At night, in the hall, when the hearth smoke thickens about the beams and the ale-horns are filled and the harpist plucks his strings, the songs of battle are sung. They are the songs of our family, of our people, and that is how we remember the past. We call a poet a scop, and a scop means someone who shapes things and a poet shapes the past, so we remember the glories of our ancestors and how they brought us land and women and cattle and glory. There would be no Norse song of Haki, I thought, because this would be a Saxon song about a Saxon victory.
p. 10-11, The Empty Throne. Bernard Cornwell
Though I'm not familiar with this series, the writing is dramatic and lovely. thanks for the introduction to something new to me!
ReplyDeleteI love Cornwell. Great quote.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful writing. Poetic. I was entranced by the author's words.
ReplyDeleteMy Tuesday post features LEARNIN’ THE ROPES.
I'm ready to sit down and listen to a story!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! I have a quote from a Grisham legal thriller this week:
http://pdworkman.com/excerpt-from-the-litigators-teasertuesday-grisham-books/
Lovely quote and so visually written. I'd like to read more.
ReplyDeleteHere's my TT - http://fuonlyknew.com/2015/01/06/teaser-tuesdays-94-awol/
Cornwell's usual way with woods goes up a notch when he writes for this series!
ReplyDelete