Bardic Tales

Round Table Discussion

In the time of Pict and Wode

No Roman was secure

To travel far from camp alone

Examples do adjure

Untamed in Britain's wilderness

The Druid led brigade

Still practice human sacrifice

And culled those who invade

Appeasing bloody hungry gods

At least the hedges said

For word of mouth and legend held

Thus paranoia's fed

Make the foe uncivilized

Make him less than man

Unleash the frightened dogs of war

Eradicate to plan

If they won't bow, then we'll destroy

Hearth and home and field

Lay waste to farm land round about

Thus offer up no yield

Still in this day of dark and war

A mediator rose

A leader of a Roman band

That none could well oppose

He had a heart for justice

Not just for Roman law

Prepared for bad, he looked for good

In every face he saw

He fell in with a warrior maid

Who painted her face blue

Like him her heart was for the land

Her arrows all flew true

Where He sat there was no head

His warrior Queen beside

The Merlin from her family clan

Advised with local pride

His sense of tactics let him hear

Advice outside tradition

He forged a bond so like his blade

With no loss by division

United he his Camelot

And all the land around

Add knightly code of chivalry

And justice so profound

That when he failed in his own way

To live up to the light

He bore his punishment the same

As any peasant  might

He lived and led by what he said

That justice by example

Shown by the leaders of the land

Give evidence quite ample

If you would lead prepare yourself

To do just what you say

Because what's politic in Rome

Around here just won't play

Richard Higley © Dec 2011