This was written for a friend of mine who received the major service award in the SCA.
Our tales proclaim that the most noble bird
Is that one which gives of itself to save
Its young; and thus its name is now a word
For peers without a peer; because those slave
And sacrifice themselves for all our sake;
Indeed, for all our sake they gladly brave
The petty tasks: they bend, but do not break
(Though tedium makes for a vicious foe).
So since it is from them our joy we take
Our honor now demands we make them know
Their zeal has not escaped our grateful sight
And through this solemn day we hope to show
That it is them that make our future bright.
And thus we fletch the East-realm’s new arrow
With feathers strong and clean; It shall fly right.
- Written to commemorate the ascension of Lord Rupert the Unbalanced to the Order of the Pelican. The verse style is terza rima, an Italian verse style popularized by Dante.
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