THE QUIVERING FEATHER

Came the Daughter of the Forest,
Quietly from out the woodland,
To the fire burning brightly,
To her father and her mother,
Old they were and full of wrinkles,
Old they were and full of sorrows,
Of the years they'd spent in living,
Living in the land of whitemen.....
Living side by side like brothers...
Watching from the burning fire
All the waste and rush of cities,
All the raping of the flatlands,
All the cutting down of forests;
Silent by their fire watching
While their tears ran down inside them,
While their faces agend and wrinkled,
While their hearts throbbed with sorrow,
Came the Daughter of the Forest
To her Father and her mother.

Came the Daughter of the Forest
With her hands spready out before her
Close unto the burning fire,
Close beside the man and woman
Squatting silent in the clearing,
Then she gave them loving greeting,
Hugging one and then the other;
Siting[sic] close beside her father,
Waiting for the moon in rising,
Thinking of her new made lover,
Dreaming of a pleasant future,
Dreaming there beside the fire
Was the Daughter of the Forest.

Then her father's voice so softly
Filled the dusk with gentle echoes,
As he spoke unto his daughter,
While the tears ran down inside him,
While they filled his heart and swelled it,
Till his chest was nigh to splitting,
Splitting there beside the fire....
That his tears might flow beside it......
Came his voice unto the twighlight
To the ear of his own daughter,
Changed her from a girl to woman,
Gave her eyes a look of saddness,
Shook her heart and made it tremble,
While she listened by the fire.

Once, O' Daughter of the Forest,
Redmen skimmed the great St. Lawrence,
Dwelt beside the running water,
Hunted Buffalo on the flatlands,
Stalked the moose upon the mountain,
Tanned the skins throughout the summer,
Bronzed their bodies in the sunshine,
Made canoes and fashioned arrows,
Stood in awe of natures wonders,
Knew their Gods and called them mighty,
Heard the birds that sing so sweetly,
Heard the wind in all his glory,
Saw the trees bow down before him,
Felt the rain and dew in morning,
Watched the stars that came at nightfall,
Place their blankets o'er the maiden,
Carved the cradles for their babies,
Called their council round the fire,
Donned the slender quivering feather,
Beat their drums and danced the war dance,
Wept their tears upon the warrior,
Long forgotten now, O' Daughter.

Then O Daughter of the Forest,
Whitemen sailed the great St. Lawrence,
Seized this land with wondrous beauty,
Brought with him the grime of cities,
Brought the sweat and filth of factories,
Killed the buffalo on the prairies,
Put us in the reservations,
Call us breeds and act unkindly,
Brought their God and swear he's holy,
Cal our blanket marriage evil,
Took away our bow and arrow,
Gave us then a gun and bayonette,
Made a great atomic weapon;
Weep, O Daughter of the forest,
Let your tears fall on the cradle,
Let them rain upon the grasses,
Let them cleanse polluted waters,
Weep your tears on stone and mosses,
Weep on Canada.....O Daughter,
Spilt blood, too soon, will lay forgotten.

Then wept the Daughter of the Forest,
There beside the burning fire....
There beside the man and woman,
Wept she tears there before them,
Let them fall there in the clearing,
Let them spread along the pathway,
Touching grass and stone and mosses,
Till her shoulders shook with sobbing,
Wept she tears that filled the country,
And whenever true men gather
Will her tears flow there among them,
They will know then of her sorrow,
They will listen to her weeping,
And their hearts will hang so heavy
Until they can say together......
Weep no more O saddened Daughter,
Canada has peace forever.