Into the Unknown

Lord Sterling

Lord Sterling rides down to the Faery glen,
In search of a fair young lass,
He sees her dancing
In all his dreams
Between the auld standing stones.

Lord Sterling rides hard and long is his way
To stones of the faerie glen,
The laugh and the smile
Of a fair young lass
Driving him closer still.

Lord Sterling is young, and his eyes are green,
His spirit unbridled, wild,
His senses sharp, to the glen he rides,
But the old stones seem out of sight.

Lord Sterling rides, as the maiden sings
Of olden days and dark nights,
He hears the voice,
Yet the old, grey stones
Still are to him out of sight.

Lord Sterling cries, as he drives his heels
Deep into his horse’s side,
He rides and rides,
Yet the cursed stones
Are still far and out of sight.

Lord Sterling comes to the glen to see
The lass of the golden hair,
She smiles – her eyes are of forest green,
And white are her bonny hands.

Lord Sterling calls, and she smiles again
Watching him coming near,
But as he comes, the accursed stones
Still hide the fair lass from him.

Lord Sterling swears he would get the maid,
And tears off his silver cross,
The thunder rolls, and the night falls down,
As he steps inside the stones.

Lord Sterling holds his fine bonny lass
To his chest and beating heart,
She says that nothing upon the earth
Would now keep them apart…

Lord Sterling is found the very next morn
Inside the ring of grey stones
Our bonnie lad has travelled along,
The old servants sigh and say.

Lord Sterling laughs as he rides till dawn
Still holding his fair young lass,
The ring still stands, and the silver cross
Lies hidden in tall green grass..

I shall claim my own

I shall claim my own.
In living or dying,
In peace or war,
In battle or dance –
Mine shall be
Who is meant to be.

I shall claim my own.
Bard or king,
Warrior or maiden,
Child or druid-
Mine shall be
Who is meant to be.

I shall claim my own.
As I have claimed
Taliesin and Myrddin,
Aneirin and Gwendolleu-
For mine is mine,
And always will be.

I shall claim my own
In thought or deed,
In song or sword,
In birth of death,
For mine is mine,
And always will be.

I shall claim my own
On land or sea,
On marriage bed or grave,
For what is mine
Will be my own
And no one else’s.

I shall claim my own
For wife or man,
For child or prophet,
For my will is iron,
And what is mine
Mine shall ever be.

Dark love of mine/Ailein Duinn

Oh dark love of mine,
Does the water cradle you
Now, where my arms cannot?

Dark is the sea,
And dark is my heart,
For the water has taken my love.

The sea has taken him,
Taken him as a spouse,
Tore him from my embrace.

On a bed of seaweed
My love now sleeps,
In the dark of the sea,

His hair dark as the night,
His face – whiter than the moon,
His lips – cold as death.

Let me follow you, Ailein Duinn,
Let me lie close to you
In your dark grave.

Let me touch you, Ailein Duinn,
Let me kiss your lips
And wake you again.

Let me see you, Ailein Duinn,
Let me taste the salt
On your skin.

Let me die there, Ailein Duinn,
Let me become your grave,
For life matters not.

Let me love you, Ailein Duinn,
Let me carress you
One last time.

I will not give you up, Ailein Duinn,
Nor be parted from you,
By earth or by water.

Come back to me, Ailein Duinn,
Come or take me
Where you are – for we are one.

Oh my dark love, my Ailein Duinn,
Now that my heart is broken,
I shall follow you.

Gwyn’s courtship

I am not riding today,
I’m courting.
Courting my autumn bride.

I am not hunting today,
I’m dancing.
Dancing till stars look down.

I am not fighting today,
I’m singing.
Singing of love till dusk.

I am the son of Nudd, cariad,
I am the winter Lord
I am the northern king, cariad,
I am the autumn born.

Shining like starlight, cariad,
Shining and young is she,
Shining like springtime, cariad,
Shining – the one for me.

I’ll dance you away, oh cariad,
I’ll sing you a highland song,
I’ll take you away, oh cariad,
I’ll show you where you belong.

Follow my trail, oh cariad,
Follow my hawthorn paths,
Follow my song, oh cariad,
Follow my forest dance.

Highland vow/By the fires of Samhain

By the lights of Samhain
By the mists of the Otherworld
By the rainstorms and dust
By oak, ash and thorn

I swear to be true.

In living and dying
In joy and suffering
In despair and hope
In cold and heat,

I shall be by your side.

In the lands of the living
In the realms of the dead
In the green hills of the Fae
In the deep waters of Annwfn

I shall find you.

Blessed Gwyn, be my witness
Blessed Gwyn,be my shield
Blessed Gwyn, be my anchor
Blessed Gwyn, be my light

Where the paths are lost.

By land, sky and wind
By heathered hills
By fire, forests and water,
By thistle and meadowsweet,

I swear to find you.

Wherever you may go
Wherever this life leads you
Wherever death claims you,
Wherever this road may lead,

I shall follow to bring you back.

Shining Gwyn, be my sword
Shining Gwyn, be my protector
Shining Gwyn, be my armour
Shining Gwyn, be my song

In times of war and peace.

Wherever you go I follow
Wherever you lead, I go
For we are bound by the mists
For we are bound by blood and bone,

For we are one- from here to eternity.

With the rain I come

With the rain I come
For the dying
And the yet unborn.

With the rain I come
To restore and heal,
And to make amends.

With the rain I come
To take all the pain,
And to soothe the mind.

With the rain I come
Swift like summer storm,
Cold as winds of night.

With the rain I come
Singing out the dead,
Singing babes to sleep.

With the rain I come,
King of faerie lands,
Blessed son of mist.

With the rain I come,
For the ones in need,
For the ones in pain.

With the rain I come
Bringing peace of night,
Lifting midnight veils.

With the rain i come
To the dying beds
And to cribs alike.

With the rain I come.
When the need is dire,
You can count on me.

With the rain I come.
Don’t you cry, my child,
I shall set you free.

Sky wept as they rode

Sky wept as they rode
For the battle was nigh
And many would perish.

Sky wept as they rode
For the hearts were breaking
And blood boiled.

Sky wept as they rode
For the faith drove them
And the pipes sang.

Sky wept as they rode
For the flower of Gododdin
Would fall on the field.

Sky wept as they rode
For none could halt them,
And none would stay behind.

Sky wept as they rode
For it was my heart
That wept the bitterest tears.

Sky wept as they rode
For I remained
Awaiting their return.

Sky wept as they fell
One by one
As fall the leaves.

Sky wept as they fell
For the price was high
And they were outnumbered

Sky wept as they fell
For the king and squire
We’re equal that day.

Sky wept as they fell
For the pride was great
But the foes were many.

Sky wept as they fell
For the high cause,
Yet by chance and folly.

Sky wept as they fell
For no one was spared
But the last four standing

Sky wept as they fell
For the song hushed
And the music died.

Sky wept as they rode
Back home
All dead.

Sky wept as they rode
Spirits and mist,
Darkened skies

Sky wept as they rode
Part of the Hunt
Never to return

Sky wept as they rode
Proud in death
Warriors of Gododdin.

Sky wept as as they rode
Unseen and unheard
On the nightfall.

Sky wept as they rode
Bringing no news
Of the one I loved.

Sky wept as they rode
And my heart cried
For he was gone.

Sky wept as they rode
And the hope was gone
As he fell on the field.

Sky wept as they rode
But the eastern wind
Whispered and sang

Sky wept as they rode
But a new hope was born
In the radiant heart

Sky wept as they rode
But I knew my love
Would return.

Sky wept as they rode
But the flower of Rheged
Would return.

Sky wept as they rode
And I sang
To bring him back.

Sky wept as they rode
And my voice was true
For Taliesin am I.

Sky wept as they rode
And Aneirin came home
Broken and dark.

Sky wept as they rode
And my heart rejoiced
For he was there.

Cathraeth/ Y Gododin

I remember Cathraeth,
Where many were slain.
They rode off to battle
For victory they rode,
All they gained
Was death.

I remember Cathraeth:
Where the field once was,
Blood flows.
Blood drips from broken spears
Helmets are crushed,
Shields shattered.

I remember Cathraeth:
Where the mighty fell,
No flower would bloom.
Blood washes the tears away,
And swords are powerless
Where death triumphs.

I remember Cathraeth.
The billowing cloaks,
The battle cries,
All gone.
All but four fell that day
And I was among them.

I remember Cathraeth:
Pain raging free,
Anger driving men
To the point of hatred,
Driving them mad,
Dividing them.

I remember Cathraeth:
From limb to limb
Torn and wounded,
Ripped and unwept,
Unsung lie the men
Whose fate was sealed.

I remember Cathraeth:
Carrion crows
Circling the field,
Drunk with the blood
Of noble and brave,
Slain and forgotten.

I remember Cathraeth,
Where one by one
Fell both horses and men,
And the enemy cried
With tears of our blood
Pouring like rain.

I remember Cathraeth,
Where my song did die,
Where the death rejoiced
Where the life ran dry,
And the memory rang,
Like a mourning bell.

I remember Cathraeth,
For I saw it all
And it chilled my blood
Leaving me alive.
I saw men of might
Falling to their knees.

I remember Cathraeth,
Pools of blood
Like the darkest wine
Of the ancient halls,
Like the waters deep
That lull souls to rest.

I remember Cathraeth,
For I was there.
Where the warriors fell,
Like the sheeves of corn
Where it all began
Just to die at morn.

I remember Cathraeth.
Aneirin am I,
And my song shall be
Song of blood and pain,
And my song of woe
Shall therein remain.

Aneirin

Aneirin

I am the son of the heathered hills,
The rolling waves and the distant skies,
I am the son of the mists and winds,
The cliffs and rivers, the moss and pines.

I am the one who sang in the wild,
Of battles and hearts on the chainmail sleeves,
I am the one who never took sides,
In halls where they drank, and on bloody fields.

I am the son of the land that is gone,
The shadow and legend, the distant shore,
I am the song that is all dead and done,
The key to the gilded and rotten doors.

I am the son of the eagles in flight
The sunrise and sunset, that are no more.
I am the one of unrivalled might
That’s all but forgotten, unsung, forlorn.

I am the bard of the flaming verse,
Of sword and the pain, and of battle cries,
I am the prince of the scathing words
Of guilt and blame, and honor that died.

I am the one who came once before,
Who loved and ached, yet desired to live
I am the voice from grim days of yore,
All pain and longing, and never free.

I am Aneirin, the golden one,
Prince of bards and the bard of kings,
I am Aneirin, the broken one,
Who has no solace or hope to give.

I am Aneirin- so raise a glass,
And pour the mead to set me free,
I am Aneirin- in one swift glance
I shall be gone – so just let me be.

Barddas

I am Taliesin.

I know why the sun rises,
Why the stars shine,
Why the wind has wings,
Why the battle rages

I am Taliesin

I wander through the mists,
And I dance with the Fair folk –
Nothing is hidden from me,
And nothing can hold me.

I am Taliesin.

No chains are strong enough,
No mind is powerful enough,
No heart is hard enough,
For my song.

I am Taliesin

Where the water runs,
Where the trees talk,
Where the grasses are high
There you will find me.

I am Taliesin.

I sang before kings,
I sang to the gods,
In the fields and halls,
In the light and shade.

I am Taliesin.

Cerridwen bore me
Gwydion gave me voice
Loud was my cry
In the still of the night.

I am Taliesin.

Forever I wander,
Forever I sing,
Ninefold blessed
Twelvefold loved.

I am Taliesin.

Aneirin am I.

Prince among the bards,
Bard among the princes,
Flaming verse,
The storm in the night.

Aneirin am I

Sharpest glance,
Coldest steel,
Strongest voice,
Brightest flame in the dark.

Aneirin am I

Born of kings,
Son of heather and stone,
Nurtured by flame
Of the sacred word.

Aneirin am I

The one who loved,
The one who sang,
The one who saw,
Forever burning one.

Aneirin am I

The voice of Goddodin,
The rage of the nine waves,
The storm of the battlefield,
The blazing one.

Aneirin am I

The truthful one,
The noble one,
The one who had worn
His heart as a shield.

Aneirin am I