Verse: Brenda's Pern Poems

[Brenda]

These are mostly adapted from the songs and verses in the Pern books. I am going to start a feedback thread as well, so please don't post here!


Harper, Tell
The first verse is the original one, from a chapter heading in Dragonsong.

Harper, tell me of the road
That leads beyond this Hold
That wends its way beyond the hill
Does it go further on until
It ends in sunset’s gold?

Harper, you sing of dragons brave
And sky-borne Threads of fear
A constant battle in the sky
Would it be safe enough that I
Could run away from here?

Harper, I would travel far
When one day I am grown
And sail a boat upon the wind
To places I have never been
Learn things I had not known.

Harper, tell me of the world
Through which I long to roam
Think you I’d find adventure there
Or that I’d only find despair
Return in sorrow home?

Harper, sing a song of hope
For dreamers such as I
Who long to travel far and wide
And hope that we might one day ride
On dragons in the sky.



Please post feedback here!

[Brenda]

This I started writing for a "Pernese Christmas Carols" thread at the OKT. It's to the tune of "Jingle Bells"... but the story got away from me and I'm not sure that's the best tune. You'll see what I mean.



Dashing through the air,
Returning from our sweep,
Home to Benden Weyr,
Can't wait to get some sleep!
I feel my dragon hum
At the thought of his great bed
But suddenly he roars and flames
At unexpected Thread! Oh!

Flee the scene, go between, have to raise the Weyr!
Thread is falling early, we must flame it in the air, Oh!
Sound the call, time for Fall, get the firestone packed!
Send the weyrlings out at once, I need another sack!

The wings fly out in force
Upon our urgent call
We'll have to time, of course
To make it to the Fall
As flames rip through the air
And Thread burns into ash
We skip between to catch a clump
Then back before we crash! Oh!

Flee the scene, go between, missed it by a hair!
Thread is falling early, we must flame it in the air, Oh!
Sound the call, one and all, get that firestone packed!
Send the weyrlings out at once, I need another sack!

The holders down below
Are fighting thread as well
Flame throwers cast a glow
Who's winning? Who can tell!
The weyrlings come at last
With heavy firestone packs
I catch one as they fly above
And dump my empty sacks! Oh!

Flee the scene, go between, hurry! Over there!
Thread is falling early, we must flame it in the air, Oh!
Sound the call, one and all, get that firestone packed!
Send the weyrlings out at once to fill those empty sacks!

Slower

The threadfall finally ends
We fly back to the Weyr
And land beside our friends
Who were wounded in the air
A weyrling scored by Thread
Lies by his loyal green
She waits until he breathes his last
Then dives into between.

Soft and mournful

Fled the scene, gone between, no more loads to bear
Having done their duty, gave their lives up for the Weyr, oh,
Sound the call, one and all, keen to bring them back
You know it wasn't worth it just for one old firestone sack.





I'm sure you can see what I mean - after a point it just feels wierd to have such a cheerful tune to such a sad tale. I've been told to rewrite it so that the weyrling doesn't die... but I just can't seem to.



Please post feedback here!

[Brenda]

This is expanded from "Menolly's Running Song" in Dragonsong, which is one of the verses. It's just her telling her story.




I left the seahold and I ran away
For I wanted to live on my own
Out by the rocks where the fire lizards play
Was a cave I would make my home.

The sky was still dark when I slipped out the door
While everyone else was in bed
I went to catch spiderclaws down by the shore
Almost too late, I saw Thread!

I ran to the cave and climbed in just in time
The fire lizards all were humming
The clutch I had saved was starting to hatch
Even with Threadfall coming!

The first one to hatch flew out into the Thread
I couldn't just let them all die!
I fed them the spiderclaws that I had caught
Hoping they'd stay and not fly.

The next morning most of the lizards had flown
But nine little ones were still there
The first ones I'd fed - though I hadn't known
I had impressed my own fair!

With nine little friends I was never alone
Every day we'd explore
I played on my pipes and they all sang along
Then one day we went too far.

I froze in my tracks when I first saw the Thread
The cave was miles down the shore
I tried to stay calm but I just lost my head
And couldn't stand still anymore.


This is the original verse.

Then my feet took off and my legs went too
So my body was obliged to follow
Me with my hands and my mouth full of cress
And my throat too dry to swallow.

The rocks were too far, I knew I'd never make it
I'd surely be eaten by Thread
I thought it was over, I felt the ground shake
But a dragon had landed instead!

I scrambled aboard and we leapt in the air
Straight into the black of between
Then out again over Benden Weyr
With more dragons than I'd ever seen!

We landed, but when I got to the ground
The pain was too great, and I fell
While running, I'd run the soles off my boots
And the skin off my feet as well.

In just a few days I was up and about
Surprising them all with my fair!
I'd arrived just in time to help out with the feast
For the Hatching at Benden Weyr!

Though a hatching is never a common event,
This one was momentous, in truth:
For Brekke's recovery surpassed all hopes
And Jaxom impressed white Ruth.

That night at the feast I was startled to hear
The harpers were playing my song!
Then Master Robinton looked right at me -
He'd known who I was all along!

I went to the Harper Hall that very night
Master Robinton asked me to stay.
I never expected that I'd walk the tables
In only a sevenday!

Now I'm a journeyman harper of Pern
My dearest dreams finally came true
Running away didn't solve a thing
That just speaking out wouldn't do.

When you know what you want and you want what you love,
Don't let anyone stand in your way.
Make your own path and follow your heart
And you're certain to find it one day.





Please post feedback here!

[Brenda]

This is the "Eastern Sea Hold Song" from Dragonsinger - Menolly sings one verse in the story, and there are two more verses in one of the chapter headings, but I always felt it needed just a little bit more, to make it into a real story! So this first verse is all mine.


Eastern Sea Hold Song

My heart broke long ago,
A love for which I grieve;
But now the sea's my only love,
The only one I need.

O wide sea, O sweet sea,
Forever be my lover;
Fare me on your gentle wave
Your wide bed over.

The fickle wind's my foe,
With tide his keen ally;
They're jealous of my sea's love,
And rouse her with their lie.

O sweet sea, O dear sea,
Heed not their stormy wile;
But bear me safely to my Hold,
And from their watery trial.



Please post feedback here!

[Brenda]

This is an expanded version of Menolly's song about Brekke calling F'nor back from the Red Star. It seemed like Menolly would write it so that Brekke would be telling the story throughout the song, while driving home the point that Dragonriders will fight Thread, but only on Pern, never again on the Red Star. I think it even fits with what Sebell says about it, wondering if she should have put the peril first... which neither she nor I did.


Brekke's Lament

Don’t leave me alone!
The cry in the night
Of anguish heart-striking
Of soul-killing fright

O live for my living
Or else I must die
Don’t leave me alone!
A world heard that cry.

The secret of Thread
Lay on the Red Star
They thought we should burn it
But none knew how far.

You shouldn’t have gone, love
The risk was too great
But the chance to end Thread -
Too precious to waste.

An image of clouds
Seen dim in the lens
The long jump, not knowing
You’d come out again

Sucked into a whirlwind
Sand-scoured and torn
I heard when you screamed –
The Weyr must be warned!

My voice pulled you back
I’ll never know why
We thought you were dead
When you fell from the sky.

The dragons all flew
And created a path
You landed at last
Brave F’nor, noble Canth.

Every dragon and wher
Every fire-lizard too
Saw what you had seen
And heard my cry to you.

Through fire-lizard eyes
A hard truth was learned
We shall always fight Thread...
But only on Pern.



Please post feedback here!

[Livi]

Maybe you should write the song that goes with Moreta's Ride. It's mentioned but never shown.

[Brenda]

I'm flattered but I am not up to writing a full ballad like the one described in Dragonsinger!

[Brenda]

I just realized that I don't have a link to the videos of me singing my versions of the Pern songs in my "Pern Songs" thread! Here they are:

The Question Song
The Fire Lizard Song
Menolly's "Song for Petiron"
Gather Song
Eastern Sea Hold Song
My White-Winged Craft
Brekke's Lament
Harper, Tell

[GinnyStar]

Thanks for the reminder, once I can find how to use JAWS with YUouTube for they talk about in a Podcast from FSCast I want to get back there, I have a few idIdeas but they are hidden in thin the cludder of my Folder yet,, there is a few that are not Amc music but but one cacomes to mind, that shares one of hehere wourlds, Ships books written by by one of her co-writers from the Ship that SeeSearched., I don't like it when I can sometime say and not spell their names.