Espinela 1

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, April AS 50 (2016)

I went to Crown to see his Grace,

Accoutered well with sword and mace,

Upon the field of honour bright,

To God give praise and set to fight,

A man resolved and stern of face.

A clash of steel begins the chase

As armour dents and weapons fly

Beneath the banners blowing high—

The foe defeated falls to ground

And kneeling Duke averts his eye.

This poem was written as an espinela which is a late 16^th century Spanish octosyllabic 10-line stanza rhyming aabba/accdc. This was sometimes augmented by two more lines rhyming ed. This form evolved from the décima and is also known as décima espanela.

“I find that”

By THLaird Colyne Stewart

I find that if I whine and curse

The world around me just gets worse

However if I try to change

The world around me just gets strange.

Written using the 16^th century Spanish form called the folía (a 4-line stanza). The folía was a variation of the seguidilla. It is likely related to a Portuguese dance-song form which normally expressed a nonsensical or ridiculous thought. The lines may be octosyllabic or shorter. If the lines are not of equal length then the even numbered lines are generally shorter and very often oxytonic.

Kingdom Barding

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, March AS 50 (2016)

What noble steeds are these here,

draped in crimson and clad in trillium flowers?

From northern lands they endear

and show our majestic powers

draped in crimson and clad in trillium flowers.

Written to commemorate the kingdom barding used by TRH’s Nigel and Adrielle at Gulf Wars 2016. Written as a lira which was a shortened variation of the canción and was invented by Garcilaso de la Vega (c. 1501 – 1536). The most popular form of the lira is a quintain stanza where the second line repeats in line five and has a rhyme scheme of aBabB. The lines had either seven or eleven syllables.

For Baroness Eleanor von Atzinger upon being named a Vigilant of the Order of the Pelican

By THLaird Colyne Stewart, August AS 50 (2015)

In service she’s known for her toil,

In name of both low-born and royal;

To Crown both loving and loyal;

So El,nor is called with a cheer.

At king’s word she bends down to kneel,

Astonished that this could be real,

And great ones bring treasure to heel,

So El’nor is draped with new gear.

They speak of her virtues with pride,

As of her great deeds they confide,

All true words that can’t be denied,

So El’nor’s proclaimed far and near.

The Queen now she bids her to stand,

And raises her up with her hand,

To show her to all in the land,

And El’nor stands proudly as Peer.

Written as a zéjel, a Spanish form likely originally Arabic in origin. I used the most common four verse form (rhyming aaab, cccb, dddb, eeeb) and the most common kind of line (octosyllabic).