Thematic Poems

The poem of the Papermaker addressed to Roylant:

Build a new gateway for the sun,
To welcome all winds and the light of day.
And swing it open to strangers who come
Cloaked in the dusts of far away.

Your kingdom will fall as a golden leaf
Spins down from its bough on summer’s last day,
It falls not in sorrow, its end is achieved,
And a great tree will rise where the old leaf decays.

Roylant’s invocation on going into battle:

Oh Maker of the Farayond and the endless spin of Time!
This day we arm for battle and strive to kill our brother-kind.
Guide our swords and steer our arrows to do the lesser wrong
That comes when we, the weaker ones, prevail against the strong.

A prayer of the Papermaker that Talsi appended to Roylant’s invocation:

May my mind be pure and clear, my hand be faithful and strong, my tongue be always true, and my heart be enlightened to the purpose you hold for me.

A poem of the Papermaker addressed to Talsi and two of his friends:

You,
You three,
You are the stirrings of life,
You are the brightness of the daytime sky,
You are the flash of new and useful knowledge,
You are the sweetness of fruit under the thirsty tongue,
You are the rest at sundown after hard and worthy work,
You are the mighty pillars on which the Gateway for the Sun will swing.

A Poem of Melcín:

Father sun, where have you gone?
You leave me alone. Your sister moons
Still hide behind the shadowy hill.
The sky is empty but for one star,
And it is cold, cold as my heart.
Have you forgot how much I need
Your warming hand upon my head?
How could you leave the world so dark?
Show me one spark of your inner fire
Warm me before it is too late.
Or I'll forsake the world of light
And embrace the night. Forever. Forever.