Ophelia's Soliloquy

To live--or die?
Does he love me?
Should I suffer for lost love?
Or rise up against myself?
And end my misery.
To die,
To weep no more.
To end the ache that my heart feels.
I yearn for it.
To die,
To sleep in peace forever.
With my father,
We lays in the dust
For remembrance.
My heart is heavy,
What is to come?
Always fear.
Hamlet, would bear is misfortune,
Forgetting me and going to the unknown.
Why should I bear it?
This wronged lover?
This lady's torment?
The broken spirit?
This lack of justice?
No voice for my pain?
I could end it all.
In a river.

Why do mothers bear it?
To grunt and sweat while giving life?
All the while, facing death?
Yet all dread what is to come.
The unknown beyond that blood and pain of life,
Is what we known not.
Those noble men --
My father, dead.
My true love, mad.
My brother, gone.
Where may I go?
What can I do?
To a nunnery--
Or to a river.
I go.


I don't remember when I wrote this, but I belive it was probably in 2002 when I took a Shakespeare survey course. We read Hamlet and I wanted to give Ophelia words.

Banner of the Compass Star

Song is always dedicated to the inspirational Crowns of Northshield.

Sing a song of Northshield sons
And Northern daughters too.
Raise our banner overhead
The Griffin calls to you.

CHORUS
Raise up the banner of the Compass Star
Far from home, we hold dear,
From gathering storms of warfare
The Griffin Army's here.

You needn't be the boldest
We're one Army in fields of war,
Bugle notes they linger
The might Griffins soar.

CHORUS

Word fame of heart heartbeat
We march to do or die.
The music's in the people,
Free under Northern sky.

CHORUS
Written for Stephen Du Bois and Ailleanne Faelin at Warriors and Warlor XVI (2009), in which I was named Bardic Champion for their reign. I wrote a war song and was so incredibly nervous I was shaking. I'm proud of myself for this one and it's about time I posted it somewhere. I should note that I wanted to write a song to challenge myself. I found my inspiration in the Queen fighting on the field at Pensic and also in the beautiful banners that Northshield has.

Crap, Man, It's Cold Here in Northshield! (a comical arrangement for a bardic creature with two heads)

By Salienor the Foolefeathre (with apologies to Master Ingus Moen)

CHORUS
Shuffling forth with a scarf on our face
To shield from the cold which can hit like a mace
Everyone's all huddled up in one place
'Cause CRAP MAN, it's cold here in Northshield!

HEAD ONE: Freeing my car from a near-inch of frost
HEAD TWO: Wondering just how much mileage we've lost
HEAD ONE: Getting snow chains and ignoring the cost
BOTH: Oh snowstorm the bane of my Northshield

and we're...

CHORUS

HEAD TWO: Donning my armor that's colder than ice
HEAD ONE: Freezing cold armor is not very nice
HEAD TWO: Skating a melee...
HEAD ONE: I'll not do that twice!

BOTH: The landscape is frozen Northshield

and we're...

CHORUS

HEAD ONE: Chapeaus and mantles are proudly displayed
HEAD TWO: Hey, look at all of this warm garb we have made!
HEAD ONE: Dealing in warmth is our stock and our trade
BOTH: Sweet fire the savior of Northshield

and we're...

CHORUS

HEAD TWO: Hugging and cuddling all through the storm
HEAD ONE: Closeness?
HEAD TWO: Hell no!
BOTH: We just want to be warm!
HEAD TWO: Sometime around Dub-dub new babes will be born
BOTH: We have to be close here in Northshield

and we're...

CHORUS

(slowly)

HEAD ONE: The Sun sudd'n'ly comes out in June or July
HEAD TWO: Dub-dub and Pennsic will quickly draw nigh
HEAD ONE: The Sun beats down on us,
HEAD TWO: we fear we my die...
(normal tempo)
BOTH: At least until next month in Northshield

and we're...

CHORUS

Published censoring the "Crap" in the December 2009 Nortwatch. Sarah the Fool's idea and chorus, we came up with the rest of it coming back from Border's Skermish. The nomme de plume  is taken from Sarah and Alienor + Fool and Grayfeathre. Two fools together may accomplish much.