Chapter Text
Excerpt from “A Bardic History of Leviathan”, taken from the Compass Points Library, with the approval of the Mistress of the Library, Ayda Aguefort.
A Brief History of the Songs
Songs of the Celestine makes tribute to the history and heroes of Leviathan in song form; the refrain calls for names—with each iteration, a different person is mentioned and sung about.
It is based on the structure of capstan shanties, which were used to establish a rhythm for ‘heaving’ work, which required endurance over longer periods. The singer repeats the chorus of the song in between improvised verses of varying lengths over a strong beat. Others might join in on the chorus, as they would with songs like ‘Drunken Sailor’, or ‘Blow the Man Down’.
The song is typically used as a storytelling device and a word game of sorts, because all of the verses for a given story must end on a rhyme, as shown in the examples below. In particular, this song is sung in the Ramble, where different pirate bards and elders take up the tune to tell stories of pirate deeds and misdeeds. Anyone can improvise on the tune, but notorious pirates and sailors of Leviathan may have verses written about them–some of these are shared here.
Make no mistake, it is not a traditional sea shanty–it does not have a call and response element, nor is it slow enough to match the timing of work on a ship. However, it has a strong beat, a simple melody, and a basic chord progression in compound duple time (6/8) such that tales of varying lengths can be sung over top. There are many variations, but typically, the refrain is repeated after all the verses for a particular person are sung, in order to start anew with a different story.
This unaccompanied iteration sets the song in C minor, with a possible change to C major depending on the content of the verses. A given singer may change the tempo or key to better suit the tale.
Initial Verses:
The first two verses serve to introduce the song and set the key and tempo. Since they were added to the lyrics later than the repeated refrain, some bards prefer to leave off these verses, while others deem them mandatory to the singing of the Songs of the Celestine.
Intro + Refrain Minor
Intro + Refrain Minor Instrumental
Intro + Refrain Major
Intro + Refrain Major Instrumental
The Celestine
Holds histories
Of pirates, heroes in between
If you want tales
You will receive
Your wish from far or near
If there’s a name
You’d give to fame
To give to mem’ry all the same
We’ll drink some ale
And tell the tale
Of someone you proclaim
Refrain:
The refrain utilizes repetitive lyrics and a simple rhyme structure to encourage audience participation and ease memorization of the song structure. As the bard sings the final line of the second half of the chorus, the audience shouts names, one of which the bard will select to repeat and improvise on.
We’ll tell the tale
Yes, tell the tale
On sandy shore or wind and sail
We’ll never fail
To tell the tale
And promise never to shame
We’ll drink some ale
Yes, drink some ale
To keep the voice up hearty and hale
Drink some ale
And tell the tale
Of _________ [name substituted in]
Example Written Verses:
The stories sung here have written verses that are shown below; each set will be identified by the subject. Typically, the final verse will reference names or epithets of the person to call back to the final line of the refrain that establishes their story.
The number of verses depends on the content of these verses, which tend to fall into one of two categories: descriptive or narrative. Descriptive verses discuss the person in their entirety, while narrative verses tell a story or legend about the person. A descriptive iteration will usually have around four verses, while narrative verses can have eight or more.
______________________________
Descriptive Verse Examples:
______________________________
Ayda Aguefort:
‘Twas storming then
on Leviathan
The day the phoenix came to roost
She stays so deep
in Crow’s Keep
Lest fire need be loosed
The swords of many
men did she
Fend off from lore and library
She wields the power
of wind and sea
‘Gainst threats that be produced
She swore a wizard’s
solemn pledge
To keep leviathan’s knowledge
She thwarts the thieves
with magic’s edge
Their fear rightly induced
She finds the ways
that can’t be parsed
A spyglass pointed at the stars
Her life in books
And yet no scars
Ayda introduced
______________________________
Myrtle the Bitch:
Far down beneath
Old jetsam’s reef
Lies treasure, gold beyond belief
Shipwrecks sold
With gods to please
The witch come from the deep
She holds the reins
Of wind and rain
The storm king will recall her name
the bounty rich
she stands to gain
In prayer to Umberlee
For those that pass
And still harass
She'll hold a grudge for due trespass
She’ll drown them in
A deep crevasse
Out in the boundless sea
She’ll keep what’s hers
And hers alone
You cannot threaten her with bones
She holds her throne
In the unknown
Myrtle, the bitch of the Celestine
______________________________
Narrative Verse Examples:
______________________________
William "Old Bill" Seacaster:
They called his ship
The Hangman
He was a pirate, sword in hand
Killed the pirate king
Of Leviathan
The pirate named Old Bill
He swore there ne’er
Would be again
A pirate king to rule the land
Impaled the head
Of the now-dead man
The city honored his will
One day he fell
Under the spell
Of fair maiden Hallariel
She sliced his eye
Right from his skull
In her name he would kill
He dragged his ship
Up onto land
His crimes at sea forgotten
The crew remained
They never ran
And kept up with their skill
Old Bill retired
A happy man
His wife and son now safe at hand
He settled down
No wish for crown
A simple family in Elmville
When the day came
Kalvaxus reigned
The Harvestmen tried everything
To douse the flame
In Fabian’s name
Bill stayed alive until
Fabian returned
The ship yet burned
The last defense into the stern
With sword through heart
And lessons learned
Bill dies with oath and thrill
Now he sails on
In hell upon
A ship carved from a dead dragon
With warlocks sworn
And crew beyond
Old Bill will conquer Hell
______________________________
Jack Brakkow:
‘Twas once a man
who lay to sleep
Amidst the Bilge’s ev’ry creak
Round him the ghosts
would always creep
Unlucky Captain Jack
‘Pon the Late Bloomer
he did set
A journey placing ev’ry bet
He saw his dead crew’s
last sunset
By mutinous attack
He crawled from sea
and sunken ship
With sail to twist and tie and whip
He bears the specters
at his hip
A mast upon his back
He haunted the halls
and swept the brig
And dared not wish to dance a jig
Into the tale
he did not dig
‘Til Cheese broke through his shack
One day he wandered
Toward the bank
With no one but his friends to thank
He found the truth
He’d been betrayed
McDoon must ne’er come back
He came to rest
As Garthy’s guest
And basked within Gold Gardens’ best
He was addressed
His vestments pressed
As the true Captain Jack
He climbed the Ram-
-ble rope in hand
To halt the druid’s final stand
Through stroke of fate
Clive walked the plank
From one final attack
Now Jack stands tall
In Garthy’s thrall
He came to answer Cheese’s call
From sea to shore
He is no more
Unlucky Captain Jack