For the third and final preliminary round of Bard of Caid in 2015 (AS L), I composed an original song entitled ‘Darling My Love’ for voice and psaltery. This round took place on Saturday evening of Great Western War, following Grand Court.

Each competitor was tasked with performing an original piece composed on site the very same day, fitting the prompt given to us that morning, ‘something that happened at war.’

For my composition, I created a simple melody on my reproduction hognosed psaltery, and lyrics inspired by the words of my lord, Cormac, the previous evening.

See video footage from this performance below – apologies for the dim lighting and low sound:

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Lyrics

Darling, my love, my sweet,
Where would you like to go?
I want to see you smile,
Lead and I will follow.

Darling, my sweet, my love,
What would you like to do?
All that I need to smile,
Is to be here with you.

What can I give to show,
All that your love inspires?
Tell me what gifts to bring,
Tell me your heart’s desires.

I need no riches vast,
I need no keep of stone.
All that I’ll ever ask,
Is to be with you alone.

Darling, my love, my sweet,
How then can I convey,
The love that I have for you,
The joy I feel this day?

Darling, my sweet, my love,
No words are needed here.
I share that love, that joy,
I feel them when we are near.