Songs of the Twilight...

[Michael Morris]

I cannot paint or draw, but I can sing. Dozens of songs and poems permeate my setting, but many of them can be applied to any setting. So gather bards and hear the Songs of the Twilight.

 

[Michael Morris]

Bonnie Lee
A Tavern Song...

Bonnie Lee was a cavalier and a handsome man was he
He rode a horse that was snow white with long mane flowing free
He was bold and reckless as they come on this side of the sea
But one day his white horse came home, but never home came he.

Bonnie Lee had heard a tale of gold, a dragon far away
And so he set off to slay it upon a cloudless day
He came upon the cavern and there stood awhile to see
One day his great horse came home, but never home came he.

Carefully he stepped beyond the threshhold of that cave of gloom
He scoffed at the feeling in his heart that he was facing doom
And deeply he delved into the cavern where the dragon should be
One day his great white horse came home, but never home came he.

Bonnie Lee looked about in the cavern when suddenly it forked
He did not know which way to go and this could ruin his sport,
So he took the largest passageway that his eyes could see
One day his great white horse came home, but never home came he.

The dragon soon arrived outside and knew something wasn't right
The place had that distinctive smell of all too arrogant knight
The horse caught sight of the dragon, then bolted away free
One day the scarred white horse came home, but never home came he.

Bonnie Lee was pondering which way in the cavern he should pass
When the dragon came up behind and then fired up his ass
And when the smoke had cleared there wasn't much of Bonnie Lee
His horse did come back home that day, but never home came he!!
​

 

[Michael Morris]

Life of the Forge
Dwarven Religious Hymn

Certain the sword now rings,
Swiftly the hammer swings,
Brightly the fire brings
Life to the forge

Hard now the bellows blow
Quick now the water flows
Temper, the steel shall know
Life from the forge

If now the sword rings true
Sharpen and give it due
As the steel shall pursue
Life from the forge

For now our work is done
Till when, beneath the sun
To warriors the victory comes
Then thank the forge

This way our lives unfold
This way our stories told
This thanks we give in gold
Life to the forge.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

The Song of Life & Death
Telzoan Religious Hymn

Another wind blows to the east,
Another day is passing
Another sun is dying
Another night must come.
I sit and cry, the tears won't cease
As shadows o'er casting
My love before me lying
And soon his death must come
Now tell me the reason for the arm'ed host
And tell me the reason that my love is lost
I demand an answer I know shall never come
I comfort my beloved for soon he shall be gone.

Another name recorded there
Another page is turning
Another heart is burning
Another love is lost
In this the roll of life and death
My love's name there is burning
Oh in my heart it's burning
This wasn't worth the cost
Now tell me the reason for widowed host
And tell me the reason their loves where lost
They demand an answer they know shall never come
No comfort or beloved -- they shalt e'er be alone

Another wind blows from the east
Another mother's crying
Another baby's crying
This is their song of birth
In this the roll of life and death
Another name recorded
Another life does forward
Onto the road to death
And tell us the reason that life ever flows
And tell us the reason that peace is not known
We demand an answer we know shall never come
For each man 'a dying -- new victims of war come.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

Look Away (My Love)
Telzoan Love Ballad

Look away my love, to the lands past the sea
To the lands of your hopes
To the lands of your dreams
To a place in your heart where it is as it seems
A place where you'll find me, wherever I be.
A place where I always shall be.

Look away my love, hear the patter of feet
As they march to the drum
As they march to it's beat
From a place they call home so that it may stay free.
From a place I do love, wherever I be.
From a place I do wish I could be.

I shall return to you my love
And nothing shall cause me delay
For only sadness is mine my love
When without you I must stay

Look away my love, don't watch as I leave
To the lands of battle
To the lands far away
Still part of me shall stay in a place of safety
A place where you'll find me, wherever I be.
A place where I always shall be --

In your heart.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

She Will Rise
In Memory of Her Royal Highness Princess Anatole Tuval,
A song of the Court Musician Byron Dalze

She will rise, once more
Spread her wings, once more
Fly above the mountains, the sea, and the shore
And her love, once more
Shall be free, once more
And she shall be relieved of the burdens she bore.

She will rise, and dance
Through her garden prance
And relive the stories of knights and romance
And then she may chance
To seize romance
The path of the heart shall she walk at last

She will rise, she will fly, she will soar through the sky
None shall stall, change her call; her destiny forestall
She will conquer all, All opposing her fall
She will rise -- She will rise.

She will rise, once more
She will love, once more
She will fly o'er mountains, and seas, and the shores
She will rise, once more
She'll be free, once more
And she shall be relieved of the burdens she bore.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

Two Paths Into Night
Telzoan Religious Chant

Two paths into night art before thee lad
Which one shall you walk when you die?
Which one shall you lead when thou art gone
And under the earth you lie.
Beneath the wings of the bless'ed crow
Or swallowed up by the asp --
And which one shall you choose before ye lad,
Which of the two paths of the night.

Two ways of death are before us all
And one of them each man must choose
And the choice is made by the deeds of life
Tis your choice to win or to lose
By Matacha's wings or Kepho's dark fangs
Shall all of us finally go
And which path into night shall you walk lad
Tis only for you to now know.

Long in the past there was one way of death
And one god presided and judged
All who passed from our world above
And into his kingdom below.
And there was no reward for valiantry
And there was no reward for faith
And so men passed into complacency
And quietly accepted their fate.

The elder gods knew that this could not stand
For if death was meaningless -- so was life.
The good gods could not inspire happiness then.
The evil ones could not bring string
And so the king of the damned souls was thrown out
And his kingdom divided two ways
So that each soul should judged in his death
By the deeds he worked during his days



But to whom would it fall to fill in the gap
Left by the old god of doom
Who could fully fill the old throne
Who could his power consume.
The elders argued and nearly made war
Until two mortals did die
And it was decided that their struggle
Should become an eternal fight.

Matacha and Kepho, brother and sister
And workers of the ancient art
Matacha a healer and redeemer of men
Kepho a master of black art
The Necromancers tied by blood
Hated each other till death
And yet in death a reward was given
To each so that they drew new breath.

Matacha is now our Lady of Loss
For it is she who takes those away
It is she who brings the merciful end
And good hearts finally slay.
She brings the souls she reaps from the earth
To the gods they worshipped in life
She brings them even as she weeps their death
That she brought to continue life.

Kepho the thief is defiler of life
And the dark side of death he shall be
The dark and unfaithful hearts are his
To cast into the fire formed sea
Unrequitted hatred and false life he allows
To spurn his sister, to further his cause
And as a son of Sekoon the evil
He works so that evil ne'er shalt pause.

Two paths of night are before us now?
Two paths and which one to choose
Two paths to cross 'fore the new day can come
Two paths, one of hope, one of doom
Two Lords of death rule o'er us now
One of them each of us take
One of them seeks to bring us to light
The other all souls he shall break.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

In the Heart
Oyasini Love Ballad

In the heart love
All our dreams there may last forever
There shall never
There be severed
Away.

With our souls love
We give flight to the dreams before us
They call to us
For now we must
Part ways.

And though the road before us seems to long
Though the night shades 'fore us seem to strong
We'll endure -- For love always endures the snows
And though the winter passes to us fast
We can find the strength to last
Stand now love: And do not give up hope.

In the night love.
All the world trembles fearing darkness
Though it must past
It cannot last
For long.

In the dreams love
That we orchestrate while we do sleep love
We shall find strength
While we wait at length
For the dawn.

And though the evils around us are strong
We shall find that they can't endure long
We'll endure -- For love shall conquer all.
And through the trials life tosses our way
We shall find the path to a new day
Rest and dream: Tommorrow can truly be

Ours to hold.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

In the Sea
Estarian Love Hymn

In the sea,
A world of sapphire blue
Reflects the azure sky
As serene as all this seems to me
I must remember and cry
For here my true love did die.

Far away,
A coast of glowing white
Reflects the suns' dapple rays
As serene as such a place must be
I must remember that day
When my love was taken away.

I will hope,
The news brought to me was false
A mistake -- one easily made
As serene as such a thought can be
I must accept the hard fate
My love has been ta'en away.

In the sea
All things I love are there free
As the waters guard them well
And serene this place is now to me
As I've come to bid thee farewell
My love, I bid thee farewell.

In my heart
Your memory shall always shine
This I'll cherish for all time
And serenely I'll sing thee to sleep
In the part of my heart which is thine
And you, who'll always be mine.
​

 

[Michael Morris]

Would It Be Easier
An Elven Rondo (Revolving Chant - sorta like Row, Row, Row your boat)

Would it be easier to cry tonight?
Would it be easier to blame?
Would it be easier to just deny?
Would it be easier to just ignore the flame?
Would it be easier to walk away?
Would it be easier to fall?
Would it be easier to go astray
And never answer destiny's call?

For many the roads ahead
And many the miles
Many the days to pass
Under many trials
And to understand the world
You must travel today
You must let your dreams unfurl
Before they pass away

Would it be easier to surrender?
Would it be easier to run?
Would it be easier to never try?
Would it be easier to never see the sun?
And as the world just simply wisps away
Would you stay here and never try?
I could have made a million chances count
But in the end I'll simply die.

For on the easy road the greatest fall
Awaits all who would go that way.
Although the hard road has hazards too
It's much harder to go astray.
And to understand the world
You must travel today
You must let your dreams unfurl
Before they pass away
​