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A Father's Gifts

At hand is the sword by my side,
Its weight is familiar as sunshine and rain.
For years I have borne it with pride
On fields marked with triumph and riven with pain.
I've striven to learn the sword's ways;
My muscles have burned as I strained at the pell.
I know how to wield this proud sword;
Let all men know why it is wielded as well.

So take up the sword that you had from your fathers,
Take up the sword you shall give to your sons.
Take up the sword for the honour of Ealdormere:
New dawn is breaking, let glory be won.

And there is a bow in my hand;
I've heard its string hum from the spring to the fall.
My arrows have soared o'er the land
And beasts of the forest I've borne to our hall.
My arrows have fed many friends;
I've taken home fruits of the woodland and glen.
>From sunrise to sunset I've stalked;
Let all men know why the great hunt starts again.

So take up the bow that you had from your fathers,
Take up the bow you shall give to your sons.
Take up the bow for the honour of Ealdormere:
New dawn is breaking, the hunt has begun.

And there is a song on my lips,
A song full of laughter and glory and tears;
I've roared out its choruses bold,
It echoes in far fields, it soars through the years.
So many songs sung by the fires
Where tales take on life in the flickering light;
Familiar old words we recall
Which tell us the truth and which show us the right

So take up the song that you learned from your fathers,
Take up the song you shall teach to your sons.
Take up the song for the honour of Ealdormere:
New dawn is breaking, ours songs will be sung.

And there is a dream in my heart,
A dream full of pride and of hope not yet born.
This dream and the night draw apart
And yet it survives, yet it soars to the morn.
What sets this dream off from the rest?
How differs it from the night's visions we see?
This dream is like clay we can form,
Like clay it grows strong, and with work can stand free.

So take up the dream that you heard from your fathers,
Take up the dream you shall share with your sons.
Take up the dream for the honour of Ealdormere:
New dawn is breaking, which dreams have become.