the honor guard of hobarts claw is one you all should know , written by an ancient bard whose name was never known ; i met my mentor late one fall when i was very young ; i grew convinced a bard id be with every song he sung ; he taught me all the basic chords and how to scan a rhyme but , most of all he showed me how to keep in perfect time ; the winter faded into spring ; his wanderlust returned ; id come to love him like a friend and felt my passion burn ; i begged and pleaded days-on-end for him to teach me more , and then , at last , he cursed my soul and gave to me this score : the melody was simply strung , the pace was slow and firm , he gazed into the distant past with old eyes , soft and worn .