Not quite on break yet - four more weeks to final exams... but I am certainly in much need of that vacation.  My doctor keeps frowning and 'suggesting' more rest and less stress, hah. 

  This piece was written specifically for the online class 'Way of the Monk, Path of the Artist'  I've just completed at www.abbeyofthearts.com, a spiritual/artistic renewal based on ancient wisdom practices and the Benedictine Rule.  One of the many projects we were challenged to do was to create a sort of 'rule' for ourselves, a poem about how we felt our place in the world worked out, as either a monk or an artist.  Since I so strongly identify with the 'way of the bard' as an artist, I chose to focus specifically on that aspect.   Much of the poem is personal, but Santharia deserved that honesty.  And since I am so steeped in medievalism and the love of language, this is the original poem, without artificial Santharization, just as I offered it to the class forums. 

An introduction specifically for the site should be in character, though, so:

"This poem was written as a personal reflection by Judith of Bardavos, upon the attainment of her third ring.  She shared it with a few fellow bards at the private ceremony of presentation, and was encouraged to make it public to the School of Tunes, as a perfect example of 'the teaching tunes' which are used to instruct and guide young singers and poets in their path along the bardic way.  Both cautionary and inspiring, the poem references both the duties and the privileges of a bard.  Its by-now well-known title refers to the 'meed' or payment, that which is requited to a labourer in response to his/her efforts, and warns young minstrels - who might see only the glory and glamour of singing for kings, or to dream of their golden torcs - that the rewards of a bardic life are more than likely to be intangible."

THE MEED OF THE BARD

Composed by the Bard Judith, November, Anno Domini 2012

 

To be a bard requires numerous gifts.

Hear and listen, o folk of the stream and forest.

 

A bard has power: the power of the tongue to wound or heal.

  To scold and castigate the wrongdoer, to reveal iniquity,

  To calm and soothe the downhearted, to bring balm and surcease,

  To rouse and stir the sluggish,

 

A bard’s diatribe may raise boils on the face of the unworthy,

  put steel in the bones of the unsure.

A bard’s lullaby can turn away a wrathful army,

   bring slumber to a fretting babe.

A bard’s ballad is able to birth joy in the hearts of lovers,

   spread happiness before the feet of those long-married.

 

A bard has talent: the gift of the well-turned phrase,

the voice like a lark or ringing church bell, the hands which pluck out notes.

  To make a poem, a song, an epic;

   create a song to please, a ditty to entertain, a chant to praise.

 

A bard’s presence may spark conversation,

    as flint and steel bring a whole bonfire to flame.

A bard’s laughter can make a banquet hall come to life,

    turn up the corners of a sour mouth.

A bard’s words are able to change pathways in the minds of the weary,

    set out a new map for those lost in the dark nights of the soul.

 

To be a bard contains numerous obligations.  

Hear and listen, o folk of the abbey and school.

 

It is to be honest, to have lips of truth and eyes of perception,

  to faithfully wound even a friend, to speak the truth in love.

It is to give generously, to have a heart bubbling over with music even when one is weary,

  a throat full of song when one has sung the livelong day.

It is to be the keeper of the chronicles, the one who writes the tales,

  Records the histories, carries the news.

 

To be a bard is to receive a coinless meed.

Hear and listen, o folk of the world’s wide pathways!

 

A smith is paid in copper coin,  a thane counts down the gold in his coffers,

    a minstrel wears her silver ring,  a scholar takes in the pupils’ fees.

     We craft, we fight, we sing, we write,

      only the torc of thanks held out, only the due of duty.  

What reparation is there for the bard, whose notes must come like a struck harp,

  wil-he, nil-he, making music, bringing peace?

 

Give us a place in the hearthcorner, a bit of land to tend,
    
 a book, a chain taken from your own neck, a hot meal.

We are content

  to be a bard.

Weighing in here from very far away...

Hello and greetings to my still-cherished Santharian friends. 

Yes, the Bard is still alive in RL, but returns with no particularly good news.

  I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibromyalgia )
 - briefly, a long-term, low-grade ailment which is characterized by daily pain, fatigue, depression, etc. 

One of my doctor's priorities for me is to improve the quality and duration of my sleep so that I get more, well, 'restful' rest.
Another is for me to reduce stress.  Extra claims on my time which can be avoided, put off, set aside, or simply politely refused
(look up the concept of the 'sacred no'!) should be non-existent.   In fact, for now *I* have to come first (not my family
or job or church) and also allow myself to be taken care of (not something I'm good at).   I have to learn how to deal
with clumsiness - my bard's hands, artist's fingers, now fumbling the digital brush, knocking over my water, dropping the screwdriver
- and with  the fog in my mind - my creativity, articulateness, gift with words, all dulled and dirtied with depression. 

On a more positive note, the medications I am now on help to deal with both the daily pain and with the black dog -
I can go to work, teach my four hours of ESL, come home and kiss my daughter, cook a meal... slowly and carefully,
but I can still do these things.  Grateful for that, and for faith.

If you don't see me here, or answering my messages, or posting or editing, I guess you'll now know why.   
Feel free to friend 'Bard Judith' (I am the only one) on Facebook, which I do check and post to daily.
I have also applied to join the Santh DeviantArt group, so you may see at least some of my portfolio, if not any new art...
it's about all I can manage to do my digital collages and daily journal.

Still figuring out how to live with this, be gentle with myself, and so on. 

Love,
the bard

(and I dare you not to read that aloud and enjoy it!)

Merry lunchtime to all,

(the bard goes back to work)

Oh, my.  Look what I wrote just this morning and came creeping quietly into the Compendium to see if I could tack it up discreetly in some out-of-the-way corner...only to find a hobbit-feast going on in the main hall.

Well, I suppose I shall have to sing it for you small folk, for I know how you all love a good song, especially if it's about food.   Here you go then:

A Hobbit Mealtime Song

Savour, savour,
Relish the flavour,
Chutney and apricot pie,
Jiggity jottany,
Pig in a pottany,
Mutton and never-say-die!

Treacle a-trickle,
Dill a fine pickle,
Chew on a lardoon of game,
Mushrooms and mackerel
Time for a snackerel,
Fill up the pottle again!

Pheasant well-roasted,
Brown bread all toasted,
Apples in ale making wool,
Champity munchity,
Breakfast and brunchity,
Better a belly that’s full!

Oh, savour, savour
Relish the flavour,
Better a belly that’s full!

Approved, and aura'ed.   Hugs personally to you, dear Sage - I'm done my vacation and will be looking forward to the familiar routine of teaching and painting and crafting and computing that the fall semester brings.

Torrent?  (this is my favorite!)

Tumble?  Turmoil?  Thunder? 

Typhul? (since Typhoon might be a bit too Oriental)
Tornadai? (since Tornado is also culturally-bound)

Oh, look, here's a list of emotions starting with T:

acky
tactful
tainted
taken aback
taken advantage of
talented
talkative
talky
tame
tantalizing
tantrumy
tarnished
tasteful
tasty
taut
tearful
teased
tedious
teetering
temperamental
temperate
tempted
tenacious
tender
tenderness
tense
tenuous
tepid
terrible
terrific
terrified
terrorized
tested
testy
thankful
the blues
thick skinned
thin skinned
thinly veiled
thirsty
thoughtful
threatened
thrifty
thrilled
thrilled to bits
thrown away
thrown down
thrown out
thwarted
ticked off
tickled
tight
tight lipped
timid
tingly
tired
togetherness
tolerant
tongue-tied
tormented
torn
tortured
touched
tough
tragic
tranquil
transformed
transported
trapped
trashed
treacherous
treasured
trembly
tremendous
trepidation
tricked
triumph
triumphant
troubled
true
trust
trusted
trusting
trustworthy
truthful
turmoil
turned on
twitchy
two faced


I didn't bother selecting, although words like 'twitchy' and 'treacherous' are clearly out as names, I thought reading the whole list might inspire you anyhow.   Hope that helps!

'Tinglebone', 'armcap', and 'armknee' for the elbow/elbow joint?
'Kickbone', 'kneecap', and 'legshield' for, well, the kneecap?

'Tarn' is a dark pool of water.  'Eyetarn' might well be another lovely word for the pupil of the eye.

Spine, backbone, tailbone, peakbones all feasible for the spine - perhaps 'spine-tendon', 'spine-rope' or 'Lord-Nerve' for the spinal cord?  We should certainly have a sense of its importance to the functioning of the body.

Sternum have a name yet?  Writing late and too lazy/tired to look it up.  How about 'breast-bone', 'chest-plate', 'gullet-plate', 'lung armour', or something similar?   And while I have always loved the xiphoid process as a name, I think we'd better give it an alternate:   breastbone tail, breast-crest... oooh, just thought! In birds that area is called the 'keel', like on a boat!  Wouldn't that be perfect for the sternum?  'Keelbone'.... oh yeah...

Similarly, the rostrum of the nose (I think that's correct) could be the 'skull prow' or 'prowbone' and the cartilaginous rest of the nose the 'prow fender' or 'prowpad'.    Perhaps just as we have 'bone' as a common denominator in these names, cartilage would also have its own distinguishing name, a sort of rubbery one...

Ok, too tired for more creativity tonight.  See if any of those are useful, do!

'Winter-serren'?   'Winter-sai'?   'Winter-seni'?

Used consistently in context, any syllable will suggest the honorific use you want.  However, the three provided have
pleasant echos of 'san' and 'sensai'.   You could also try mixing cultures   and make it 'Winter-abbi'  or 'Winter-bba'....

Or perhaps 'Winter-sen' for simplicity, or 'Winter'sen' for visual interest?   

Again, bravo for your delectable characterizations and wonderful word use.

Children tend to focus on the toilet words to offend, (crudities and vulgarities)  later the sexual connotations, and rarely on religious or political swear words (profanities or blasphemies), which they leave to their elders.  Also, when they get carried away they tend to ride a theme and play off each other.  Thus, some possibilities for your foul-mouthed young monks:


Filly-faced fart-brain!     Kerkin' buffaloon!    Feff to the feffin' fifth! ('feff' is pretty crude in Santharian Tharian)

  Big blowhole!  Buttbrained bully!    Balls-up donkey-son! 

Blast and blister you!   Piddle, piddle, porky poop!    Teat-tickler!  (perhaps too coarse for children?)   

Flippen / Farg'n / Feffin' / Frickled / Fratted      Whale dung!     Burrs in yer bellybutton!   

 Brattle up yer bunghole!  (meaning 'shut up', not 'f-you', it should be noted)        May a garthook crap in yer ear!

Kack'n kacked up kack!  ('sh-tty shatted sh-t', basically, but in kid terms)   Kack on it all! 

With the sincere hope that this is helpful,
and with great appreciation of the story so far,
Judith, Bard

Absolutely necessary and a project I've often bookmarked (and then lost the bookmark.  And the book it was in.  And the desk the book was on.  What the feff, I must confess, I've lost the key to the room that the desk was in!  Anyhow....)    and would still love to see done or collude with upon.

We do have the muscle groups named and some bones and a few internal organs.  See the Vytruvyan Elf and the Merfolk dissection diagram for ideas.  Apart from that, a 'Grene's Anatomy' or 'Grys' Anatomie' would be a wonderful addition to the Compendium - an essential and atmospheric delight. 

You could count me in for some more anatomical illustrations, too...

Just got back from vacation - was FB'ed with the news (thank you Mira) and so just raced over here as soon as I read the message.

Sad and shocked.  The last time we chatted he sounded in such good spirits, already making plans for a return, some surprises up his sleeve for roleplaying and new ideas for the Dev Forum as well...

I miss him, as the big old orcish Tharoc with his bumbling thick accent and delightful uncoothness, and as the warm-hearted and thoughtful Steve with his bonsais and bike.    My condolences to his family and friends at this time.  We were honoured to be in that latter...and perhaps a bit the former...category for the time that he was with us and active in the Dream.

A last hug, blown out over the aether of faith and imagination, to our Warg/Harley rider comrade.

(bumpsies)

(Bumps again for ease of Kelancy's reference and to remind herself to do a similar chart for the bones of the body this summer.....)

Oooh, look, we DID!    Here's the link for your convenience:

http://www.santharia.com/dev/index.php/topic,11643.0.html

And here's YOUR list of body parts:  http://www.santharia.com/dev/index.php/topic,12246.0.html

Anyhow, changing from Latinate to more Santharian names would certainly help.   Also have a look at the Family Book of Medicine link that I posted to you the other day...some great phrases and methodology we could borrow for a more archaic feel  (placing hot iron bars on the spine, blistering, bleeding, and cupping, for pity's sake!)