The Legend of Silas | Teen Ink

The Legend of Silas

December 9, 2009
By superpencil BRONZE, Greenville, South Carolina
superpencil BRONZE, Greenville, South Carolina
3 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Silas was an adventurer
Who came to a village one day
He looked for someone to take him in
But no one let him stay

Now in that town there were no inns
And Silas was weary
Still no one would offer him a room
But Silas remained cheery

Silas said to the townsfolk
"Woe be on thee
"For on this town God lay a curse
"For not off’ring board to me

"I am just a poor trav’ler
"Looking for a place to sleep
"May God’s wrath punish you
"For many a day you’ll weep’’

Silas found an abandoned barn
A place where he could sleep
He used some hay for a bed
And for a pillow wool of a sheep

The next day the farmers came out
And out they all cried
For out in all their fields
All their crops had died

The wives looked into their barns
And clapped a hand to their head
For every cow and sheep and goat
Behold they all were dead

They brought out all their stored food
And exchanged confused shrugs
For they looked into all their jars
And the food was full of bugs
Now all the townsfolk were starving
Everyone was thin
Even the fattest man in town
Had lost his double chin

And yet Silas had not changed
He had kept up strong
And he would stay that way
Through this famine long

Silas walked into the square
To everyone he said
"This is because of the curse
"By fall you will be dead

"There is a way to lift this curse
"You must repent your sin
"And you must do as I say
"You must take me in."

Still all the townsfolk shut him out
And closed their doors to he
And the curse stayed with the town
But it didn’t have to be

Silas spoke again to them
"In three days fall will arrive
"But still you all ignore my words
"But the moment’s drawing near."

At last the townsfolk had learned
And they let him in
And now the curse had been lifted
For they repented their sin

Silas said to the farmers
"Go and sow your seeds
"Give them all plenty of water
"Go and do these deeds."
The farmers went and did as he said
And they sowed their seeds
But they all doubted his words
They did not believe

The next day the farmers looked
Out upon their fields
They all gasped and then rejoiced
At all of the yields

The townsfolk had a great feast
To celebrate the crop
They ate that entire feast
There was none for slop

Silas then had left that town
And went his own way
But he left so suddenly
They couldn’t ask him to stay

The town remains on that spot
They celebrate that day
And when a trav’ler visits them
They ask him to stay

But still to this day they all wonder
"What became of he?
"He who has taught us to give
"From sin he let us free."

They thought and thought with no avail
But they kept his mem’ry alive
They told and Silas became a legend
Told who would arrive.

The author's comments:
I think the world today is plagued with greed. I wrote this ballad to give an unrealistic view of consequences, but the message is the same as if I had added more realism. The message is that greed has no advantages. You may not see the consequence, but it'll come, like it or not.

Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.