Bridget's Lament (The Cup Left Full) [Verse 1] Do not ask me for a merry tune, I have no breath for cheer. The fire burns, the cups are poured, But one voice is not here. The road still waits beyond the snow, The dawn still stains the sky, But I have seen the cruelest thing: A friend too still to rise. [Chorus] So leave her cup beside the flame, And do not drink it dry. Let no one take the chair she claimed, Let no one say goodbye. For if the gods keep ledgers Where every soul is weighed, Then curse the hands that counted hers And let the debt be paid. [Verse 2] She had a laugh that cut through gloom, A grin that picked a fight. She called me fool and told me hush When I was mostly right. She stole the room, she stole the purse, She stole the better view, And every time she told me, "Shut up," Gods, I wish I knew. [Chorus] So leave her cup beside the flame, And do not drink it dry. Let no one take the chair she claimed, Let no one say goodbye. For if the gods keep ledgers Where every soul is weighed, Then curse the hands that counted hers And let the debt be paid. [Verse 3] Four fell down in frozen dark, Four names on death's cold door. One prayer left in Mikani's hands, And room to carry four. Do not blame the hand that shook, Do not blame the choice. There are no clean and holy words For grief that has no voice. [Bridge] Corvinas breathed. The world came back. The light returned to one. And Bridget lay beyond our reach Beneath a joyless sun. I thank the breath that mercy saved, I hate the breath it cost. There is no song that balances The living and the lost. [Verse 4] I have sung of kings and devils, Of fools who cheated fate. I have made the dying beautiful When beauty came too late. But not for her. Not soft. Not clean. No polished noble lie. She should be here to mock this song And tell me not to cry. [Chorus] So leave her cup beside the flame, And do not drink it dry. Let no one take the chair she claimed, Let no one say goodbye. For if the gods keep ledgers Where every soul is weighed, Then curse the hands that counted hers And let the debt be paid. [Final Verse] No more drinking. No more laughter. No sharp tongue at my side. No small thief with a brave heart And nowhere left to hide. If heaven hears this broken tune, Then hear what I have said: Give back the friend you stole from us, Or answer for the dead. [Outro] Bridget was here. She laughed. She fought. She was loved. And if I ever sing again, It will be through the scar. For every road we walk from this Is darker where you are.
Song 27
Bridget's Lament
A slow, devastating bardic lament for Bridget, sung by Faban after her death. It remembers her laughter, her sharp tongue, and the impossible choice that saved Corvinas while leaving Bridget beyond reach.
