tinyurl.com/courtesyfeast
The harper’s lovely, that I’ll say;
I wish I could have heard her play.
Good gentles, nobles, worthies all,
We've gathered here within this hall
To feast, and talk, and — one more thing:
To hear the entertainers sing,
The harpers harp, the bards recite,
The minstrels play into the night.
But there are those who talk and chatter
As if performers didn’t matter.
Think how it feels to pour your heart
Into your craft, rehearse your art,
Perform at feast before the crowd,
Then find the talking was so loud
That no-one heard; and those who would
Enjoy the music if they could
Were cheated too, denied the chance
To hear the song or rhyme or dance.
A talk delayed can still go on,
But when the act is done — it’s gone.
Now, no-one asks (not I, at least)
That silence reign throughout the feast;
And no-one orders or implores you
To listen to an act that bores you.
We’ll bear no grudges, shed no tears,
If you put hands upon your ears
’Til act is done – and then resume
Your talk, ’til talking fills the room.
But while the act is not yet done,
I beg you, silence, every one.
This kindness show, and you will be
Renowned for knightly courtesy —
Which, after all, is why we’re here,
Reclaiming gracious yesteryear.
I’ll make my toast with one more word:
To entertainers that we heard.
— C. M. Joserlin (“Raven”), 30 April 1994
[placed into the public domain, for the sake of such events] *
"Jubal Harshaw also pointed out to me a symptom that, so he says, invariably precedes the collapse of a culture: a decline in good manners, in common courtesy, in a decent respect for the rights of other people."
— Robert A. Heinlein, To Sail Beyond the Sunset
[The Suno AI has composed and performed a tune for this song:]
A note on the computer voice singing: I named it "Eleanor" in tribute to Eleanor of Acquitaine, Henry II's Queen and Richard Lionheart's mother, remembered as a patron of troubadours, and now a feminist icon. She spoke no English, but then many S.C.A. personae could not have, in period, true?
* [The very existence and purpose of this song appears oddly confusing to some. Local feast organizers and attendees — even aside from the entertainers themselves — had noticed a decrease in the previously standard courtesy of stopping conversations to hear performances, and discussed how to restore it. The above verse was my proposal. Local feast organizers were enthusiastic, printed it up in nice-looking tiny scrolls rolled up tied in tiny pretty ribbons, and set a copy at each diner's place. Conditions improved. To share the solution with any who might share the problem, I posted the lyrics on rec.org.sca, including the date and context. Would you believe that S.C.A. members from across the country complained that the piece was a personal accusation addressed specifically at them? AND that the REAL problem was entertainment occurring during the feast ("attack bards"), which feast organizers appeared curiously unwilling or unable to curtail — even with knights at hand? (Our site usually found that a "no thank you" sufficed. There were also little stand-up wire-mounted flags if you wanted them.) Yet this piece's first two lines set the original context: a performance some wanted to hear, yet could not, due to noisy conversation. Something has to give. Courtesy is respect and consideration for others; if not the entertainers or the organizers who are providing the feast, then at least your fellow diners who have also paid for it. Or does no-one else matter at all?]
