For the first time in English, a verse translation of the twelfth- century poem about Merlin by Geoffrey of Monmouth, the originator of many of the famous Arthurian legends. Merlin is the first and greatest wizard, the ancestor of Gandalf, Dumbledore and Obi-Wan Kenobi. But the original Merlin - the mysterious and mad character of Geoffrey's poem - is almost unknown. Geoffrey first introduced the world to Merlin in his History of the Kings of Britain. Years later, his Life of Merlin draws inspiration from Welsh legends to create a striking and unique portrait of the legendary magician - here is the true Merlin, a strange druidic figure from a long-vanished time who is at once a prophet, a bard, and a madman driven insane by the horrors of war. This new translation casts Geoffrey's Latin poem into accessible English verse, giving a real insight into the unique rhythms and cadences of the original.
