The History of the Kingdom of The West
Bardic Arts

Do you know the fire of creation in your body
Do you know the warmth that it can bring
Can you know the spirit of Apollo that is in me
Do you hear the song the Muses sing
Have you ever drawn the lightning from the sky
Have you felt it in your hand
Can you grasp it in your palm and cast it forth
And make beauty blossom in the land

     Chorus:
     That is the gift of the god
     Of Apollo’s favored band
     So is his laurel our sign
     As we beautify the land

Have you ever carved the wood and sculpted it to richness
Have you ever breathed it into life
Do you see a vision in the smoothness of the leather
Can you shape a wonder with your knife
Feel the wind and mold its shape with dancing steps
Pull a story from the air
Move a person to know laughter or cry tears
Feel a joy that’s just beyond compare

     Chorus:
     That is the gift of the god
     Of Apollo’s favored band
     So is his laurel our sign
     As we beautify the land

     Bridge 1:
     That’s Apollo’s gift, the ecstasy and pain
     The rapture and the work and so

Work the steel and shape it to protect and hold the body
Knead the bread and bake it with such care
Cut the cloth and sew and embellish it with color
Draw the pen across the scroll with flair
How do all these people share a single view
What unites our separate parts
Creativity’s our language and our goal
With Apollo’s wreath above our hearts

     Chorus:
     That is the gift of the god
     Of Apollo’s favored band
     So is his laurel our sign
     As we beautify the land

     Bridge 2:
     That’s Apollo’s gift, the ecstasy and pain
     The rapture and the work and so
     Our god we must follow

A song for the Order of the Laurel.

Second of four songs which commemorate the Four Virtues of the SCA - Combat, Creativity, Service, and Nobility -- Tatiana Nikolaevna Tumanova

The West Kingdom History Website was created by and is maintained by Hirsch von Henford (mka Ken Mayer).