Words and Music: Baldwin of Erebor (Derek Foster)
© 1979, all rights reserved
Source: Tournaments Illuminated #60
Westerfilk II

Burden of the Crown

He stood there, his country’s crown in his hands as he was about to be crowned King that morning.
He remembered his father’s words to him on the night he died.

See how the jewels sparkle as you gaze at it again
Each facet is a subject whose rights you must defend
Every point of light a burden
you must shoulder with your own
And mighty is the burden of the man upon the throne.

Keep well for me my kingdom
when my memory is dead
And forgive me for the burden
I place upon your head.

He straightened his back and placed the burnished metal cap back on the pillow so it could be carried in for the ceremony and then went off to prepare himself for the Burden of the Crown.

Fini
2/19/2026