We sailed back south into the storm to the relief of everyone
The howling wind seemed friendly after that dead land where we'd gone
I took advantage then of the crew's lightened mood
I walked into the galley and filled a bag with food
And crept down in the hold where our stolen treasures were bound
I had hardly reached the freezing hold before I found
The priestess with her golden eyes burning in the gloom
I released her from her chains and led her forward to a room
Where sails and ropes were stowed in racks, underneath them all
We made a space well out of sight big enough that she could crawl
Into in comfort to remain there well fed and warm
I left her there and went back to work knowing she was safe from harm
The wind had steadied now and we set it on our quarter
Until we sighted land again and the captain gave the order
To anchor in an inlet where we rowed in to the shore
And we marched along the river there into the hills once more
The sun shone in the heavens like a staring golden eye
And all that I could think about was the warmth of the golden sky
We finally approached a hill and on its highest crest
Was a village with one central tower higher than the rest
This was the Shining Tower that we had all heard of in tales
A great palace of gardens and canals crossed by stone paved trails
We followed a path through a lush forest in through the palace gate
There was no guard or sentry and we did not have to wait
To march in among the people in the courtyard there
The Shining Tower rose above us up into the air
It seemed to shine like liquid in the sun's golden light
And the courtyard gardens surrounded it to the left and right
The court ministers looked up at it deciding what to do
While we spoke to the people there as we wandered through
The gardens and the orchards to the fields of grain beyond
They told us how they were free people and how they were fond
Of their life of luxury without masters or force of rules
How they lived to pursue their bliss in forums and in schools
And how they built this tower as a symbol of their ways
And even now they built it larger with the passing days
Aren't they the Great Ones who look up to the skies
Never seeing anything before their own eyes
They showed us with pride their slaves out on the road
Carrying stones on wagons they worked to haul their load
Up into the palace to eternally expand
The height and breadth of the tower at their masters command
Some of those slaves dropped dead under their heavy burden
And these were stripped and left to wither there forgotten
These same slaves carried water to feed the flowers and the trees
Of those gardens though they themselves would often starve or freeze
They dredged canals and built the roads and worked until they died
Their lives were like a vapor and when they vanished no one cried
Our leaders soon called us back to return to our chore
We directed all those slaves with their stones back down to the shore
We could not carry that whole tower with its palisade
But we would take the stones from which it was made
We loaded all those stones into the ship and tied them well
How long they would have to stay there none of us could tell
We released those slaves on that deserted shore
Never knowing if they took their freedom or returned home once more
We set out from that harbor and caught an offshore wind at daylight
It was a half day's sail until our next stop was in sight
