The Shield of Burnished Brass
Sister Amélie of the Sisterhood of the Sibylline Vine
In the Style of the Kulamet
First Edition
Pub. Qdim 22, IY 7788
O shield of burnished brass, you wake; To meet a world that longs for thee!
Upturn thy gaze, to ruins long; Where dwelling scree and rocky fields;
Are parched, that knew, in ancient days; The measure of Edutu fair.
For now appointed hour chimes; In clarion bells that ring amid;
The doom of Ash and hateful wind; That swelt'ring, buries duty's due.
No more the ling'ring tide of death; That swallows thought and faith alike!
For ashen boughs that long were bare; Shall bud with growth anew to flow'r.
And cresting then the distant hills; Your light against the burning sun;
The world, you sweep, a yeoman's cut; For now your promise made, is kept.
Alas the souls that knew you not; Though all shall go into the dawn;
The world anew in Wyld form; The tome aloft, the sword aside;
For Wisdom's triumph long was sought; And meets us now with outstretched hand.
Upturn the shield, O Chalice fine!
Upturn the work of burnished brass!
And pour, from noble dexter edge;
The lifeblood of the world anew.