Old Father Eternity

Aeons before man reached space
He has ploughed the sand
On a water-starved world
He is the waste land's god

Oh mighty Shai-hulud
Grandfather of the desert

Where no water hurts
He has mastered the dunes
Producing the unique spice
He is the last great secret

Oh mighty Shai-hulud
Provider of travel

His cresting head, His high curving back
Like the approach of a mountain

He is the ultimate challenge
His law is always blind

His appearance, imposing and great
Mysterious and powerful
Of unknown age and ancestry
His origin veiled by the timeless dust

The defence of His territory
A mortal threat for the untrained
Riding Him, a ritual test
Among the fremen people

War and battle mean nothing to Him
Historical changes, He remains the one
Earth-deity and feared beast
The eternal flame inside

Oh mighty Shai-hulud
Keeper of balance

Bless the Maker and His water
Bless the coming and going of Him
May His passage cleanse the world
May He keep the world for His people

Oh mighty Shai-hulud
Old father eternity, ...unique in universe