Lutra Poems Etc

O curse the name Mad Eyes Say woe to the day, When he tried to steal Tears of all Oceans away. All corsairs and searats Whose messmates lie dead, Saw blood and hot flame Turn the seas flowing red. Though northcoast lies far And the ocean is wide, Run from the green arrows Of vengeance, and hide. For the price of six tears Through the dreams of us all, Walks the fear of a Warrior From the place called Redwall. Now the life of our Brethren Who followed the sea, Will ne'er be the same For such rovers as we. 'Twas the greed of a tyrant That brought us to shame, Six tears for a crown -- Curse the Emperor's name! --Verses from a corsair ballad Piknim & Craklyn's Songs (in the order they appear in the book): "As I strode out gaily, one morning in spring, I spied a fair mousemaid, who happily did sing, She sang just as sweet, as a lark's rising call, For she wore a green habit, and she came from Redwall. I walked alongside her, and bade her good morn, And her smile was as pretty, as rosebuds at dawn, She captured my heart, and she held it in thrall, For she wore a green habit, and she came from Redwall. I said, 'Lovely mousemaid, where do you go to?' 'To Mossflower Wood, sir, for flowers of blue, To decorate my bonnet, at the feast in Great Hall,' For she wore a green habit, and she came from Redwall. To the woodlands we went, and 'twas there in a glade, I gathered wild bluebells, for my young mousemaid, Then I walked her back home, lest she stumble or fall, For she wore a green habit, and she came from Redwall. 'Pray sir,' said the mousemaid, 'be my gallant guest.' O how happy was I, to take up her request, For I never will leave, that old Abbey at all, Now we both wear green habits, and we live at Redwall!" "If string cannot sing then answer this riddle, What sings as sweet as the strings of a fiddle, The fiddlestring sings, but it never can throw, An arrow so far as the string of a bow, But a bow plays a fiddle and I'll marry thee, If you give a bright bow of ribbon to me!" "Pick me flowers for Redwall, To grace the tables of Great Hall, Go out upon the grassy ground, Where flowers bloom all round. Periwinkle primrose pimpernel, Buttercup burnet and bluebell, Arrowhead anemone asphodel, Tansy's a flower as well! Campion cowslip columbine, Speedwell spurge and snowdrop fine, Toadflax thrift and also thyme, But pretty Tansy's mine! Foxglove figwort feverfew, Harebell hemlock hawkweed too, Forget-me-nots with petals blue, Sweet Tansy I'll pick you!" What Fermald said to Abbot Durral when he asked about Graylunk: "Dead and gone, no, gone to be dead, Following the crack that runs through his head. From beyond the sunset, they will appear, Tell them, the weasel was never here, Remember my words and use them someday, To keep the wrath of Mad Eyes away!" Grath's Rhyme: "Run from me, hide from me, Still my shafts will find you, All you vermin of the sea, I must bring swift death to. Lutra's Holt has not yet gone, By my bow I swear it so, I alone will carry on, Wreaking vengeance where I go. Run from me, hide from me, Hear my longbow singing, Grath of Lutra's family, Sleep to you is bringing." Fermald's Riddle for the Scallop Shell: "Look not up, nor to the four main points, But where our paws do tread, the dead oak joints. There wrought by mother nature 'neath the main, Lies that which holds the beauty, or the bane." Fermald's Riddle for the First Tear: "For you my old friend Higgle, I shed a single tear, The kindnesses oft showed me, Your food and smiling cheer, Go, find my gift, good Friar, This tear is given free, Not hid away in secret, But there for all to see!" Fermald's Riddle for the Second Tear: "I shed my second tear, into the cup of cheer, But look not into any cup, the answer's written here! My first is in blood and also in battle, My second in acorn, oak and apple, My third and fourth are both the same, In the centre of sorrow and twice in refrain, My fifth starts eternity ending here, My last is the first of last...Oh dear! If I told you the answer then you would know, 'Twas made in the winter of deepest snow." Fermald's Riddle for the Third Tear: "My sad third tear is shed, for one who now lies dead, A friendly foe it was to me, a cunning old adversary. Now heed the clues and read my rhyme, Patience pays but once this time. Inside the outer walls I lie, Without me you would surely die. I am not earth nor am I stone, No shape at all to call my own, Not bird or beast or flow'r or tree, Yet captives live within me free!" Fermald's Riddle for the Fourth Tear: "My fourth tear I shed, For the Abbey Redwall, Laid where it never Should hatch or fall. Below the mouth of a mouse looking south, All in a deserted dwelling. So sit o'er the maidenhair, gaze up north, And solve what my next words are telling. Put a home with our Abbey Warrior, North East South at the start, Then to complete this riddle, Add the last thing in 'my heart'." Fermald's Riddle for the Fifth Tear: "There is a warrior, Where is a sword? Peace did he bring, The fighting Lord. Shed for him is my fifth tear. Find it in the title here, Written in but a single word, An eye is an eye, until it is heard. Lines:  One of one.  Eight of two.  One of three.  Three of four.  One of five.  Six of six.  Two of seven.  Four of eight." Fermald's Riddle for the Sixth Tear: "My sixth and last tear I give unto you, When Redwallers lie abed, At midnight see, in full moon view, The purple arrowhead. Travel east, six rods from the tip, To the rose that blooms ever fair, See ifyou can find the right hip, Turn west and you're halfway there." Fermald's Last Poem: "Your search is done, the sixth pearl found, Perfect, rose-hued, pink and round, Back home now in a scallop shell, Which I hid well and good, Tears of all Oceans, truth to tell, Lie stained by death and blood." Ublaz's Song to his Snake: "Golden guardian of my wealth, Hear me now, be still, Deathly fang and coiling stealth, Bend unto my will." Romsca's Corsair Song: "I'm the babe of a bloodripper, Born in the teeth of a gale, I'm the one who wields the sword, An' makes the foebeast wail. I'm as sharp as the reef rock, I carry death in me paw, Go where I like, slay who I will, That's the corsairs' law! Blood's me favourite colour, Swifter'n lightnin' aye, Stand out me way, stand out I say, Step aside now, or die! 'Cos I'm the spawn o' nightstorm, An' death sails in me wake, I sheath me blade in innards, An' what I want, I take! Come one, come all, I'm waitin', I'll flay yer carcass bare, So everyplace I go they'll say, 'Ahoy, you bold corsaaaaaaiiiiiirrrr!'" Curlo's Guosim Song: "Guosim! Guosim! Sail 'im, dip 'im, douse 'im, If'n you see a shrew in river or stream, Who can jump like a trout an' swim like a bream, Fight like a pike an' sing like a lark, An' paddle a boat from dawn 'til dark... Yer lookin' at a Guosim! O Guosim! Guosim! Sail 'im, dip 'im, douse 'im, If'n you see a shrew who c'n cook up a stew, Brew dark beer an' bake bread too, An' bend 'is back an' pull an oar, Row all the day an' shout fer more... Yer lookin' at a Guosim! O Guosim! Guosim! Sail 'im, dip 'im, douse 'im, Not an otter or a waterdog, No nor a spiky ole 'edge'og, Even a warty toad or frog, So it's three cheers for our Log a Loooooooooog! We're Guosim Guosim Guosim!" Shrews' Farewell Shanty: "Hey la ho, hey la ho, Our hearts go with you where you go, Hey la hey, hey la hey, Maybe we'll meet again someday. Like a feather on the breeze, Blown to wander restlessly, Out upon the open seas, Travel speedily and free. But as the earth turns, And our fire burns, And the moss grows on the lee, When long day ends, Think of old friends, In whatever place you be. Hey la ho, hey la ho, Fortune follow you where e'er you go, Hey la hey, hey la hey, May sunlight warm your back upon the way." Otter Poem: "Frisk in the water if you wish, But stay clear of the big ole fish, 'Specially those with the fin like a sail, They're the rogues who'll take yer tail, So stay in the shallows an' bright sunlight, An' y'll live to sleep round the fire at night!" Brother Dormal's Season Poem: "When the damson tree's crowned white, And wild pear blooms also, I thank the season for this sight, That lets good creatures know, Summer is come to shed its gold, Warm days grow long as holm oak flow'rs The bees hum songs they learned of old, To shorten night's long hours. For spring is fled and summer's come, Gather its blossoms and bring me some." Guja's Searat Song: "Would you plunder from yer mother? Yes I would, yes I would, For me mother always said I was no good. I'm a searat bred an' born, An' I'm sailin' in the morn, Stan' aside, me lucky buckoes, let me go! Cut me teeth upon a cutlass Yes I did, yes I did, An' ne pore old daddy ran away an' hid, Sayin', 'That's no child o' mine, Let 'im sail across the brine, Stan' aside now for the vermin, let 'im go!' If there's plunder in the offin' That's fer me, that's fer me, An' I never charge, I'll kill you all fer free, Give me lots o' lovely loot, An' a cask o' grog ter boot, Up the anchor, loose the sails an' let me go!" Guosim Boat-Naming Poem: "Whether she sails on river or sea, May the wind be always behind her, May she always be welcomed by friends like me, May the foebeast never find her. Let her crew hold the lives of each other dear, And avoid every sharp rock or reef, Good seasons and fates now listen and hear, Keep this gallant Freebeast from all grief!" Clecky's Hare Song: "Of all the creatures in the land, The sea or in the air, Not one of 'em is half so grand, Or noble as a hare. A hare can jump, a hare can run, He don't live down a hole, In fact a hare's a lot more fun, Than almost any mole. A hare's courageous and so brave, Good-mannered and quite courtly, Sometime he's serious and grave, But never fat, just portly. He never puts a footpaw wrong, His disposition's sunny, With ears so elegant and long, Not stubby like a bunny. So sing his praises everywhere, This creature bold, with charm to spare, The one thing better than a hare, Is two hares, that's a pair!" Plogg's Happy Song: "Oh, I'm 'appy as the day is long, I'm cheery, merry, bright, From early morn I sings me song, Until last thing at night. Chop off me paws, slice off me tail, An' my pore neck start wringin', You'll never 'ear me cry or wail, Because I'll still be singin'! Ooooo, flugga dugga dugga chugchugchug, With a smile like a duck upon me mug!" Durral's Dream Song: "High o'er the hills, far o'er the seas, Fly with small birds, follow the breeze, Go with your heart, where would you roam, Back to the rose-coloured stones you call home. Where faded summers will echo again, Brown autumn trees, or the spring's gentle rain. Shadows are falling 'cross woodlands you know, Rest, weary one, in the warm firelight glow." Farewell Song, sung by Craklyn: "Fare you well upon your journey, To the bright lands far away, Where beside the peaceful rivers, You may linger any day. In the forests warm at noontide, See the flowers bloom in the glades, Meet the friends who've gone before you, To the calm of quiet shades. There you'll wait, O my beloved, Never knowing want or care, And when I have seen my seasons, We will walk together there." Wullger's Song: "There was an otter by a stream, Come ringle dum o lady, Who feel asleep and had a dream, All on the bank so shady. He dreamt the stream was made of wine, It flowed along so merry, And when he drank it tasted fine, Like plum and elderberry, And all the banks were made of cake, Come ringle ding my dearie, As nice as any cook could bake, That otter felt quiet cheery. He drank and ate with right good will, Till wakened by his daughter. She said, 'I hope you've had your fill, Of mud and cold streamwater!' Come ringle doo fol doodle day, Come wisebeast or come witty, A fool who dreams to dine that way, Must waken to self-pity." Otter Dance Song: "Ho comb yore whiskers, brush that tail, Place a flow'r behind yore ear, Wash those paws in my ole pail, We're off a dancin', dear!  Oooooooh! Paws up high, rudder on the deck, Pace up to yore partner, check! Rudder in the air, paws on the ground, Whirl that otter round an' round! Vittles onna table, drink's there too, Hear the music playin', Smile at me I'll dance with you, Every otter's sayin'!  Oooooooh! Shuffle back an' clap both paws, I'll clap mine an' you clap yours! Turn away now back to back, Slap those tails down whackwhackwhack!" Clecky's Sad Ballad: "This is the story of Corkal hare, Which is most terribly tragic, horribly sad an' pretty awfully fearfuuuuuuuul! So pray give attention, list' to my song an' don't fall asleep, Although 'tis not too cheerfuuuuuuuuuuuul! Poor Corkal fell foul of an evil fox Who was mean an' horribly cruuuuuuuuel! An' foolishly he challenged him, Nest mornin' at dawn to a duuuuuuuuuuel! Both creatures chose as their weapons, To hurl at each other, salaaaaaaaaaad! Good job they never chose soup or else, I might never have wrote this ballaaaaaaaad! So the very next mornin' as dawn did break, All bright'n'hot'n' warm an' sunneeeeeeeeeeee! Which considerin' it was the dead o' winter, Our hero did not find too funneeeeeeeeeeee! There in the field the two creatures met, Each beast with salad ladeeeeeeeeeeeeeen! A terrible sight not fit for the eyes, Of any tender young maideeeeeeeeeen! An' the lettuce an' the carrots an' the onions they flew like lightniiiiiiiiiin'! An' they fought'n'they ate, an' they ate'n'they fought, The scene was pretty frightniiiiiiiin'! But now my friends I've reached the end of my most sad renditiiion, At the end of the epic battle royal this was the sad positiiiion, Neither the fox nor the hare had won, they were both in bad conditiiiiiiion, Sufferin' from fierce indigestion because, they'd ate all the ammunitiiiiiiion!" Trees o' the Wood, a song sung by Craklyn and Gerul: "Abroad I strolled in the forest one day, I walked till me paws were sore weary, I heard an ould mistle thrush close by me say, 'O here's to the woodland so cheery! There's ash and beech and rowan and oak, Weepin' willow with leaves trailin' down O, Many rowans I've know full o' berries when grown, And laburnum that wears a gold crown O. So of all the trees growin' here in the wood, Tell me which is the finest and best, sir, I'll find that one ere springtime is gone, And I'll surely build me a nice nest there. There's cedar and elm and hornbeam and yew, Sycamore buckthorn and alder so fine, Sweet chestnut and fir and shrub elder where, Grow dark berries on which I can dine. Aye I'l find a stout tree for to make a safe nest, Just like a good-livin' bird should, Then me chicks will all fly and just like I, Seek a tree for themselves in the wood!'" Brother Dormal's Tongue-Twister: "If Sister Cicely serves some soup, She'll surely see some sup it, Sip that soup if you're sick, Siwg it swift sure and slick, Should it set stiff'n' imy, then suck it. If Cicely suspect that such soup has been scorned, She'll slip slyly and even the score, So if Sister persists, woe to him who resists, Cicely's certain to serve him some more." Grath's Story: "Sad winds sweep the shores, Near a place called Holt Lutra, Where first I saw daylight the day I was born, And the lone seabirds call, O'er the grave of them all, Whilst my tears mingle into the seas as I mourn. For those Tears of all Oceans, Six pearls like pink rosebuds, Once plucked from the waters beneath the deep main, Oh my father and mother, Dear sisters and brothers, In the grey light of dawn all my family were slain. They sailed in by nightdark, those cold heartless vermin, Their pity as scant as the midwinter's breath, Then laughing and jeering, As slashing and spearing, My kinfolk were slaughtered by wavescum to death. But their greatest mistake was, They left Lutra's daughter, I swore then an oath that the seasons would show, My green arrows flying, And sea vermin dying, Cursing with their last breath the swift song of my bow. So vengeance will drive me, As long as my paw's strong, To sharpen a shaft and my bowstring to stretch. The price vermin paid, For six pearls from a raid, Is that death bears the same name as I, Grath Longfletch." Guosim Voyaging Song: "Let the birds fly high before us, An' our wake trail straight behind, When yore heart is yearnin' for it, Home is not too hard to find. May our way be bright an' sunny, Back to where the campfires burn, There our friends an' families waitin', For the warriors to return. Are the old ones happily livin', An' the young ones tall an' grown? We will soon see smilin' faces, Of all those we've always known. Far we've travelled, long we've wandered, Morn till night an' dusk to dawn, But there's no place we'll rest easy, Save the land where we were born." Martin the Warrior tells Tansy what to do: "Haste to the shore, look to the main, Be not beset by fears, Wait faithfully for a Sea King there, And take with you six tears." Old Woodland Ballad: "Shrum, shrum, double die dum, Rivers may flow but the streams they do run, Kissing the willows that droop sad and low, Through sunlight and shadow as onward they go. Shrum, shrum, fie upon thee, Ye rivers an' streams that flow down to the sea, I sit by your banks through the long weary day, To mourn for my true love who you bore away. Shrum, shrum, cruel is fate, How long must I linger by water and wait, You babble round rock and you swirl around stone, And share your dark secrest with none but your own. Shrum, shrum, tears may fall, I'm bound for the place where the lone seabirds call, I'll build me a boat and sail down to the sea, There I'll search for the heart that is dearest to me. Shrum, shrum, shrummmmmmmmm!" What Martin the Warrior said to Abbot Durral: "She who holds the pearls, the Abbess of Redwall will be, She who holds on to the pearls, cannot rule in place of thee, Only an Abbess whose heart sees truth, may give pearls unto the sea." A Notice that Craklyn will pin to the gates of Redwall: "All who come in peace and friendship, stay, On this the eve of cold midwinter's day. Good food and drink and, best, good company, Come share our hospitality for free. Beneath the lanterns, sit and take your fill, Sing and dance you may, with right goodwill, With one condition, as Redwallers say, If you enjoyed it, call another day, Summer, spring, 'most any time at all, And find a welcome waiting at Redwall!"

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