The Goblin Song
by Mckatelee Starryskye
The Goblin Song is one of Kate's best loved works. As is typically the case though, Kate herself doesn't seem to be quite sure why.
Shenney and I performed this song as a duet at the "Old Bards' Night" concert. Kate only did it as a solo, but I think we pulled it off fairly well.
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"I was walking through the woods one day
Just a young bardess by myself,
When a gaggle of goblins attacked me,
At least 20 to one small elf!
They brought me to their village
Where I faced the goblin king,
Who sentenced me to death
Then demanded that I sing!"
Shenney gets a defiant expression on her face.
Dewsong says, "And the goblins sang:"
Dewsong chants in a tenor voice:
"Sing, Bardess, sing!
To us joy ye bring
In your voice is eternal spring
O Sing, Bardess, sing!"
Dewsong glances thirstily at Shenney.
Shenney gazes at Dewsong.
(Shenney closes her eyes and her voice gives flight to an airy cadenza.)
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"And so I sang a song of joy
For there was no time for sorrow,
The King, he said, "Well done, my lass
But ye still die tomorrow!"
But then, his queen, a frightful fiend,
Said, "I demand she dance for us!
Leap and twirl, spin and turn,
Dance for us, she must!""
Dewsong chants in a tenor voice:
"Dance, Bardess, dance!
Assume thy proper stance
With grace and poise ye prance
O Dance, Bardess, dance!"
Dewsong exclaims, "and show those legs!"
In one sinuous motion, Shenney arches her back and kicks high, then executes a little leap, landing catlike in a jingle of toe bells.
Shenney just tickled Dewsong.
(Shenney begins to dance, her eyes closed as she focuses on a strain of music heard only by her before she continues to sing her tale.)
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"And so I pirouetted, leaped and plie'ed
And when at last my dance was done,
The goblin crowd, it burst with cheer
But the king said, "Ye die with the rise of the sun."
But then, the gobs wanted to dance
To a fastpaced, rhythmic beat
"Do play those bones of yours for us," they said,
"To hear you would be a treat!""
Dewsong puts his lute in his lute case.
Dewsong chants in a tenor voice:
"Drum, Bardess, drum!
As we dance and hum,
Drunk on Goblin Rum
O drum Bardess, drum!"
Dewsong gets some rosewood bones from inside his dusty rose pouch.
(Shenney takes out her black ironwood bones, lovingly caressing the star-bedecked surface as she taps out a rhythm that makes you want to tap your toes.)
With pulse-pounding power, Dewsong beats a rapid canto with powerful strokes.
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"And so I played a lively beat
Upon these faithful bones of mine
And the Gob King danced jig after jig
But said, "Ye will pay that fatal fine."
And yet then, they saw my flute
And wanted to hear an aire
"Play for us a song so sweet
As a fresh, ripe spring pear!""
Dewsong does a happy little dance!
Dewsong chants in a tenor voice:
"Play, Bardess, play!
Sweep our hearts away
To the melody we sway
O Play, Bardess, play!""
Dewsong puts his bones in his dusty rose pouch.
Dewsong gets a rosewood flute from inside his dusty rose pouch.
(Shenney puts her bones away and brings her ashen flute to her lips, playing a quick, lilting run on it with deft fingers before continuing to sing.)
With a contained ferocity, a rapid melody floats from Dewsong's rosewood flute.
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"'So then I played a song so clear,
Full of stars and love and hope
Although the King's eyes filled with tears
He still said, "Ye get the rope."
"Ah, but look," his queen did gasp
"She has a fiddle and a bow
Please make her play once more for us
Before her death ye do bestow.""
Dewsong puts his flute in his dusty rose pouch.
Dewsong chants in a tenor voice:
"Fiddle, Bardess, fiddle!
Please play for us a little
And sing Hey, diddle diddle
O Fiddle, Bardess, fiddle!""
Dewsong bounces around happily.
Dewsong gets an ebony-edged rosewood violin with a carved ebony bridge and pegs from inside his instrument case.
Dewsong gets a fiddle bow from inside his instrument case.
(Shenney replaces her flute with her flower-engraved violin and bow and wipes a bead of sweat from her forehead before tucking the instrument beneath her chin to play a familiar jig. )
As Dewsong picks out his rosewood violin, a rapid folk song flies through the air with a blazing glissando.
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"And so, with a flourish of my bow,
I fiddled so full of joy and glee
And played with such vivacity
That at dawn's light what did I see?
So exhausted from their frolicking,
The goblins collapsed all in a heap!
With my music to dance to,
They'd danced themselves to sleep!"
Dewsong does a happy little dance!
Dewsong falls over.
Dewsong snores.
Shenney giggles.
Dewsong drools.
(Shenney brings the violin back up beneath her chin and plays a quick lullaby.)
Dewsong snorts, loudly.
Dewsong snores.
Shenney wryly asks, "Now why didn't I just balm them in the first place?"
Shenney smiles sheepishly and shrugs.
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"And so, with haste did I escape
From that Goblin King and his wife
And from that ordeal this lesson I learned:
A fiddle's mightier than a knife!"
Dewsong mutters into the air something about being a silly bardess, that's why.....
Shenney just tickled Dewsong.
(Shenney raises her eyebrows impishly and whispers, "But wait, there's more....")
Shenney sings in a soprano voice:
"For later I found in my pocket a note
And this is what the Goblin King wrote:"
Dewsong rises to a kneeling position.
Dewsong giggles.
(Shenney rummages in her traveler's pack to find a yellowed, tattered piece of parchment which she unfolds carefully.)
Dewsong stands up.
Dewsong's tenor joins with Shenney's soprano as she sings:
"Laugh, Bardess, laugh,
For ye have joy to give
And so we let ye live
Laugh, Bardess, laugh!"
(Shenney breathlessly beams at her audience and catches hold of Dewsong's hand to curtsy gracefully.)
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