Gunnora’s Charm – in "Amber Out of Quayth"

Note: The title is not original, but given for the convenience of the reader.

This is a charm, uttered by Ysmay, that would detect
and guard her against anything of the Shadow:

Life is breath, life is blood.
By the seed and by the leaf,
By the springtime with its flood,
May this power bring relief!

A Bit of Old Lore ~ in “Dare to Go A-Hunting”

Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men;

If you happened to read this book, or perhaps just browsed through it, as I did, you might have come across this little piece of poetry. It is introduced to the story as a bit of old lore, a legend, thus in a "people say that..." way. As Ms. Norton writes herself, she took these four verses from a poem by William Allingham. By pure chance, I have recently read a small booklet which included this particular piece of writing. Allow me, then, to quote it all. ~ Maciej Zaleski–Ejgierd

The Fairies

Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl's feather!

Down along the rocky shore
Some make their home,
They live on crispy pancakes
Of yellow tide-foam;
Some in the reeds
Of the black mountain lake,
With frogs for their watch-dogs,
All night awake.

High on the hill top
The old King sits;
He is now so old and grey
He's nigh lost his wits.
With a bridge of white mist
Columbkill he crosses,
On his stately journeys
From Slieveleague to Rosses;

Or going up with music
On cold starry nights,
To sup with the Queen
Of the gay Northern Lights.

They stole little Bridget
For seven years long;
When she came down again
Her friends were all gone.

They took her lightly back,
Between the night and morrow;
They thought that she was fast asleep,
But she was dead with sorrow.
They have kept her ever since
Deep within the lake,
On a bed of flag-leaves,
Watching till she wake.

By the craggy hill-side,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn-trees
For pleasure here and there.
Is any man so daring
As to dig them up in spite,
He shall find their sharpest thorns
In his bed at night.

Up the airy mountain,
Down the rushy glen,
We daren't go a-hunting
For fear of little men;
Wee folk, good folk,
Trooping all together;
Green jacket, red cap,
And white owl's feather!

by William Allingham

Eagle Hear Me ~ In “Fur Magic”

Eagle, hear me -
Let your power be with me.
White Eagle, hear me.
Speaker, hear me.
Overseer, the seeker, hear me.
White is this,
Of your medicine.
Let the wind that is the beating
Of your winds in the sky
Carry this, which is of your own power,
To join with that which is of its own.
Carry high, and carry far,
To join again that which is its own!

Far, Far, and First the Seed ~ in “Judgment on Janus”

Far, far, and first the seed,
Then the seedling,
From the rooting, to the growing.
Breath of body, stir of leaf,
Ift to tree, tree to Ift.

Gather Dark, Gather Dark ~ in “Judgment on Janus”

Gather dark, gather dark,
Bring the blade, bring the torch-
Summon power the land to walk.

Iftin Sword, Iftin Hand ~ in “Judgment on Janus”

Iftin sword, Iftin hand,
Iftin heart, Iftin kind.
Forged in dark, cooled by moon,
Borne by warrior who will stand
When Ring breaks and tree tower falls -
Iftin sword - Iftin brand!

Blessing ~ in “Moon Called”

Note: The title is not original, but given for the convenience of the reader.

Blessed be, Oh, Mother, for this one was
Thy child-
Blessed his eyes that he saw Thy path and
walked therein.
Blessed his mouth that he praised Thee in
the day and the night.
Blessed his heart that it beat with the life
which Thou gavest him.
Blessed his loins which were fashioned to
bring forth life in Thy honour and to Thy service.
Blessed his feet which walked in Thy pathways.
Reach forth Thy loving hand to draw him
into Thy own fair
place where he may rejoice in Thy beauty
and wait until it is
Thy wish that his essence embody again.
Blessed be - in Thy name.

I am the Servant, Thou the Lady ~ in “Moon Called”

I am the servant, Thou the Lady,
I am the hand to obey, the weapon to use,
     the body to serve-
I was born to Thy service, and by Thy will I
     live, to die at the time ordained.
Let now Thy great light come into me - I am
     a cup to be filled that I may do what is
     needful in this hour.
Blessed be Thy commands - let my ears hear
     them, my hands and feet to obey -
Blessed be ever the Will which moves me
     take me for Thy everlasting service-

Hob’s Hole ~ in “Noble Warrior”

(Mrs. Cobb, the cook, addresses Hob - the house Thewada)

Hob's Hole - Hob's own.
From th' roasting to th' bone.
Them as sees, shall not look.
Them's is blind, they'll be shook.
Sweep it up an' sweep it down -
Hob shall clear it all around.
So mote this be.

Believing’s Seeing ~ in “Outside”

Note: The title is not original, but given for the convenience of the reader.

Seeing’ believing – no, no, no!

Believing’s seeing – you can go!

Intery, Mintery, Cutery Corn ~ in “Outside”

Intery, mintery, cutery corn;
Appleseed and apple thorn;
Wine, bier, lumber-lock,
Five fat geese in one flock.
Sit you now and let us sing,
Out about and in again!

Remedy ~ in “Outside”

Note: The title is not original, but given for the convenience of the reader.

For every evil under the sun,
There is a remedy, or there is none.
If there be one, seek till you find it.
If there be none, never mind it.

Star Light, Star Bright ~ in “Outside”

Star light, star bright,
Five star I've seen tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

Trip and Go, Heave and Ho ~ in “Outside”

Trip and go, heave and ho!
Up and down, to and fro;
From the town to the grove,
Two by two let us rove,
A-maying, a-playing;
Love hath no gainsaying!
So - merrily, merrily, trip and go!

Dale Bride’s Lament ~ in “Songsmith”

When the hills were purple with heather
And spring rode over the Dale
When my love and I were together,
I could dream of a bridal veil.

Before the Hounds came to rend us,
We did own the spring and the moor -
Now war has become my love's mistress
And my young heart is weary and sore.

Still in dreams do I walk out of fair valley
Still in dreams I remember his voice,
In that lost time still we do dally
And still now is he my heart's choice.
For a bond, once formed, is not broken
And a promise, once having been spoken
Must be kept, regardless of cost.

Ely’s Lullaby ~ in “Songsmith”

Peace, peace little baby,
Hear not the cruel storm
Our boats have come safely,
We're sheltered and warm.

Be still, little darling
And hark to the sound
Of wind-song and wave-song
So awesome and loud ...

For wind-song shall free you
And wave-song shall teach you
And my song shall love you
The good seasons round ...

So sleep, little seabird, sleep ...

The Fall of Sulcarkeep ~ in “Songsmith”

Wind and flame and earth and wave
Sulcarkeep, proud Sulcarkeep!
All sent to dig a trader's grave;
Sulcarkeep, lost Sulcarkeep!

"'Tis but to ward," proud Osberic said,
"Sulcarkeep, strong Sulcarkeep!
There's none without permission tread
In Sulcarkeep, fair Sulcarkeep!"

Yet when the fog stole rank and thick
On Sulcarkeep, dark Sulcarkeep
Sent by a Kolder demon-trick
To Sulcarkeep, cursed Sulcarkeep,

The trader knew his fate was nigh
In Sulcarkeep, strong Sulcarkeep
For Death came drifting from the sky
To Sulcarkeep, doomed Sulcarkeep.

With swinging axe and bloodied sword
Through Sulcarkeep, vast Sulcarkeep
They fought the mindless, soulless horde
Down Sulcarkeep, through Sulcarkeep.

And when they reached the mighty heart
Of Sulcarkeep, proud Sulcarkeep
Then did witchmen and Sulcar part
In Sulcarkeep, damned Sulcarkeep

"With my own hand shall I lay waste
My Sulcarkeep, dear Sulcarkeep!"
Said Osberic, "Now make you haste,
From Sulcarkeep, lost Sulcarkeep!"

So he unleashed the mighty power
In Sulcarkeep, proud Sulcarkeep
That made of stone a flaming flower;
Ah Sulcarkeep, Ah Sulcarkeep!

The Haunted City ~ in “Songsmith”

No children sleep in Sippar now,
No vessels ride her harbour fair;
No footstep sounds on street or stair,
For all lies turned beneath death's plow.

When Kolder to rich Sippar came,
They drank its life, then stole the cup,
And when the demon-time was up,
An empty city cried its blame.

'Tis said the city twice was slain,
First with the sword, then with the mind;
By warfare of unclean kind
The unsouled walked its streets again.

Another death did Sippar die,
When Simon Tregarth struck the blow
That laid the power-wielder low,
Then unlife settled with a sigh.

The corpses lay in silent speech,
Slaves from bodies freed at last
To bury with them all that passed;
No more to fight, no more beseech.

No ship now comes to Sippar's quay,
For none will step upon her shore
Though time has shattered every door,
The bravest let her shadows be.

Lord Hathor’s Ghost Stallion ~ in “Songsmith”

Lord Hathor and his horse were slain
By the traitor's hand
Now in moon-dark, mist and rain
His stallion strides the land.

His soul is filled with vengeance
His eyes are filled with fire,
And he has promised treachery
Full vanting from his ire.

Lord Hathor, he was first to die,
All in his youthful bloom
But e'er death glazed the stallion's eyes
The beast swore fearful doom.

Of moonlight is the horse's mane
His blood is formed from death
His teeth are now a traitor's bane
And fury now his breath.

Lord Faral’s Race ~ in “Songsmith”

Along the midnight road they ran
Along the broad and gleaming span
Five gallant steeds of noble pride,
Not gold, but life, hung on their ride.

Beneath Gunnora's golden light
Six horses raced into the night
Against the dark and fearsome knight
The Dark Light!
The black knight!
At midnight ...

For he had come, with helm drawn down
Into the center of the town
He challenged them with haughty voice
And dared them to make another choice.

"If you do win, I'll go my way,
But if I win, then you will pay
A bondage through eternity
In servitude to mine and me."

Then came Lord Faral, tall and proud,
And raised a whip to hush the crowd;
"So let it be! Then let us race
For this is a protected place.

Within Gunnora's smile we dwell
Our horses drink from Lady's Well,
Strive with us, if you so choose;
Race with me, and surely lose!"

"I will not race with one," said he,
"Five noble lords must race with me."
"Then I will my four brothers call,
That none born here become your thrall!"

They raced along an ancient way,
Through misty moonlight, siver-grey
But dark seeks darkness for its boon
And mortal flesh meets mortal doom.

The one horse fell, and there were four
and one heart burst and could no more -

So three ran into the dark
Then from that black whip came a spark
Of poison light; and there were two
And Miroch's gelding threw a shoe.

And Faral then the Black Lord paced,
Step for step a time they raced
But oh, the mists grew cold and dread
And Faral's stallion tossed his head.

"Abandon now," the Dark knight said,
"For see, your brothers are all dead."
"Far better here I make my grave,
Then let my people be your slave!

I service to Gunnora vow,
Both hand and heart, both foot and brow,
And I shall never be forsworn
Though life from me and mine are torn!"

Then came a radiant, golden light
And lifted Faral into flight
His steed's feet did not touch the ground
While the Dark horse tried to pund

Itself into the glittering stone
The Dark knight from its back was thrown
Crying out in agony,
The Dark did meet its destiny;

For they had come to Lady's Well,
That holy place of which tales tell
For there, the Lady had prepared
A trap from which no dark was spared!

The Riving of the Boarder ~ in “Songsmith”

We pledged fair Estcarp's bound to hold
We men who ride with Tregarth's band
That witches might, with knowledge old,
Avange the wrongs done in our land.

Of Falconer blood and elder race
We ride, united by one will -
To keep the invaders from this place;
Send sword and falcon forth to kill!

Satire’s Curse ~ in “Songsmith”

Would you then offend me, sir?
I'll stand on minstrel's right:
May your bright blade blind you,
That you see not where it falls,
May your heartthrob fill your ears
That you hear not succor's call.
May every briar bind you,
And fling you to your knees,
May a loose-willed wench deny you,
When you would seek her ease.

Then would you draw sword on me?
Why, sir, so let this be!
Now let the moon-mad guide you
Down illusion's wandering ways,
Now let you outlive your children,
In an eternity of days:
Let cowardice o'ertake you
When you would be most brave;
An let your rotted body lie
In an unremembered grave.

The Song of Garthal’s Dar ~ in “Star Gate”

In the morning light went Garthal
Sword in hand, his cloak about his arm.
A white shield for his arm,
And he raised his blade against the inner men,
Forcing their chieftain into battle,
Forcing them to give him freedom of their ways,
That he might come upon his bloody enemy
And cross metal with him
Who had raised the scornful laughter
In the Hold of Grum at the Midyear feasting –

Blue the Leaf ~ in “Victory on Janus”

Note: The title is not original, but given for the convenience of the reader.

Blue the leaf, strong the tree,
Deep the root, high the branch,
Sweet the earth, lying free.
Gather dark, hold the night,
Stars hang, the moon is bright.

Blue the leaf, life returns.
In the end sword never fails -

Blue the leaf, rise and grow,
Deep strike old roots to reach.
Star shine, moon glow -
Ift seed –

Green the Growth, Deep the Seed ~ “Victory on Janus”

Green the growth, deep the seed.
Stand high a Tree, to Iftin need.
Sweet the wind, soft the rain -
Rich the soil, without bane -

Straight the sword, sharp the blade.
Bright the leaf that does not fade.
Still the Mirror, wide and deep,
High the Moon that doth keep
Silver caught within the Mirror.
Stand here, Ift, without fear.

Iftin Sword, Iftin Brand ~ in “Victory on Janus”

Iftin sword, Iftin brand -
Light fails, Iftin stand.
Cool of dark, fire of noon -
Green of tree, evil's doom!

Let Your Spirit Not Depart Gladly, Great One ~ in “Victory on Janus”

Let your spirit not depart gladly, Great One,
But harshly to those who come. Of all the days, may this be the worst
For those who ill use you.
Die in battle; make of your branches swords,
Of your twigs needles to tear,
Of your sap poison to burn,
Of your trunk a crushing weight.
Die as you have lived, Ift-friend, Ift-protector,
That your seedlings may spring anew.
This be our promise, Iftsiga -
Your seed shall sprout with ours.
Ift-blood, sap-blood, shall be as one.
Ift to tree, tree to Ift!