The Lord and the Smither

On the Snobbery of Princes and the Wisdom of Workingmen

Once in a kingdom there lived a rich lord

Who lorded it over the folks he abhorred

Down in the streets, a smither lived also

He worked with all metals, and his lifestyle docile

One day the lord came riding through town

Upon all his people, he sneered with a frown

“Look at these urchins that crawl in the mud!”

He spat with a laugh, and let out an “Ugh!”

“Their faces are dirty! Their clothes are in tatters!

To them, form and manners don’t even matter!”

Meantime, the smither man worked at his anvil.

He never could rest; he never kept hands still.

He hammered and forged out a ring of clear sterling

The silver glowed red as his tongs went to curling

The smith curved the circle with the greatest of care

He wanted this ring to be lovely and fair

His daughter had just been engaged to a lad

The smith felt his gift would make his girl glad

As he finished the ring and it hissed in the water

The lord stopped nearby, his horse having faltered

“What have you made there?” He commanded to know.

“A ring for my daughter to share with her beau.

“In two weeks, they’ll be happily wed.”

“Happily?! Puh! You are thick in the head!”

The lord laughed cruelly and leaned from the window,

“How happy are they to leave here below?

“The house is all filthy, your stall is a mess,

And your work has burned holes in all of your dress!”

The lord sat back, about to move forward,

But the smither spoke up, “One moment more, sir.

“It’s true that I’m poor, that I have no grand name

But I ask you dear sir, is it a shame?

“A shame to have work that fills me with joy?

I’ve loved to work metal since I was a boy.

“To take stones from the earth and to shape them just so

Into artworks and tools, all things that I know.

“My home is not grand, but it’s just grand enough

For my wife and my daughter; it wholly suits us.

“We do not have feasts, but we eat what we please

We do not have parties, but we still rest at ease

“If I have any sadness, it’s only for you.”

Then the smither turned away; the lord was confused.

“Do not give me pity! I demand you explain!”

The smither turned back, “It’s terribly plain.”

“I have problems, it’s true, but I’m mostly content.

I try to live more, but not more than I’m meant.”

“But you? You lie yourself into delusions.

Your whole life you’ve surrounded yourself illusions.”

“I must say, good sir, you must feel quite small

To think that you need a throne to feel tall.”

Then the smither turned ‘gain, and went through his door.

And left the lord sitting, his jaw on the floor.

Author's Note

I'm working on developing a looser, more enjoyable/fun writing style. Tell me what you think!

Reviews

[Emily L]

Wow this is a very impressing poem. I love reading work that takes just one simple specific situation and turns it into a deep piece of work. Everything about this was perfect...the rhyming was not forced, everything flowed very well and the overall message is one that sticks with you...I know it did for me. Even though the story takes place most likely a long time ago in the middle ages the message still applies today. I really enjoyed this poem, definitely worth the read!

[Goulden Bean]

Thank you so much for the positive feedback! I'm glad you enjoyed this piece.

[ESamples77]

This poem is very impressive. However, in line 21, you might want to say "The lord" instead of "He" because it is not clear who is speaking.

[Goulden Bean]

Thanks for the feedback! I'll keep an eye on my pronouns in the future, heh...