A Seven Mother's Recruiting Poem
(The Lunar Burden)
Take up the Lunar burden--
Bring forth the best you breed--
Accept the Daughter's exile
To sing the Goddess' creed;
To wait beyond the Glowline
On windy folk and wild--
Your new-caught sullen peoples,
Half devil and half child.
Take up the Lunar burden--
In Dragon Pass abide,
To stop the breath of terror
And check the stormy pride;
By open speech and simple,
Seven times seven times made plain,
To seek barbarian's profit
And work the heathen's gain.
Take up the Lunar burden--
The savage wars of peace--
Fill Teelo Norroi's Larder,
And bid Malia cease;
And when our goal is waxing
(The truth for others sought)
Watch sloth and heathen folly
Bring Mothers' hope to naught.
Take up the Lunar burden--
We do not come as kings,
But toil like the Ten Servants--
The tale of common things.
To show the Goddess' wisdom,
Down many roads you'll tread,
Come walk them with the Mothers
And mark them with your dead.
Take up the Lunar burden,
And reap its hard reward--
The blame of those you better
The hate of those you guard--
The cry of souls you humor
Toward the holy ruddy light:
"Why do you end our bondage,
To gods who know no right?"
Take up the Lunar burden--
You dare not stoop to less--
Nor seek Deezola's mercy
To ease your weariness.
As you teach and challenge,
As you wax and wane,
These boastful sullen peoples
Shall weigh our Goddess' name.
Take up the Lunar burden!
Have done with childish days--
The lightly-proffered laurel,
Easy Osliran praise.
Come, test maternal courage
Through all the thankless years,
Red-edged with dear-bought wisdom,
The judgment of your peers.
Let's not have just one-sided ignorant Heortling perspectives.
Peter Larsen
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