Pursuit of the Cygnus Thief - John H. Clarke

The sun was scattered through the colored glass The floor was stained as light enveloped in a bath And shadows on the wall from piles of books were cast With rows that formed an aisle in through which I passed These the quarters of a recluse whom I'd come to ask About the origin of wisdom he was said to have To get the story of "the man who knows more than any", or so I read He welcomed me to sit with affection and then he said: "Since I was seven I've traveled the globe through words Set on a mission to devour all I could learn I've studied the writings of the greatest minds you've heard Discovered the tenets that the finest thinkers observed The more I gained, the more that I sought to earn The more I attained, the hotter the fire burned With every book I finished another was there to serve For every text I read there were pages still left to turn I've learned from all the migrants and drifters to whom I'd listen Philosophers and soldiers whose knowledge I would solicit I know histories of nations I'll never have chance to visit Complexities of science and language with great precision But in the end I've seen nothing of what's been given This life that I've employed, while I love it, it has its limits The failing I regret, though it's painful, I must admit it For everything I know of this world, I never lived it" A silence hung for a moment's thought As echoes from the room decayed and tapered off And there we sat reflecting, was it all for naught? Until I spoke in earnest with this brief remark I said that "while it's evident your knowledge is rivaled by much shrewdness I've never met a man with such wisdom who's so foolish" Then he grinned and he chuckled and asked if I Would speak on what I'd seen through my travels, so I replied: "I've seen the treasure that waits for a man to find I've seen the consequence when the sun and the moon combine I've seen the peaks of mountains that reach out and touch the sky The struggle to survive and the desert where dreams have died I've seen the best and the worst that we try to hide The salt of the earth and the evil of humankind I've seen the wrecked and ravaged and scavengers rummage through debris And those that searched in hope, finding meaning where none once used to be And some that stormed the beaches Some that pledged allegiance Some that scorched the earth for motives that they don't agree with Seen some get lost among the current of their grievance While the tide of death and birth left some speechless I've seen love bring some to their knees And some lift hearts when they smile for no reason I've seen fairytale endings to believe in And now I see a man who'd see the same if he'd but seize it"

The warming sun returns again And melts away the snow The sea is freed from icy chains Winter is letting go Standing on the ocean side We can hear the waves Calling us out with tide To sail into our fate Odin! Guide our ships Our axes, spears and swords Guide us through storms that whip And in brutal war Our ships await us by the shore Time has come to leave Our country, family and homes For riches in the East Some of us won't return But that won't bring us down Our fate is written in the web Woven by the Norns A ram is sacrificed Across the longship's bow And as we set our sails A strong breeze starts to blow It carries us out to sea With hope of fame and pride And glorious all will be That with sword in hand will die Odin! Guide our ships Our axes, spears and swords Guide us through storms that whip And in brutal war Odin! Guide our ships Our axes, spears and swords Guide us through storms that whip And in brutal war