The red king
Came to a great water. He said,
Here the journey ends.
No keel or skipper on this shore.The yellow king
Halted under a hill. He said,
Turn the camels round.
Beyond, ice summits only.The black king
Knocked on a city gate. He said,
All roads stop here.
These are gravestones, no inn.The three kings
Met under a dry star.
There, at midnight,
The star began its singing.The three kings
Suffered salt, snow, skulls.
They suffered the silence
Before the first word.
George Mackay Brown
Epiphany Poem
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