Canto VI
Once long ago in the
most ancient times,
Which now are lost
in dim antiquity,
Only recorded now in
broken rhymes,
A haven was made by
divinity
Up high aloft above
the fleecy clouds
And filled with gold
and painted white and red.
A magic spell
eternally enshrouds
Coin Heaven, where
the brothers have been led.
Revealed to them now
is its majesty,
Its Mushroom spires
shade them from the sun.
They look around
with wonder and to see
What magic being has this great deed
done.
A face appears out
of the golden mist,
Small and round, and
inspiring no awe.
The face of Toad
Kinopio I wist,
Most loyal servant
that men ever saw
To her, the princess
who doth rule this land
And he hath come to
heal the brothers' wounds
And point them to
the stage of their last stand
Where the fate of
the kingdom and its bounds
Will be determined for once and for all.
"I have a secret
to show you," he said.
And fed them magic
mushrooms that men call
A cure-all that
could almost raise the dead.
With their weak
strength revitalized again,
The brothers quickly
follow this Toad's lead.
To a doorway he will
not enter in.
The fear in his face
they can clearly read.
"This place is
called Warp Zone, and it is where
You two must venture
if you truly want
To risk your lives
and be great heroes there
Or else destroyed,
then all will come to naught."
Their fear is gone.
They hesitate no more.
They know this is
the fate set down for them.
If nothing else,
this is worth fighting for,
And without looking
back they enter in.