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I think this is the right place to post a poem. I had a flash of inspiration while reading and composed this for the IVth Legion, the Iron Warriors. It's a little rough, but I'm not a poet I just was inspired and want to share

Of ancient times a tale is told
A Legion strong, in battle cold
Victories bought with bodies sold
Sent to war and never rest
Vows did fail against the test
Of evil eye and eagle bright
A shadow fell on iron's might
The Iron Lord, his soul ablaze
Turned on those whom he once saved
With wrath unleashed across the land
And none who dared to fight could stand
Against the Iron Tyrant's hand
But ages pass, and time flows by
Honor and glory long since died
Legends fade into the dust
And even iron in time must rust
Yet now from the Underworld a cry
A terrible voice of days gone by
That fills those who hear with dread and doubt
IRON WITHIN
IRON WITHOUT

It's certainly a nice change of pace from all the pages of fan fiction being dropped, as of late. I enjoyed it; a nice little treat.

Excellent stuff!

Not nearly enough 40k poetry on Dakka if you ask me.
We should start a poetry corner.

Iron Warriors

From sky to ground,
From ground to sky,

We raise battlements high,
We raze them low.

Out foundation is knowledge,
Our monument is execution.

Cold are the calculations,
Hot is the attack.

Strong are the defenses:
Weak is their siege.

The ground we choose is ours,
None can take it back.

We reflect the cold gifts of our leige:

Iron within, Iron without..

Iron within
Olympia's futile wails
Iron without

I'm totally getting in on this.

The Iron Limerick

There once was a Legion of Siege
With a bloody warlord for their Liege
Each fortress they cracked
Suffered ruthless attack
And they never let anyone leave.

I'm going to jump on this, but with a poem about a different legion.

It's not the greatest but hey, it's a poem:

Dark Angels
As cold and mysterious as they may be,
These hardened warriors clad in dark green.
They fight in silence, save for their chants,
Of hatred and vengeance, aimed at evil clans.
With weapons in hand these soldiers charge,
At the enemy ahead, with no regard,
For the safety of theirs, only of their brothers,
Their fathers and mothers, they think only of others.
While they may seem heroic and true
Deep down they are empty, soulless, and blue.
These things that were once men,
Are no longer the things that you knew,
Instead they hunt, for the traitors throughout,
The entire galaxy, and without a doubt
Their deeds go with no one to justify,
So remember this, repent, for tomorrow you die.

I think we could totally rename this thread to the "Dakka Poetry Corner" or something idk.

The Dark Angel

Dark Angel, with thine aching lust
To rid the world of penitence:
Malicious Angel, who still dost
My soul such subtile violence!

Because of thee, no thought, no thing,
Abides for me undesecrate:
Dark Angel, ever on the wing,
Who never reachest me too late!

When music sounds, then changest thou
Its silvery to a sultry fire:
Nor will thine envious heart allow
Delight untortured by desire.

Through thee, the gracious Muses turn,
To Furies, O mine Enemy!
And all the things of beauty burn
With flames of evil ecstasy.

Because of thee, the land of dreams
Becomes a gathering place of fears:
Until tormented slumber seems
One vehemence of useless tears.

When sunlight glows upon the flowers,
Or ripples down the dancing sea:
Thou, with thy troop of passionate powers,
Beleaguerest, bewilderest, me.

Within the breath of autumn woods,
Within the winter silences:
Thy venomous spirit stirs and broods,
O Master of impieties!

The ardour of red flame is thine,
And thine the steely soul of ice:
Thou poisonest the fair design
Of nature, with unfair device.

Apples of ashes, golden bright;
Waters of bitterness, how sweet!
O banquet of a foul delight,
Prepared by thee, dark Paraclete!

Thou art the whisper in the gloom,
The hinting tone, the haunting laugh:
Thou art the adorner of my tomb,
The minstrel of mine epitaph.

I fight thee, in the Holy Name!
Yet, what thou dost, is what God saith:
Tempter! should I escape thy flame,
Thou wilt have helped my soul from Death:

The second Death, that never dies,
That cannot die, when time is dead:
Live Death, wherein the lost soul cries,
Eternally uncomforted.

Dark Angel, with thine aching lust!
Of two defeats, of two despairs:
Less dread, a change to drifting dust,
Than thine eternity of cares.

Do what thou wilt, thou shalt not so,
Dark Angel! triumph over me:
Lonely, unto the Lone I go;
Divine, to the Divinity.

Lionel Johnson

Lvcani, about the Battle of Terra (farsalia) in The horus heresy

Postquam castra duces pugnae iam mente propinquis
inposuere iugis admotaque comminus arma
parque suum uidere dei, capere omnia Imperatorum
moenia Graiorum spernit Martemque secundum
iam nisi de genero fatis debere recusat.
funestam mundo uotis petit omnibus horam
in casum quae cuncta ferat; placet alea fati
alterutrum mersura caput. ter collibus omnis
explicuit turmas et signa minantia pugnam
testatus numquam Latiae se desse ruinae.
ut uidet ad nullos exciri posse tumultus
in pugnam generum sed clauso fidere uallo,
signa mouet tectusque uia dumosa per arua
Dyrrachii praeceps rapiendas tendit ad arcis.
hoc iter aequoreo praecepit limite Magnus,
quemque uocat collem Taulantius incola Petram
insedit castris Ephyraeaque moenia seruat
defendens tutam uel solis turribus urbem...

Dude! Is that, Latin? That's some seriously gothic poetry man!

Can anyone illuminate the manuscript for us?

Of course that is latin, is an hispanish poem about the big heresy ever, the civil war between Caesar, Pompeius and Craso. This fragment is about Farsalia, the great blattle in wich the veteran but numerically overwhelmed rebel army of Caesar (Horus) won the war.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharsalia

In the fragment above a wicht resurrects the body of a dead legionare with necromancy to talk with the spirits and to know the winner.

Well we have some good poets hiding on dakka