| From the Dragonriders of Pern & The Harper Hall trilogy:
When F'nor, rider of brown dragon Canth, essays a teleport between to the Red Star, he is almost killed by Thread. His lover, Brekke, who can speak to all dragons, "shouts" to him - "Don't leave me alone" - a shout heard by all dragons and fire lizards on Pern.
Menolly writes Brekke's Lament:
draft version:
Don't leave me alone
The cry in the night
Of anguish heart-striking
Of soul-killing fright
Live for my living
Or else I must die
Don't leave me alone.
A world heard that cry.
The first stanza was later polished:
Don't leave me alone!
A cry in the night,
Of anguish heart-striking,
Of soul-killing fright.
(poem written & copyright Anne McCaffrey, extracted under fair use)
Anne McCaffrey's use of a draft and final version in her books is a revealing look into the artistry behind the creation of literature, be it prose or poetry. These 33 words can stick with readers for longer than many pieces of poetry written in our world, rather than in a world of fiction.
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