One thing I find interesting about military history are the songs that come about because of war; some of them demonize the enemy, some of them lament fallen comrades, some think wistfully of home, some glorify the fight, some yearn for the end of conflict (and some do all at the same time).
As a supplement to my current post-war project, -Danger, Deceit-, I'm periodically going to post a collection of "war songs" to get a sense of what each side thought they were fighting for.
As for the identity of "The Archivist"... that would be in the second-to-last chapter of Tales of the Spirit World: Fall of the Blue Spirit.
Songs of War: Earth -01-
I Go to the Mountains
[Tune: Song of the Bamboo-cutter]
[Origin: Earth Kingdom, circa Avatar Aang (disappearance of)]
I go to the mountains
to fight the invader
from across the sea.
Farewell, my plum flower
Farewell, my plum flower
and weep not for me.
I go to the mountains
not afraid of the fire,
stone beneath my feet.
Farewell, my jade-eyed girl
Farewell, my jade-eyed girl
your kisses are sweet.
I go to the mountains
Come with me, my comrades
side-by-side, we'll fight.
Farewell, my beloved
Farewell, my beloved
and kiss me goodbye.
- Later Adaptation -
We go to the mountains
to push the invader
back into the sea.
Farewell, my plum flower
Farewell, my plum flower
and weep not for me.
We go to the mountains
unafraid of their fire,
stone beneath our feet.
Farewell, my jade-eyed girl
Farewell, my jade-eyed girl
your kisses are sweet.
We go to the mountains
but should our comrades fall,
leave us there, side-by-side.
Farewell, my beloved
Farewell, my beloved
and kiss me goodbye.
Archivist's Note: The original Song of the Bamboo-cutter predates Man's written word. The tune itself has been adapted to hundreds of songs all over the Earth Kingdom over the centuries, to include songs for marching into battle. The first three verses and accompanying refrains were likely composed among peasant soldiers in the civil wars predating the latest Century War. The latter version, often sung as additional verses to the elder, can most definitely be traced to the Nan Mountains partisans. These partisans, at the cost of many lives, successfully resisted the Fire Nation invasion, and curbed the Fire Army's western encroachment in the southern half of the Continent.
A/N: Inspiration for the song (and tune) is a World War II Italian partisan song, Bella Ciao [version sung by Lidija Percan]