Hercules and his Twelve Labors

The Second Labor: The Lernean Hydra Part III

With ginger touch he takes the blade
To kill the drake where monsters laid.
And wades the waters second time
To search for beast in pungent slime.

And after treading fewer steps
From depths the wretched drake now lept.
With writhing heads and dripping fangs
Whose searing acid venom sang

With dreadful hiss when water touched
And hero rusted saber clutched.
He struck the blade the piece of flint
And brightest flames on waters glint.

With quickest stroke he cuts a head
With flaming blade that justly fed
The flesh of beast that lies in lake
Where hero faces dreadful fate.

Then monster lashes out so fast
That hero loses sword from clasp.
It flies across the putrid pond
Where waters take the glowing wand.

But hero quickly dives below
To depths the demi-god does go.
And spies the flames that burn in grave
Where bones of many men are laid.

Below the surface fire burns
And water filled with poison churns.
He takes the blade in godlike hand
The realm of beast his final stand.

And sword of flames on depths does cast
For first of times a light that last.
And show the hero eerie things
That creatures putrid venom brings.

The nymphs deformed by dreadful beast
There bodies twist by poisoned feast.
That creature brought to depths of lair
Thus ruining all who waters share.

Then hero saw the creatures form
It's wriggling mass a coming storm.
And both the foes do turn clash
To find whose will to live will last...

From waters hero's head does break
Behind he drags the lifeless drake.
On shore he lays the creature dead
And starts to take its many heads.

In hydras poison arrows dip
On steel the poison fangs do drip.
And grants the hero deadly tool
To use on any man who fool

Enough to challenge demi-god
The strongest man where mortals trod.