It all began with Dorigen
Who taught our line the wordsmith’s skill
to sing out tales and stories spin
Her words our hearts with joy do fill
her songs chase away night’s bone chill
the tales she told became her own
to entertain us and to thrill
And thus from her we all have grown
Her words have risen o’er the din
Her voice has made full halls fall still
bright praise in royal sight did win
a sense of grace she did instill
outshone all others in her skill
when called before the eastern throne
Queen’s bard by Isabella’s will
And thus from her we all have grown
From her came those who call her kin
a line of those of stubborn will
to her give thanks to her chagrin
she taught us words our lives to fill
gave fertile fields of songs to till
a greater wordsmith rarely known
inspired many with her skill
And thus from her we all have grown
Dear Prince let none speak of her ill
Her light though all of us has shone
In her the East found unmeasured skill
And thus from her we all have grown
This was my first (and so far only) attempt to write in a ballad style. Same end rhyme for every line. The last line in the stanza is a refrain, and the stanzas are followed by a four-line concluding stanza (an envoi) usually addressed to a prince. The rhyme scheme is therefore usually ‘ababbcbC ababbcbC ababbcbC bcbC’, where the capital ‘C’ is a refrain. This was written on commission for a bardic exchange some years ago.
aethelfliedbrewbane 