Inspired By A Stranger

There was a stranger in town that morning.
He had traveled by land and by sea,
To get, he said with a smile when I asked,
Just where he needed to be.
I looked on him standing so tall,
So proud and straight against the wind’s wall,
And I thought: That could be me.

His hair was long, and a band of gold
Held it back and out of his eyes.
Those eyes were a half-dreaming hazel,
Calm and shaded, sorrowful and wise.
But his smile was still a laughing thing,
Reminding me of our village’s spring,
And I thought: I want that sunrise.

His hands were nimble, fingers light,
As he undid his pack to trade.
His face bore a scar halfway around;
He held up a comb of jade
That, he said, had been given to him
In the far East at a princess’s whim.
And I thought: I am not afraid.

His hands were scarred from the sword;
His blade hung at his side,
Made of fine steel, with strange images
Twined around the crosspiece wide.
He let me take a few practice swings,
But his smile fled as if on wings
When I said: "I don’t want to hide."

He asked what I meant, his eyes
Fixed on my face as if seeking
Something that he did not want to find.
When I finished, he stood unspeaking,
Then pressed the comb into my hand,
And bid me, in a tone of command,
To wear it, saying: "Find what you’re seeking."

Then he took up the pack and turned,
His steps and back straight as he strode away.
All the others complained bitterly,
And said his leaving ruined the day.
I was the only solemn and silent one,
Thinking that day my life had begun.
And I thought: What did you not say?

And yes, the roads are dangerous,
And yes, there is too little peace
In the life of one who goes wandering
Like an albatross without cease
On the roads or the seas of the world,
And it is even harder for a girl.
But I thought: I need release.

And yes, the stars’ fire is comfortless,
And yes, there are times I think again.
And yes, there are times when I wish
That joyful stranger, of all traveling men,
Had not come to our village so small.
But out on the road, where the stars fall,
I think I am happier than I have ever been.