“Waves Will Bring You Home” – Song by the Sea Bard

One of the most famous contemporary songwriters of the Age of Kings was Siacas Donn, a traveling bard from the Saibhrean Isles. Known for his melancholy songs sung in his signature dulcet tone, Siacas often included themes about water and the sea in his work. This earned him the colloquial moniker “the sea bard” in the mainland, a title he carried with him even in the isles, where he was most prolific. While perhaps not as famous as some other bards such as Bróccan, and often criticized for his refusal to adhere to clerical guidelines for proper poetry, Siacas ultimately earned his place in history as the writer of the anthem and the chronicles of the War of the Broken Seal.

In this, one of his earliest yet most fondly praised songs, he laments the departure of a dear friend, a fellow musician, and the apparent mark he or she made on Siacas’ life. Because Siacas never revealed the true inspiration behind the song, it is unclear whether this was a real person, whether it was a friend or a lover, or whether the subject of the song actually departed, or if it is perhaps symbolism for death. The success of this song was perhaps one of the greatest contributors to the nickname he received.

Waves Will Bring You Home

The nights that we spent laughing
In the halls of Rudisil
Are my most cherished memories,
I think about them still.
I know that you can’t hear me now,
And maybe you never will,
But I’ll sing for all the plans we made
And all the ones that were fulfilled.

We travelled all across this land
Over valley, crag and sea.
You always looked ahead of you
For all the things you’d see.
Sometimes the storms would gather
Giving our lives no guarantee,
But even on my darkest days
You were a candle’s flame to me.

I think all the time about the way you left
So suddenly and so soon.
At night I sit and watch the waves,
The driftwood, debris and foam
Light scattering across the surface
From the bright but half-lit moon.
I wonder if we’ll meet again,
If these waves will bring you home.

We boarded our belongings
On the ship to Aeranam.
We took with us our instruments
And a quarter case of rum.
If only I knew that trip would be
The last one that we would take,
I’d have forgotten all our arguments
And I’d have tried to stay awake.

I think all about our journey’s end
Too suddenly and too soon.
By myself I sit and watch the waves,
The shipwreck debris and foam
The waves scattering the dim light
From the bright but half-lit moon.
I wonder if you will forgive me,
If these waves ever bring you home.

When we landed and got off that ship
We decided we were done
Done seeing one another
Done being partners on the run
It all came so suddenly,
The way we decided to move on.
Though I still stand here singing
The music you played is gone.

I remember how we said goodbye
Too quickly and too soon.
And now I sit beside the waves,
With the broken dreams and foam
The waves dancing with the outline
Of the the light from a half-lit moon.
I wonder if we’ll be friends again
If and when these waves bring you home.

Siacas Donn, “the Sea Bard”