"Bardagh" by Krista Dawn Loy

Bardagh

Quick fingers across the harp strings draw.

Honeyed voice rings with song

Knowledge is ancient and never written.

That is the law.

Proud warriors upon the battlefield scream.

Naked bodies clash with fierce rage.

None shall lay hand nor sword upon the bard.

That is the law.

A chosen few stand in circle waiting.

Druids named according to powerful signs.

Man shall not rebuke his natural gifts.

That is the law.

Great men gather in a hero’s hall.

Mighty song praises the battles won.

The dead are honored with those who survive.

That is the law.

A moving ballad at the festival sung.

Awestruck listeners murmur.

Such great gifts are not taken lightly.

That is the law.

Seasons of the moon pass quickly by.

Harp handed down to new chief bard.

Death is the end of the body, not the soul.

That is the law.

A new voice across the valley rings.

The dream of Ierne shines in pale blue eyes.

Man knows not where his destiny shall lead him.

That is the law.

We who are the poets, the musicians, the writers,

We who call upon our creative skills,

We who revel in the wonders of the universe,

Ours is the destiny of the bardagh.

To carry on the history, the legacy of our people,

To remember what our ancestors were forced to forget,

To bring back that which was and always shall be,

Now, that is the law.

~1995~