You who've destroyed this lunar dell,

Prepare to be vanquished and dispelled!

I seal you in my crystal's spell.

You who dare the Light defy,

And make my precious daughter cry,

I lift my voice into the sky:

"Feel my wrath, and be repelled!"

I use the last of my energy,

The crystal shatters, to infinity

Off the shards spin; my soul is free.

My life drains away, my breath is quelled.

I pray my sacrifice be not in vain.

And so I leave this mortal plane.

~

Notes:  Just in case you didn't catch it, this poem's supposed to be from Queen Serenity's point of view. It follows mainly the manga, but I also used elements of the anime as reference. It's about the destruction of Silver Millennium, and includes Endymion's death, Princess Serenity's suicide, Luna's mission, the sealing away of the demon Metallia with the holy crystal Ginzuishou, and Queen Serenity's own death. I wrote this poem because (a.) I was inspired to do so for whatever reason, (b.) I had always wanted to do a character study of Queen Serenity and this seemed like a unique and creative way to do so, (c.) I thought that for all Queen Serenity had done for her daughter and her people, she deserved some recognition damnit! and (d.) I was way too eager to try out this new rhyme scheme on a poem. bleh. I'm such a geek… ^^"

            Ok, so I know you're probably wondering why I wanted to write a poem about Queen Serenity of all people – and if you aren't? Well tough, because I'm going to tell you anyway! First of all, Queen Serenity is often ignored, forgotten about, or brushed aside by the average Sailor Moon fan as being unimportant. Unimportant?! What the hell?! Queen Serenity was a just queen, a wise ruler, and an exceptional mother. I mean, look at the ultimate sacrifice she made to give her daughter and her daughter's lover (Endymion), and all of the rest of the universe, a future! She sacrificed not only herself, but her kingdom and the future of her own people, all for the good of the universe! There's this flashback that Princess Serenity has of her childhood during the Silver Millennium in the SuperS manga that I just love because it gives a rare glimpse of the maternal side of Queen Serenity's character. Little Serena runs into her mother's bedroom because she had a nightmare after her friends had told her a really scary story. Queen Serenity takes her little daughter in her arms and then comforts her, telling her that everyone has a star in their heart that keeps them strong and brave, and that she must keep hers shining bright and not let the darkness comsume it so that she might guide others. There's another flashback Sailor Moon has of Queen Serenity, also in the StarS manga, where there's this scene of the Queen with Serena as a baby, and a really adorable, kawaii picture of Queen Serenity cuddling with her baby daughter. I like that one too (some day I'll scan it in, when I have the time…)

            Now, to explain the second stanza of the poem, in case you're confused:

'I know I cannot change my fate,

I know the sacrifice I must make,

I lift my life for God to take

To save my daughter's soul from Hell.'

Well, in the manga, after Endymion dies protecting Princess Serenity from Beryl's attack, Princess Serenity is so devastated by his death that she commits suicide by stabbing herself through with Endymion's sword. Now, here's the idea behind this stanza: according to Catholicism, all suicides go directly to Hell. So, to save Princess Serenity's soul from eternal damnation in Hell, Queen Serenity pays the ultimate price, her own life and the future of her kingdom and her people, to send her dead daughter's soul, along with her daughter's lover and guardian senshi, to the future instead, so that they may be reborn there and start over.

            Now, onto stanza number six:

'Forget this sad and tragic place,

Forget your mother's tear-stained face,

Remember only Love's embrace.

Forget the past, and be bespelled!'

This stanza is a reference to Sailor Moon's lack of memories from her previous life. It suggests that her lost memories are a result of Queen Serenity's will, her desire for her daughter to start over completely (though, as we all know, throughout the manga – and the anime too – Sailor Moon starts to remember her past life little by little anyways).

            I figure everything else is pretty obvious, but if you have any questions, feel free to email me (sailorpluto66@sailorvenus.org). If you would like to comment or say something nice, please take advantage of the handy-dandy review-form fanfiction.net offers and post a review!  ^_^  Constructive criticism is welcomed.

- Belladonna Jaide