Oh the ladies of the hightown
Ladies of the town above—
They have never learned to suffer,
So they don't know how to love.
In their hearts can be no passion—
There is only room for pride.
Look down, ladies of the hightown,
Come and see the other side!
Come you ladies of the hightown
To canalside down below.
Come see dying and see living
Come where nothing is for show.
Can you brave the dark and danger?
Can you bear to learn to feel?
Come you ladies of the hightown,
Come and see what's true and real!
DARK LOVER
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey
Young Moll was known to all the trade.
The River Det flows free.
She was a wild and proud young maid.
Down to the Sundance Sea.
It was the season of the cold
And hunger made our Molly bold.
She poled out to the Rim to see
If there might some good fishing be.
The night it took her unaware
She saw a sight to make her stare.
A handsome lad stood on the Rim
And Molly boldly said to him,
"No crazy do ye look to me—
So why not spend the night with me?"
"Fair Molly I will partner you
If you can read my riddles true.
Say what is darker than the night
And what is wilder than delight,
And what is worse than any hell
And what will never women sell,
And what is sharper than a thorn
And what will never be reborn?"
"Now sin is darker than the night,
Deathangel wilder than delight,
Canalside's worse than any hell,
Her heart will never woman sell,
And hunger's sharper than a thorn—
A Dead Marsh ghost can't be reborn—'
And as she named the lad aright,
The River Det flows free,
He disappeared into the night
Down to the Sundance Sea.
FALKEN LOVER
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey
Come all you forsaken, take warning by me
And don't take a lover who lives by the sea.
They only hold true to their crewmates and ships
And nothing but lies ever passes their lips.
I once had a Falken-love, fair-skinned and fine
He swore that he loved me, he vowed he was mine.
But soon as the tide turned, my idol turned clay
As soon as the wind rose, my love sailed away.
I once had a Falkenaer, blue were his eyes,
And all of the vows that he made me were lies.
He came with the winter, he left with the spring,
As hard to hold down as a bird on the wing.
I once had a Falken-love, gold was his hair,
So handsome a man that the Angel would stare,
So handsome without and so hollow within,
The vows that he made me might never have been.
The sea was his true love, no other he had.
I was just diversion to my Falken-lad.
So all you forsaken, take warning by me,
No mortal love can ever rival the sea.
CANALERS’ LOVE SONG
Lyrics by Mercedes Lackey
I won't ask you for a promise you can't make,
I won't tie you to a bargain that you'll break,
Love is just another counter in the Trade—
Like a coin that's easy spent, but dearly made.
Chorus:
So the old Det, he runs slow, but he runs deep
And the rising tide will rock us both to sleep.
Like the river Det my love runs deep and slow
And it's with you, love, wherever you may go.
I won't ask you for forever—just tonight,
Just the time between now and the morning light.
I won't tie my karma to you, that's not fair
And that's not the way to prove how much I care.
I won't beg you for the things you may not feel,
Just the little time together we can steal.
I won't ask you to say things you know are lies,
For I know that tears are all that lying buys.
But if you decide to stay here by my side
Then I'll show you all my feelings that I hide
And I'll try to make you happy that you stayed
And we'll show the world just how the game is played.
Index to City Maps
Table of Contents
Title Page
“WARE!”
C.J. CHERRYH invites you to enter the world of MEROVINGEN NIGHTS!
Title
SMUGGLER'S GOLD © 1988 by C.J. Cherryh.
Maps
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE
PAPER CHASE
A FISH STORY
A HARMLESS EXCURSION
MYSTERY
SMUGGLER'S GOLD
A DAY IN THE LIFE
FAIR GAME
APPENDIX
MEROVINGIAN SONGS
GOLDEN RULE
THE CATS OF JANE
LADIES OF THE HIGHTOWN
DARK LOVER
FALKEN LOVER
Index to City Maps
C. J. Cherryh, Smuggler's Gold
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