The Maid of Summertown

"The Maid of Summertown" is a folk ballad written by the Sulirien poet, Nabori of Ambershade, around the year 1520 A.S, probably on Anoda.

Written at the occasion of the festival of spring of Summertown, this folk song is one of the most famous love ballads of the Sulirien Empire. It now symbolizes the frivolity and innocence of the years between 1500 A.S to 1700 A.S, better known as the "Diamond Years" of the Empire.

The legend around the making of this song mentions that Nabori of Ambershade wrote this song to seduce a woman, Jira Kanorii, who later will become Nabori's wife. Although it is more likely that Nabori wrote this song as an order from the city of Summertown for its fesival.

## **LYRICS**

> "*One morning at the dawn of spring*
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> *I walked to Summertown.*
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> *With purse of gold and joyful crew*
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> *To drink a cup o’brown.*
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> *As I strolled down into Fair Street,*
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> *I saw her in her blue gown.*
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> *All smile and laugh with a voice so sweet,*
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> *A maid of Summertown.*
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> *And she looked at me, with joyful glee,*
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> *As music rang all round.*
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> *That moment on, I vowed to marry*
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> *That maid of Summertown.*
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> *One evening at the height of spring,*
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> *I rode to Summertown.*
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> *My heart in bliss, I took my ring,*
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> *To the maid of Summertown.*
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> *She looked at me with her eyes so shy*
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> *As we stood in the sundown.*
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> *She kissed me there under the sky*
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> *Of the spring of Summertown.*
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> *And she looked at me, with joyful glee,*
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> *As music rang all round.*
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> *I found love there in the prairie*
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> *With the maid of Summertown.*
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> *Remember friend, for one day too*
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> *You’ll stroll to Summertown.*
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> *With purse of gold and joyful crew*
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> *To drink a cup o’brown.*
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> *Then you’ll see her, waiting for you*
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> *With flowers for her crown.*
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> *She’ll be the love you never knew,*
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> *The maid of Summertown.*
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> *And she’ll look at you, with joyful glee,*
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> *As music rings around.*
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> *The loveliest girl you’ll ever see,*
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> *The maid of Summertown."*
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## **POSTERITY**

The song of "The Maid of Summertown" became in later years one of the most beloved and sung ballads in the Sulirien Empire but also finding its way to the Hilvetian Confederation and the Vega System through the wandering bards.

The ballad itself made the city of Summertown a center of tourism on Anoda during the spring months in which millions of travellers arrive in town in search of good company, music, love or sometimes just a cup o'brown. Several of the inns and taverns of the city changed their names to variants of "The Maid of Summertown" to attract more customers and the spring festival makes more than half of the city's annual earnings.

Fair Street, mentionned in the song, was also changed due to the popularity of the song. At its center, a fountain showing a couple holding hands and kissing, probably representing the maid and her lover from the song, was built at the start of the year 1633 A.S. It is now supposed to bring luck to lovers and its water is rumoured to be an aphrodisiac, helping people to find their true love in the crowd.