Song of Swords

The Song of Swords is a poem appearing at the end of The First Book of Swords.

Each verse of the song focuses on one of the Twelve Swords of Power. In some cases, the song expressly states what the sword can do, as is the case with Woundhealer: "Whose flesh the Sword of Mercy hurts has drawn no breath;

Whose soul it heals has wandered in the night,

Has paid the summing of all debts in death

Has turned to see returning light.

However, some verses remain relatively ambiguous as to a sword's true abilities, as with Doomgiver:

"The Sword of Justice balances the pans

Of right and wrong, and foul and fair.

Eye for an eye, Doomgiver scans

The fate of all folk everywhere."

Structure
The song is made up of twelve stanzas, consisting of two rhyming couplets. The only exception is the verse for Mindsword, which has six lines using an "ABABCC" rhyme scheme.