The Song of Azaghal
By Deaghaidh

The moon was young, the mountains tall
Over great Gabilgathol
Of the wide land of Beleriand
The Mountains Blue, the eastern wall

There Azaghal, the Naugrim lord
Had his vast and mighty hoard
In the shadow of Mount Dolmed
He rested his mighty helmed head

There with many a haughty elf
He feasted late, and drank to health
Of Morgoth's foes, whose hurts and woes
He wept in great deep dirges slow

There made he with fierce Feanor's sons
A pact, that as rain off Dolmed runs
With Noldor he would at Angbands door
Make his league and lay siege secure

Then Telchar wrought, and Azaghal sought
His arms of war, which then he brought
He summoned to him the stern Naugrim
To Angband under Thangorodrim

They marched into the land of ash
Where few had come, and none had passed
To where Maedhros, son of Feanor
Looked to fulfill his oath at last

They marched, dwarves and elves and men
In league that never would be again
To the later year's unnumbered tears
To war and many warrior's end

Forth issued orcs in endless hordes
Still they fell before the Free Lords
But the Shadow had worse servants
Than goblins Dwarves had seen before

Then came the worm to the attack
The evil Glaurung the black
And he lead, to their great dread
A flight of dragons at his back

Then scattered was the eastern host
And many a warrior gone to ghost
But last of all stood the shield wall
The Dwarves who did not yield at all

Their mail was proof against his fire
Their visors saved them from the ire
Of Glaurungs eye, deceiver's pride
They humbled by fleeing not his fire

About the wyrm they made a ring
Of axes sharp and spear-tips keen
At bay they held him as the day
Gave out and sun was westering

But like a thunderbolt out shot
The tail of beast, a lightning bolt
And felled was mighty Azaghal
The dragon turned to him to gloat

But Azaghal who dieing lay
Summoned to him all his rage
And sank his blade all of the way
Into the dragons underbelly

Then leapt the dragon away
To hide in a hole and nurse his pain
And after him flew his dragon brood
And peace there came at end of day

His kin lifted up Azaghal
And they began a slow sad call
They began a song of the worm gone
And of their mighty lord's fall

In slow steps the bore him home
To his mansion great beneath stone
They shadow they paid no heed at all
And bore him to Gabilgathol

Now world is changed, and moon is old
The mountains blue are gray and cold
Still remembered are Gabilgathol
And her great Lord Azaghal