Grimoire Umbrio
The Book of Shadows
◀ Dirge 35 · Dirge 36 · Dirge 37 ▶

¹They walk not with blade nor blasphemy, but in wisdom and in watchfulness, remembering the flame that formed them.
²They steal no ox, curse no name, and greet the morning with reverence, though the skies no longer greet them back.
³Yet the world looks upon them askance, as though shadow clings to their brow by nature.
⁴They speak gently, but are not believed; they give freely, but are not trusted.
⁵For the world has been taught: that flame is foul, and any love not sung to HÆVAN is false.
⁶So they live beneath the gaze of suspicion, condemned not by law, but by the hush that follows their name.
⁷No trial is held; no sentence read — but the verdict is carved in every turned eye.
⁸Surely they serve the Enemy, the people whisper — never asking what enemy they mean.
⁹And in this quiet, the hearts of the faithful grow weary, but not bitter.
¹⁰They raise no altars in protest, only lanterns in mourning.
¹¹For they know that love shown by a stranger is still denied if the stranger’s name be SATANAS.
¹²And the children of flame are taught to dim themselves, lest they be marked for scorn.
¹³Yet what harm have they done? They seek only to walk in the image of their Maker, and to kindle joy in others.
¹⁴We mourn not the disbelief, but the silence — for it is harder to bear than fire or steel.
¹⁵Let those who claim justice examine their quiet contempt; let those who claim love recall whom they have shunned.
¹⁶Until the name of SATANAS may be spoken without fear, we mourn.
¹⁷For the faithful are many, and their sorrow is deep — not for rejection, but for being unknown.
¹⁸And in the quiet, condemnation speaks loudest.


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