When Dawn stretched out her fingertips of rose,

Our scholars awoke in a foreign land.

They rubbed their eyes and took a look around

And found themselves within the city walls;

The city of Firenze loomed above,

Split by the river Arno.

The king pointed to where they were to build

Their settlement, Brathena�s holy town.

But to their great chagrin, a settlement

Already sat atop. Founded a few

Moments before by other scholars. They

Raised up their walls, thwarting the hopes of the

Patreidae, who themselves had wished to hold

This ground most fertile.

Was built in honor of the mighty god

Who rules Elysium and Tartarus,

With his swift sword and sharp, unyielding pen,

Judges the souls of scholars that have died.

The good and upright to Elysium go,

Where scholarships and grants do flow like wine,

But those impure and wicked must endure

Expository Writing for the rest

Of all eternity.

Back down the hill, where old Firenze lay,

They built a tiny settlement just north

Of the cathedral called "Il Duomo" by

The natives of the land. The settlement

Was named "Meridiana" by the king.

Although construction still disrupted sleep,

And workmen scurried back and forth with boards

To make a path through rough, unfinished floors,

He called a feast, and everyone consumed

Gelato by the barrel. O sweet cream,

Ambrosial nectar of the ice cream gods!

In flavors of arancia, fragole,

And cioccolato! Poor Toddysseus,

Could not partake with them...

Ice cream alone does not an epic make.

There is much more in store for our good friends,

Like battles, blood and carnage, carrion dogs,

And more gelato, hopefully.

Of Patreus, now settled in this land,

Sent out some spies to scale the Hojan walls,

And bring back a report of what they saw.