Isolde sits with her yarting on her lap, strumming and tuning it with little plinks as she looks out onto the audience of this inn or that, somewhere in the Nars region. She smiles and begins in a conversational, easy tone, while the notes from her yarting slowly begin to form a gentle, uplifting melody:
"You know… I often get told I view life through rose-tinted glasses. Typically by bitter people calling themselves realists, and me hopelessly naive. In the past I'd get quite in a huff at that sort of thing, but these days I feel kind of sorry for the accusing party. I've concluded it's them that need their eyesight checked, and so, in the spirit of generosity, I wrote this little number. I call it...
Garibaldi's Glasses
Let me lend you my glasses
Won’t you see through my eyes?
Do you want to trade places,
In the view of my town?
Here, her voice grows gruffer and in a little parody of certain other songs circulating, she sings:
Peltarch, the quaint little town in the north
Peltarch, where pigs slurp from the trough
Peltarch, steeped with lies and oppression
Peltarch, the ramshackle fort falling down
She pauses, gives a wry smile to the audience before beginning anew:
Let me lend you my glasses
Won’t you see through my eyes?
Do you want to trade places,
In the view of my town?
Where you see pompous rulers,
where you see inept guards,
My gaze falls to people,
that are all trying hard:
I see idealistic bards,
in their blue Cerulean garb
Serve the city and the crown,
though they have a different mind
I see fishermen and bakers,
clerks, stonemasons, Wavebreakers,
Toiling on and starting over,
building up!
She pauses to raise her free hand, inviting the audience to chant along with her:
~New and Improved!~
I see children playing games,
romance blossoming again
Life springs up amidst the ashes,
of the blows that fate may lash us
This is my town – do you see what I see?
Peltarch, it’s the Jewel for refusing to break!
Peltarch, where we fall and get up again
Peltarch, spiced with intrigue, with history, mystery
Peltarch, where my stories are grown
This is my world – do you see what I see?
I see wants and dreams collide,
But people living side by side
Yes, we argue, scheme and bicker,
but in the end there’s something’s thicker
Bonds of friendship, love of home,
common decency alone
Understanding, compromise,
Not just ruin, fight and flight
Please, won’t you try?
Won’t you see what I see?
See the stars and not the void
Let people surprise you!
There is wonders yet untold
There’s kindness everywhere,
Hands held out you could have shook
Is it hiding in plain sight for you,
Is it simply overlooked?
~Dare to hope!~
Is disappointment so bad that you’d rather stay mad?
~Learn to trust!~
That a hug is worth giving and it will trump a fight.
~Look for the light!~
If you see but a glimmer, I got this song right."
