The Measure of a Man
From the endless northern ocean
I have come to this fair land,
Seeking answers to the question
Of the measure of a man.
I beheld a great free city
Where the galley slaves were sold,
And the watchmen made their duty
Out of hunting men for gold.
Tis' a value rather dubious,
That of people in exchange
For some coin through trade nefarious,
Done by greedy men's arrange.
Thus, I sought a new perception
To the value of one's life,
And so putting mind to action
I strode searching for some strife.
Bearing axe I joined the nordsmen
In their frenzied battle cries,
Hunting down their fellow kinsmen,
Bloodshot fury in their eyes.
And I realized that likeness
Has no power to restrain
All the raw, chaotic madness
That a violent heart contains.
Having formed a humble party
Of some warriors bold and brave,
I set out to gain some glory,
Finding villages to save.
These adventures where great tutor,
Teaching me the most true needs
Of a land blindly in stupor
Craving great heroic deeds.
Later, reaching vaegir nation,
I would learn their ancient lays,
Cold and eagle-like's their vision,
Gazing far they live their days.
It occurred to me, while thinking
Of their calculating way,
Just how easy is a killing
When it's done from far away.
Seeing bandits were a danger,
I then walked across the vales,
Giving escort to the traders
So they wouldn't lose their sales.
After travelling the country,
Guarding caravans in force,
I had earned a sum of money
Good enough to buy a horse.
Riding freely through Calradia,
I then joined the mighty host
Of the proud kingdom of Swadia,
Which an ancient past does boast.
Past the thrill and joy so pleasant
That a horse charge can incite,
I was struck by how their peasants
Were disdained by their vain knights.
I decided to keep marching
With my fellow men-at-arms,
Through the wars that kept on raging,
'Twixt the forests, hills and farms.
Yet, beseeched by my companions
To take that resolve or this,
I foresaw a grim division,
For our group would lose its bliss.
With these troubles in my spirits,
I approached the dales and lakes
That encompassed Rhodok limits,
A Republic prone to break.
Hearing politics and conflicts,
I found out they care much more
For their precious rigid law writs,
Yet the plebe's grief they ignore.
Once, I entered in a tourney,
Where the champions make a name,
In the joust I proved quite worthy
And achieved enchanting fame.
Yet I strove to still stay humble,
Knowing how illusive is
All the praise and fatuous rumble
Of the masses, aimed to please.
In the steppes I met the khergits,
Swift horse lovers who live free
In the desert with no limits,
They roam wild, and raid and flee.
But, for all their rustic passion,
They do not reveal concern
For the victims of destruction
Left in all the farms they burn.
Riding long across the deserts
I had time to think alone,
Riding over hills and forests
Still I pondered my true goal.
It would seem (was my conclusion)
That the glory, gold and fame
Were the only evaluation
Of a worthy life and name.
Then, a few of my war brothers
Had decided to part ways,
Leave behind their lives as soldiers,
Too much blood had seen their days.
And I fared them well and thanked them
For their friendship and their pains,
Yet I secretly resented
The earned peace they would attain.
Thinking so I rode the wild lands
With a bitterness at heart,
Paid no heed to any war bands
Nor no lord in petrous halls.
Thus I turned towards the ocean,
Reached the great free city at last,
But old Zendar was a ruin,
Soon to vanish in the past.
Should my audience think so poorly
Of myself, I must confess
I have too shed blood, quite surely,
Yet I'm trying to progress,
To break out of this dread circle,
Find a small measure of peace,
To believe that life is greater
Than an endless war of beasts.
For what is it worth fighting for,
If not for happiness?
For what is it worth dying for,
If not a life that's blessed?
So I wander yearning wisdom
While my years do wear me thin,
Coveting no land, no fiefdom,
But a restful soul within.
As time passes my remembrance
Of those great heroic deeds,
Fades away into a vagueness
Of a dream that's never been.
So I wander like a pilgrim,
Just a stranger in strange land;
Seeking answers to the question
Of the measure of a man…
