Poems/Warband

Contents 1 An Argument in the Garden 2 Helgerad and Kara 3 Kais and Layala 4 The Heart's Desire 5 The Storming of the Castle of Love An Argument in the Garden[] It is a comic poem, which satirizes the conventions of courtly love. A lover steals into a garden in Veluca, and plies her with lots of witty lines to persuade his lover to submit to his embraces. She shoots down all of his advances one by one, them when he is downcast, she takes him in her arms and tell him that she wanted him all along, except on her terms, not his. A lady with a sense of humor may find it amusing, but others might feel that they are the ones who are being mocked Full version: All the silks of Veluca, all the furs of Khudan Would buy you not the briefest kiss What I bestow, I bestow for love And the sake of my own happiness But brought you a gift? Let us see! Let us see! Or should tell my father how you came to see me? Helgerad and Kara[] It is a heroic tale, full of blood and battle. The shieldmaiden Kara chooses the warrior Helgered as her lover, as he is the only man who can defeat her in combat. Her father, who pledged her to another, comes with his sons and his huscarls to kill Helgered. They fight, and Helgered and Kars slaughter the entire host except for Kara's beloved younger -- who, alas, growing up to avenge his father by slaying Helgered. The depiction of warrior and shieldmaiden as equals will appeal to some women, but a mail-wearing, blood-splattered heroine will shock and repulse others Full version: A light pierced the gloom over Wercheg cliffs... Where charge of surf broke on shieldwall of shore Grey-helmeted and grey-cloaked the maiden stood On wave-steed's prow, the sailcloth snapping Over din of oars, of timbers cracking She cried out to her hearth-brothers, arrayed for war Kais and Layala[] It is a sad and simple story -- the shepherd boy Kais and the nobleman's daughter Layala love each other, but they can never marry. The poem is Kais's lament as he wanders alone, unwilling to forget his true love, driving himself mad with longing. Some ladies melt a the sweetness of his sorrows; others glaze over at his self pity. Full version: The wind that blows the dry steppe dust Stir the curtains in your tower The moon that lights my drunken path home Looks on you sleeping in your bower If I cried out to the wind Could it carry a message from my lips? If I wept before the moon Would it grant me just a glimpse? The Heart's Desire[] It is a lyrical poem, which can be interpreted either erotically or spiritually. The lover realizes the majesty of the divine by gazing upon the body of his beloved. I believe that it appeals to women of certain romantic temperament, but you risk scandalizing or boring others Full version: You are the first and the last the outer and the inner When I drink from the cup of love I escape the tread of time A moment in solitude with you Would have no beginning and no end The Storming of the Castle of Love[] It is an allegoric poem, replete with symbols and metaphor. It describes how a brave but rough warrior wins the heart of his lady by learning the virtues of chivalry, becoming a true and noble knight. Its theme -- that the role of a women is to inspire but also civilize a man -- is appreciated by some noble ladies, but not all. Full version: I deflected her skeptical questioning darts with armor made of purest devotion purged in the forge of my heart from the slag of any baser emotion