The Song of Life
I ask the Muse, Goddess of Poetry to aid me
In this song of Xena, the Warrior Princess, my friend.
Gabrielle
The Official Magazine: Issue 03
My world was small:
A little village among mountains with its little fields.
I helped in the garden, I milked the goats, made bread.
Learned what girls must learn, to become good wives.
I looked up at the bowl of sky between our mountains
And sang to myself while I sat weaving at the loom,
Stories we heard from the traveling bards who sometimes came,
And the songs of heroes’ deeds
The old folks sing in the evenings.
I was growing taller, and changing.
Young men began to look at me with different eyes.
My parents were talking of marriage.
My spirit pushed inside me,
My heart hurt in the cool fragrant evenings,
when wild geese called, high in the autumn sky.
I yearned, but knew not why.
Then you came, my friend.
Fierce and wonderful, black hair blowing
Beautiful like a dark Artemis, Huntress of the Mountains,
Stronger than the heroes in the songs,
Your long blade in your hand!
You towered over me,
But I knew I had to speak to you,
And your sudden, rare smile was like a girl’s.
I babbled at you, I always talk too much!
But you laughed, and right away I saw,
For all your strength and mystery
You needed a friend like me.
“I want to travel with you,” I said,
My heart in my throat, convincing myself I was brave:
“I want to see the world outside, and have adventures.
Let me come, and learn, and chronicle
All your mighty battles, Xena, fighting for the Right!”
A strange shadow filled your eyes,
But in a moment you smiled, and said I could.
We left the valley of my childhood, under the springtime trees,
And our adventures began
My days of learning began.
What days - and nights - in these three years!
The miles we’ve trekked, the villages, cities, palaces,
The forests, mountains, caves and windswept shores.
And the faces - Faces of beauty and horror, gentleness and evil,
Wise faces, funny faces, strange ones, the faces of monsters,
Gods and mortals. The magic we’ve seen.
And there are many dark minds out there,
Takers and spoilers, worse than any wolf or raven,
Hurting for pleasure or gain, or out of their dark hatred,
And once your name was high
among them.
Your eyes are lightning, your battle shriek strikes terror,
Your blows like thunderbolts, their bodies fly through the air!
I wanted to learn the sword like you. When I asked,
I saw the dark in your eyes again, and sadness too;
“That’s not what you are, Gabrielle,” you said.
“Learn the staff, not the killing blade, and be strong…
And keep on writing your songs.”
At first I thought you were fearless,
But I’ve learned what you fear, Xena -
That you’ll never conquer the darkness inside,
Never make up for the lives you sent to the Underworld.
All the blood you spilled so delighted Ares,
He pursues you still, and you fear he’ll
Claim you for his own in the end.
But look what we’ve done together,
Look how we’ve changed!
Thanks to you, the dust of many roads has scuffed my shoes,
I’ve touched royal jewels, met Titans and heroes, known love,
Chanted spells of power, seen your warrior greatness.
The journey’s just beginning, Xena my powerful friend.
The road’s ahead, there’s wrong to right, and weakness to defend.
We don’t know all the answers, there are questions yet to come,
The winds of the world are blowing, we’ll travel under moon and sun,
Your heart is good, I’ll sing your deeds, the adventure’s just begun!