From "Arden"

by Sara Kumar

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Atlas, a young boy of twelve speaks here:

Three young boys met one night

To share their ploys, as young boys might.

 

The first said, “I’ve a hundred sheep

My father gave for me to keep.

Oh, how brave I must be!

There is no other son like me,

I watch, I run, I yell, I leap!

And gather all my little sheep.”

 

Corbin, a father and shepherd speaks here:

Three young boys met one evening song or two

To share some thoughts of love and loss

As shepherds liked to do

My father gathered sheep, you see

And gathered twine and twig too

How brave I'll be, how brave I'll be

To fetch a pail of water

How brave I'll be, how brave I'll be

To fetch a lemon too

 

Atlas, a young boy of twelve, speaks here:

Three young boys met one night

To share their ploys as young boys might.

The second said, “I’ve ten gold stones

My father stole from Herod’s throne.

Oh, what a lucky boy I’ll be

When father dies and gives them to me!”

 

Corbin, an older man and father too, speaks here:

Three young boys met one evening song or two

And shared their songs as young boys do

And troubles of the morning song with dew and love

And said the man who loved me so, please know

I am a man too, and said the man who knew the man

I needs a shelter too

 

And now these boys of fathers kept the wake awl through

And said I'll not yet danger fright or make a faulty move

So lead let light kindly lead and do not fret the wind

And when we wait awn Heaven's gate, we watch our sheep to mend

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Harold, a young boy of eighteen years, speaks here:

And lead and lead let kindly light awl through the night we mend

And watch a redbird fly the course awl through the winter wind

And love and let the winter come, and sing and leaves of green

And walk with me till morning light and spring will come again

 

Corbin, a shepherd of forty-eight leads da way:

And love let kindly lead and light our way through Arden land

And walk with me till morning light and spring will come again

 

(And they walked and sang along their way until they stopped to pray, because George was hurting from the walk.)