Holmsung

Look to leafy trees - see
Strength in branch, trunk and root
Passed father’s to son’s hands
No barren nest this ground
Hearts root-twined to kin-lore
“Ketil here wed so young”
Build steadings for young wives
Plane the wood for strong byrnes
Trim wicks to light the lamps
A man’s pride in hearth-roots
One foot on kin-loved soil

Kin-wealth reaching upwards
Lands forever held in trust
More years than giant’s age
From soil to seed to crop
“Asmund here broke his plow”
Here sons plant their first crops
Plot star routes with their sons
Hew rock to line the fires
Small chores to ease the heart
Great as one grown oak-tall
One foot in the future.