minstrel: Call to the Raven

[J. Michael Shew]

	I have this question a lot.  I have the habit of writing my Norse
stuff in a broken line style.  It has some precidence in the styles used
in period, as many of the poets, (skalds) of the Norse would compose
poetry to read in alternate lines, or even in random line forms, forcing
the audience to listen even more closely to dicern the meaning.  (Elitist!
They were all Elitists! :)
	Read it across.  on my machine they are "center justified", so the
line break is more decorative than seemingly functional.  It would make
the first set look like this:  (Gee, I hope it is justified on yours now.
I would look like a real dweeb if it comes out on the right again!)

                 I call to the Raven    Sing to your rowers
               To summon your berserks    Spears to the battle
                 The enemy marches     Across my meadows
               I call to my brothers    come share in this blood
	
	The line break should undulate evenly in the poem, making it seem
like a stream or snake in the center.  (Ego makes me say these things!)  
	The structure is simple altered verse, meant to convey an easy 4-4
beat, with six syllables in the first half-line, five in the second, and a
consonant rhyme in the sylables falling on the beat, (i.e. Raven/rowers)
The perfect hits, or consonant rhymes on the exact beat, are to emphasize
the proper, true Norse way of thinking in rescuing a fat, old bard in
trouble.  The near hits, or consonant rhymes just off the beats indicate
the wrongness of not comming to his rescue.
		Does that answer your question, or has that last beer I
drank made me ramble too much?
	Mikal Hrafspa


____________________________________________________________________________
  Herra-Domr Mikal the Ram; an annoying Bard of no redeeming qualities
__________________________(jshewkc at pei.edu)________________________________
	The Swan-Road is our for the season
	And Sword-wine is all that we spend
	The Gold and the Grain that we gather
	To wander the way of the wind
		(The Swanroad)


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