Redwall Poems

Dibbuns' Nameday Rhyme:

"Food to eat and games to play.
Tell me why, tell me why.
Serve it out and eat it up.
Have a try, have a try.
Nameday, Nameday, fun and game day,
Come Brother, Sister, join our play.
This season has a name!"

Song About Martin, sung by Sister Nasturtium:

"In days of old a warrior bold,
All pawsore, tired and lame,
Came marching through the winters cold,
And Martin was his name.
Martin, Martin, the warrior of Redwall,
With courage and his trusty sword, he came to save us all.
Now in those high and far-off days,
The country was oppressed
By vermin cruel, whose tyrant ways
Would let no creature rest.
But truth and brav'ry won the day,
For through all Mossflow'r wide,
Good honest creatures made their way
To stand by Martin's side....And they cried:
Martin, Martin the Warrior of Redwall,
With courage and his trusty sword, he came to save us all.
The evil ones he put to flight
And justice he restored.
His heart was strong, his cause was right,
And mighty was his sword.
He helped to build our Abbey here,
The land rings with his fame.
Now peace lives here, we know no fear,
For Martin was his name.
Martin, Martin the warrior of Redwall,
With courage and his trusty sword,
He came to save us all!"

Martin Speaking Through Sister Nasturtium (in the order they occur in the book):

"I am but an orchard shadow in the sunny tide of noon,
The dust of olden seasons on a stone.
My paw is light and silent as a waning autumn moon;
I walk the halls of memory, alone.
You may hear me as a whisper that the wind has left behind,
Or see me as the pale calm light of dawn,
Feel me take the toll of care, from off your sleeping mind,
In times of deep despair and hope forlorn.
Then I will be beside you in the corridors of dream.
A warrior's strength I'll give to you, my friend,
Like the waters of a storm that swell a tiny mountain stream,
A mightiness your loved ones to defend.
Injustice and evil will flee from your law,
As all about you will say,
'There walks one touched, by the Warrior's paw.'
So wait, I will find you one day."

"When night meets day, stand clear away,
Beware the Abbey then.
Stay close beside the rampart wall,
Await the moment when
The flame of storm will strike my blade
To aid the badger Lord,
And bring back to Redwall one day
A guardian and a sword."

"Bring me back a squirrel carrying my blade,
Bring me back a little mole, a pretty fair young maid,
Bring me back a speedy one with hunger and long ears,
And a Redwall Guardian to watch us through the years."

Ghost Story Told by Brother Hollyberry:

"Old travellers tell, at the midnight bell,
When the nightdark covers all,
Mid the falling snow, when the cold winds blow,
Of the ghost that walks Redwall...
Yes, the ghost that haunts the stairways goes slowly on his beat,
Moaning low in the moonlight's glow.
'Give me young ones to eat!'
Then one night as the lightning was flashing
And the thunder was crashing out, boom!
The beastly phantom came a-haunting
Into this very room.
When up stood a young one, pale as the ghost,
And to the spirit said,
'How dare you moan round here at night
And wake me from my bed!'
The ghost sprang at him with a cry:
'Whoohoo I'll eat you whole!'
The pale mouse laughed as he replied,
'You'll need a great big bowl!
For I am Martin the Warrior,
The spirit of Redwall,
Whilst I protect this Abbey,
You'll eat nobeast at all!'
Then Martin drew his trusty sword
And chopped that ghost apart.
He sliced his nose, he carved his ears,
He whacked its legs and head,
He chopped its claws, he hacked its jaws,
Then to the ghost he said:
'Be sure to brush up all your bits,
Goodnight, I'm off to bed!'"

The Nameday Challenge:

Thrugg: "What want you here, young beast, young beast,
              What want you here at my feast, my feast?"
Turzel & Blossom: "O stripedog, great guardian, some food for us all,
                               For we are good young ones who live at Redwall!"
Thrugg: "Some food, you say. Nay nay, away,
              Unless our good Abbess says it is Nameday!"
Dumble: "Kind muvva, gudd muvva, er, er, O pleeze tell this beast
               Dat this is our Nameday, an', an', an' we wanna feast!
Abbess Vale: "Fie on you, great guardian, for can you not see,
                      These young ones are hungry, and they are with me."
Young Ones: "So stand aside and let us pass!"

Verse at Brother Hal's Funeral:

"Your seasons have run their course, old friend.
In your goodlife we were proud to take part,
But in springtimes unborn and summers to come,
You will live in each Redwaller's heart."

Urthstripe's Chant as he Begins to Carve:

"Seas and lifespans, ebbing, flowing,
Past and future merge as one.
Mountain Rulers, coming, going,
Seasons future, seasons gone.
Badger warriors from the shades
Stand beside me, guide my paw.
O wise Lords and gentle maids,
Restrain my rage, preserve our law."

Verse Carved in Badger Rune:

"Faintheart shall be made strong,
But a warrior's fate for the mountain Lord.
Blue eyes brings battle ere long,
Whilst the maid comes of her own accord.
The mount shall be ruled by badger kin,
The sword shall make Mossflower free
The Abbey will take its Guardian in
Far from this rock by the sea."

Thrugg & Dumble's Song:

Thrugg: "O give me a road to walk along,
               An' a bite of food or two,
               I'll tramp an' eat the livelong day,
               My liddle friend, with you."
Dumble: "O, I'll sit on top'a Mista Thugg
               An' give 'm food to scoff,
               'Cos he's my great big matey an'
               'E won't let me fall off!"
Thrugg: "O, Dumble is a scallywag,
              Fat as a liddle frog.
              He's eaten so much vittles,
              He's 'eavier than a hog!"
Dumble: "O Mista Thugg, don't turn around,
               And don't you cause a fuss.
               There's four ol' foxes wiv big sticks --
               I fink they're followin' us!"

Dumble's Dormouse Song:

"There's no roof mouse, nor chimbley mouse,
No winder mouse or floor mouse,
An' I ain't gotta nokker on me nose,
But I'm a likkle dormouse.
There's a fieldmouse anna 'arvest mouse,
An 'edgemouse an' prob'ly a shoremouse,
But I'm the bestest of the lot,
'Cos I'm a likkle dormouse.
Ohahaha an' heeheehee,
Yes I'm a likkle dormouse.
So I'll eat me dinner an' grow big,
An' then I'll be enor-mouse!"

Guosssom Boatsong:

"I'll sing you a song of the river-o,
Where the water's clean and clear,
And teh long fast Guosssom logboats go.
We're the shrews that know no fear,
So bend your back and use those paws.
From gravel bank to sandy shores,
Your cares and woes will disappear,
Just sitting paddling here.
Guossssssssom....Guossssssssom!
I'll sing you a song of the river-o.
It belongs to me and you.
O'er deeps and shallows we'll both go,
With the finest Guosssom crew,
When other creatures bound to land
Will not feel half so free or grand,
Or know the water shrews' great skill.
So paddle with goodwill.
Guosssssssssom....Guossssssssssom!"

Guosssom Paddling Shanty:

"Pull, boys, pull!
O, we're the sons of the roarin' shrews
And a logboat is the home we choose.
O, pull, me bullies, pull!
Now we can stamp an' we can fight
An' paddle logboats day and night.
Pull, boys, pull!
I was born in a stream on a stormy day,
So I jumped in a boat and paddled away.
O, pull, me bullies, pull!
A paddle's me son an' a boat's me wife,
An' the open water is me life.
Pill, boys, pull!
O, I can scoff an' outfight you,
I'm the paddlin' son of a roarin' shrew.
O, pull, me bullies, pull!"

Pikkle's Shanty:

"O, I'm a Salamandastron lad,
An' by my reckonin' that's not bad.
Scoff, chaps, scoff!
Now listen, shipmates, while I say
I'd rather scoff than paddle all day.
O, scoff y'villains, scoff!
I don't think that I'd feel so sore
With an apple pudden in each paw.
Scoff, chaps, scoff!
So set me down on good dry earth,
I'll eat an' snooze for all I'm worth.
O, scoff, y'villains, scoff!"

Guosssom Song:

"From lake to the river and down to the sea,
Paddling, paddling, onward go we.
The sun on the water does shine merrily
As away go the logboats like birds wild and free.
So paddle, my brother, I'll sit next to you,
A fine handsome creature, a bold Guosssom shrew.
High sky and deep water are both coloured blue.
Our boats like our friends are all solid and true."

Guosssom War Shanty:

"The Guosssom shrews are off to war,
With our rapiers close to paw.
Woe to him who will not go
To fight the vermin foe.
Logalog Logalog Log-a-log!
Guosssom shrews must live or die
Free beneath the open sky.
Battle on while we have breath,
With no fear of death.
Logalog Logalog Log-a-log!"

Guosssom Song:

"Beating up the river, paddling down the stream,
Find me a berth, lads, somewhere I can dream,
Still quiet waters there, where the lilies float,
Cool and green, dark and clean, there I'll moor this boat.
Oho, you old paddle, you have made me sore,
Bent all my back and wearied all my paw.
Pull me into harbour, there I'll make my thanks,
Lie by the river, slumber on the banks.
Where the willow's leaning o'er
And the waters kiss the shore,
That's the place that I will rest, linger evermore."

Pikkle's Silly Ditty:

"I'd give my left ear an' raise a cheer
For a plate of woodland pie,
As as for a pudden, if it was a good un,
I'l give my best right eye.
I'd give a paw to get my jaw
Around a fat fruitcake.
For a dumplin' stew, my tail could go too.
I mean, for goodness sake,
If I saw a pastie, I wouldn't get nasty
I'd trade it for my nose.
And if I couldn't smell, I'd just say "Well,
I'd rather have one of those."
So take my heart and leave me that tart,
But my mouth I won't take off,
Because, I plead, it's a mouth I'll need
To eat all that bally scoff!"

Abbey Grace:

"Squirrels, otters, hedgehogs, mice,
Moles with fur like sable,
Gathered in good spirits all,
Round the festive table.
Sit we down to eat and drink.
Friends, before we do, let's think,
Fruit of forest, field and banks,
To the seasons we give thanks."