Durpin’s
Book of Songs and Poems
Copyright Tartsongs, Ltd.
‘Twas my good fortune to meet Durpin Dar, the first Lord Scribe of Daingneach Onoir, when I was but a young lass and still new to Wehnimer’s Landing. By that time, years of toil against evil had taken their toll. He looked tired. We sat for hours while he talked and sang; tales of the founding of Daingneach Onoir and House Phoenix, songs of love and of honor, and finally of his plans to take a trip to a far land of strange and wondrous people where he hoped to again find joy in life. Eventually, his words ran out, and he stood with a sigh. But before he turned away from me for the last time, he paused, reached into his pocket, and drew out a small troll-skin leather book. “Take this,” he said with a slight smile. “This contains the songs, poems, histories and lessons that I have written during my time here. Enjoy them, but do not forget to give credit to Tartsongs, Ltd., whenever anyone sings them.”
With that, he turned and was gone. This first book contains his songs and poems. The second book contains his lessons and histories. From them we may hope to glean a tiny bit of insight into the soul of our first Lord Scribe.
Submitted in Honor,
Elaerina Cragsinger
Scribe, House Daingneach Onoir
Poems
Beauty (Written for Lady Matti)
I never cease to be amazed
How women miss the point
Some laugh, some smile, some simply gaze
Some reply, some don't.
Their Hair is wrong, their boots are old
Their face a scarred up mess
They say they are not pretty now
They blush as they confess.
Tis not the skin, the hair, the eyes
nor clothes that I extol
For what I hold in high regard
is the beauty of their soul.
Fine, Fine
I be doing fine
Better than a thick, sweet Solhaven wine
Better than 13 tarts a baking in the oven
Better than 13 witches a brewing in their coven
Fine, Fine
I be doing fine
I tells you some more, ifs you gots the time.
Fine, Fine
I's a happy one
Better than many but not as good as some
I be doing so much better than I thinks that i deserve
Ifs I was doing better, I'd be getting on your nerves
Fine, Fine
I's a happy guy
I give out a smile when any passes by.
Fine, Fine
better than great
My beloved Jenina's going to make me her mate
Then she be making babies and I be making tarts
and we be making merry, and be sharing our hearts
Fine, Fine
as you will discover
how rosey life looks for the arms of your lover.
If she were my true love
how would I know?
When my love for Stonemeadow
I can not let go?
Can her kiss bring me joy?
and erase the cold shadow?
that clings to my soul
my loss of Stonemeadow?
If I were to love her
would she replace
my love for Stonemeadow?
Would it be erased?
How could I forget
the love of my youth?
And how would I know
when I run
from the truth.
Love carved in the heart, Love carved into stone
Will never depart or leave you alone
Love without fear, Joy without pain
Year after year love remains.
Love carved in the heart brings passion alive
those feelings which start and can't be denied.
True tender expressions, desire untamed
Love carved in the heart fuels your flame.
Love carved into stone brings freedom and trust
when out on your own it brings faithfulness
Glory and Honor and security
Love carved into stone sets you free.
Love carved in the heart, Love carved into stone
Will never depart or leave you alone
Love without fear, Joy without pain
Year after year love remains.
(The union between Direstrike and Mistyleah was the inspiration for this poem.)
The hermit dedicated himself
To learn the truth of life.
He shunned away the lures of wealth,
Pride, lust, and the like.
Alone, he spent his days of youth.
He searched both far and wide.
Alone, he hunted for the truth.
This quest would not subside.
Mendanbar, all alone,
Exhausted from his quest.
Went to free the spirits who moan
To give their spirits rest.
Dreamweaver freed the spirits who moan.
With wounded heart to shield
She often hunted quite alone
To keep her pain concealled.
Together they hunted alone together,
Alone together alone.
Mendenbarr and Dreamweaver
So soon the seed was sown.
The Lady spoke of Love and Life
The Hermit spoke of truths
"Without Love and life", the Lady claimed
"the truth is of no use".
The Hermit learned. The Lady taught.
Dreamweaver showed him life.
The Hermit found the Truth He sought
The Hermit found a wife.
What was truth the Hermit gained?
It's one we recognize
'Tis through love and life and friends and pain
that one will become wise.
The darkness of a winters night
will slowly break in pre-dawn skies
But still, the cold’s not put to flight
until the rays of sun arrives.
And so the darkness of my heart
had turned to lifeless shades of grey
The pain that loss of love imparts
Has left me cold, left me afraid.
But now, a smile, a twinkling eye
a word, a touch, A Lady's face
A ray of joy has touched my life
a warmth is here, the cold replaced.
My skin tingles, My nose twitches
My heart races, the times flies
All these things change as my fate switches
is this love?
or just surprise?
My sister is a horrid thing
I love her just the same
when something in my life goes wrong
My sister is the blame.
Her face mis-shaped, her eyes askew
Her skin a blotched disgrace
But if you point it out to her
I'll rearrange your face!
My sister's mind is not quite right
In fact, she's gone quite mad
She says I'm making these things up
I'm not! Her memory's bad.
My sister says she's nice to me
But don't believe her claim
My sister is a horrid thing
I love her just the same.
One night I sniffed within my pack
and found down at it's bottom
a cherished tart. My lips went "smack"
It was just slightly rotten.
It was old and though the mold
was growing through and through it
I did not mind the jelly slimed
as long as I could chew it.
But soon I fell into a trance
a slumber of foreboding
this nightmare dreamed, (the mold perchance?)
Some feel the tale’s worth noting.
I dreamed I stood at Town Square East
Heard screams, saw bloody trails
Inside the Moot Hall something feasts
on young ones soft entrails.
I rushed inside towards moaning crys
the dead were laid out flat
and once inside, with my own eyes, I saw
The Massive Vorpal Vrrael-Rat!
"Oh, Massive Rat!, You must now STOP!"
His tail wraps 'round and binds me
He nods and growls, "But I shall NOT!"
and slays the elf behind me.
Into the streets, the carnage reeks
out towards the Cul-de-sac
The dead I saw, their bodies gnawed, by the
The Massive Vorpal Vrrael-Rat!
In narrow halls, the sewer walls
I saw the strangest sight
The sewers clean, walls glistened and gleamed
Each tunnel bathed in soft light.
On the polished floor were rats galore
freshly bathed in the clean flowing stream
each happy and gay, each froliced and played
It was the end of my haunting dream.
This was my dream. A warning it seems
that one should take to heart.
But I wonder still, and I always will
Was it just from that moldy tart?
Deep in the Darkest Hole
Below the pits of Hell
In secret caverns sit
the growing terror swells.
Alone, I face the beast
no others enter in
If not victorious
I shall not be seen again.
The terror that I face
I must slay at all cost
is the pain that I hide
from the love
that I've lost.
And I think it's gonna be a long long time
Till I get another tart to eat and find
I'm not the man they think I am at home
Oh no no no I'm a HOBBIT man
HOBBIT man!
eating all his tarts up here alone.
HOBBIT Maaaa--aaaaaa--aaaa---aan
I'm a HOBBIT man!"
Durpin smiles while listening to the baying of Waerns from the courtyard far below the tower.
(Durpin pats his thighs with his hands. He sets up a walking-blues, shuffle rhythm.)
Durpin sings:
"When I leave safety behind me
when my hunting work's begun
Free the undead souls I find me
and then rub the wounds I've won."
Durpin sings:
"And when it's through, babe
You got to know this is true, babe
'cause when my hunting work is through
I'll just want to be with you."
Durpin sings:
"And if tomorrow night
the Vrrael invades our homes
And though I put up a fight
they turn my body into stone."
Durpin sings:
"If they pull my soul away from me
and leave me where I lay
And if no one comes to rescue me
and alone, there I decay."
Durpin sings:
"And when it's through, babe
You got to know this is true, babe
After Lorminstra pulls me thru
I'll still just want to be with you."
(Durpin takes a deep breath, as the blues feeling becomes a bit more intense.)
Durpin sings:
"If you turn your face away from me
and say our love is wrong
if you refuse to share the destiny
that has been ours all along."
Durpin sings:
"If you choose another lover
crush my spirit till I die
with your feelings for me over
and my love becomes despised."
Durpin sings:
"And if that's what you do, babe
You got to know this is true, babe
If your love is ever through
I'll still want to be with you."
Durpin sings:
"Yeah, yeah, yeah
You gotta know it's true, babe
I'll forever want to be with you."
(Durpin looks awfully vulnerable, as he stops patting the rhythm on his leg.)