Neytiri: To Sylwanin, Dying Young
 

This is a slight departure from my normal Neytiri-poems. I started to write one, then got an incredible surge of emotions surrounding her older sister, Sylwanin, who was at Grace's school along with Neytiri.

Sylwanin is never seen in AVATAR (other than in a couple of pictures tacked up at the remote site), and there’s only a couple of paragraphs about her in the script. She and a couple of other young Na’vi set fire to a bulldozer in an attempt to stop the cross-cutting in the forest and were followed back to Grace’s school by RDA soldiers. They killed Sylwanin right in front of the young Neytiri.

The poem takes place years before Jake’s arrival on Pandora. And it’s written from Neytiri’s point of view, shortly after her sister’s death.

As always, it’s for you, the Neytiri clan. I hope you like it.


Neytiri: To Sylwanin, Dying Young

In the somber silence of my inner self,
When mind and spirit have slipped their chains;
I’ll see your face before me shine,
And try to rise above my pains.

Sylwanin, dear, I loved you so!
As only a younger sister could—
But then the Terran monsters came
And took your life, near where I stood.

No more will we two—side by side—
Run Through verdant forests, green;
No more your smiling face I’ll see,
‘Neath bioluminescent sheen.

You tried to stop their rampant ways—
Killing our trees, spoiling our land;
But all they know are guns and lies,
And now you’re dead by their cruel hand!

No longer can I hope to show
The love I’ve always felt for you;
Or learn from you to string a bow,
Or how to drink the morning’s dew.

I tried to stop them—grabbed one’s arm,
And flung him down with warrior’s cry;
But then I fell and knew no more,
And woke with wound beneath my eye.

So many things I could have learned,
So many games we might have played!
But now you lie in shallow grave—
cold and still as my knife’s blade.

Your precious soul, from out the grasp
Of sand and foam did slip away!
And now in Eywa’s arms you rest,
Awakened to a brighter day.

Yet still can I, amid the gloom
That seeks to bind me to this place,
Recall the joy and love I’ve known
Since first I saw your radiant face.

A single atokirina drifts
To light upon your solemn brow;
I place a flower at your feet
Hoping to understand, somehow.

Perhaps one day someone will come
And soothe my anger and my fears;
But ‘til that time, oh sister…
Oh, Sylwanin, my beautiful sister, dear—
I am too empty, even for tears….

That's wonderful, I love it! An amazing, emotional poem.

Thanks, Tali! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and I appreciate the kind words. :)

Wow that was a fantastic poem! Indeed, reading that in the script for my first time I was shocked at that scene, I felt a sinking feeling for her and Neytiri, and I began to cry. Thats how much that scene touched me. Very good poem!

Thanks, Stanley_9875! That was a very powerful and emotional scene for me, too. I'm glad you liked the poem, and I thank you for the nice words. :)

your quite welcome :D
you have any more?

I have posted six Neytiri-poems so far. They can all be found in a thread I created in the Fan Work/Poetry section. Here's the link:

my poems

That poem, just...

:'(

Thanks again Neytiri_Quest. :)

Very beautiful poem, it made me enter this weird mental state of "emotional thinking" or something ..

Beautiful poem Neytiri_Quest! Loved it!

As for Neytiri, not sure I know how to put into words how amazing she is! :D

Hmm, beautiful NQ. You spoil the Neytiri clan with your wondrous work. Evocative and poignant, but also heartrending.:( I could clearly imagine Neytiri sitting alone by the river and thinking your very words, no doubt near a spot where she would have swam and played with Sylwanin in happier times. She would have been forlorn and lost, keenly feeling the sheer absence of her beloved sister.

They seemed very fond of each other, just a few years apart. Neytiri would have looked up to her older sibling, wanting to be just as good as her. Sylwanin would have dearly loved her younger sister, learning patience and restraint while taking in Neytiri’s youthful exuberance. I can see the both of them playing and taunting each other, Neytiri probably a touch jealous of her older sister’s accomplishments. Sylwanin’s Iknimaya must have been a difficult time for Neytiri, for she would have wanted to accompany her sister but could not. She would also have been happy for her sister when the latter came back with her ikran, but also somewhat envious.

Sylwanin’s death must have shattered Neytiri, but her sorrow and despair wouldn’t have lasted. They shared the same courage and steely determination, had the same strength of will and indomitable character. Despite the cruel unfairness of her sister’s passing, Neytiri would have risen to the challenge and would have sworn that she would now live life enough for two. Everything she would do henceforth, she would do not only for herself, but also for Sylwanin. Neytiri would have pushed herself to the breaking point, raking in the achievements and acquiring great skills and even greater fame in the clan, but also losing bits of herself in the process. She probably wouldn’t have realised that herself had it been pointed out to her. Eytukan, olo’eyktan of the Omaticaya and her sempul, would have been proud of the strength and worthiness of his ’ite, and Mo’at, the Tsahik of the Omaticaya and her sa’nok, would have been equally pleased with Neytiri’s faith and determination. Would they have known that what drove their daughter to such lofty heights was a burning desire for her to give meaning to her sister’s untimely demise and not undermine Eywa’s decision to allow her death?

People wondered on the forums why Neytiri didn’t have a mate yet; posters hypothesised that as the next Tsahik she was waiting for her promised – Tsu’tey – to become olo’eyktan. I now think that the real reason was that she wasn’t ready to love yet, not Tsu’tey nor anyone else. Sylwanin would have been the first one to mate given she was the eldest, and Neytiri would have looked on with happiness and again a bit of yearning to get there herself. With Sylwanin gone, I have the feeling that Neytiri couldn’t yet bring herself to bind with someone else. That would have required a level of inner peace that she hadn’t managed to attain. Of course, Jake came along and changed all of that. We know how that beautiful story unfolded: Jake eventually broke through Neytiri’s protective shields of anger and resentment and made her realise that there was good in everyone, even in the Sky People. In the end, Neytiri decided that Sylwanin herself would have forgiven her tormentors had she seen some good in them, and if her sister could do this, then so could she.

Now, see what you’ve done? I’ll be teary for the rest of the afternoon. Good work ma tsmukan.:)

wow those poems were great very well done :)

Thanks, guys. This was a very emotionally charged poem for me, too. But it was worth it, since the process of creating it gave me a better understanding of--and appreciation for--Neytiri.

Thanks, Gunny! I'm glad you liked it. :)

"A NA'VI WOMAN. She is young, and lithe as a cat, with a
long, slender neck, muscular shoulders, and nubile
breasts... a statuesque vision. Let's not mince words
here... she is devastatingly beautiful. For a girl with a
tail."

original AVATAR scriptment.