A/N: And now, let's move our attention to the other son of Azulon! lol This is the first time I've written a song from Iroh's point of view that I'm really happy with. I've attempted several before, but they never seemed to turn out quite right. But i was quite proud of this one. So anyway, the first verse is supposed to be set just after Zuko was banished (thus, in the timeframe of my fanfic, With Hope Rekindled--which I'm working on updating, btw, tho it may take a while--sorry about that). That part's kind of written as a lullaby (one of the reasons for the title), and hopefully that feeling carries through in the rest of the song. The second verse is set during season 3 (more about that in the author's note afterwards), and the bridge doesn't really have a fixed setting, except that it's supposed to be sometime after DOBS Part II. So anyway, I hope you like it, and please review!


Lullaby

-

I treasure you, little one,

As a father loves his son,

Though your birth was to another--

And him I once called brother:

From the ash you will rise--

Hope will shine in amber eyes:

Doomed to roam the World so wild,

Beloved child, sleep...

-

Your heart in mine I keep--

With peace be reconciled!

From my love that's grown so deep,

You'll never be exiled:

As long as we keep living,

I'll be guiding and forgiving--

Your shelter will be always in my wings!

-

When Sunset fades away--

And bereft of her enthralling crown,

The sky is weeping, grey and wan--

Don't despair, my precious spark,

Though the Autumn leaves come falling down,

As when shells by tides so dark are drawn:

For the cold earth remembers the light that is gone,

And I'll breathe on these embers when the days in Shadow's calling drown--

Till you come marching home in the Dawn...

-

Though you've grown, little one,

Still I love you like a son:

Though you fought beside another

For the one I once called brother,

Yet how your soul longs to rise!--

Anger burns in amber eyes:

To compassion dare to yield--

From your slumb'ring shield, wake!

-

Inside I know you ache

From the wounds so long concealed--

You cause my heart to break,

For I long to see you healed!

I pray these words will save you,

But already I forgave you--

Come back to me, and rest beneath my wings!

-

When Sunset fades away--

And bereft of her enthralling crown,

The sky is weeping, grey and wan--

Don't despair, my precious spark,

Though the Autumn leaves come falling down,

As when shells by tides so dark are drawn:

For the cold earth remembers the light that is gone,

And I'll breathe on these embers when the days in Shadow's calling drown--

Till you come marching home in the Dawn...

-

My dear one, I'm so proud of you--

I weep for joy at your heart's release!

Soon our people will bow to you,

And you'll lead them in an age of peace:

But you'll always be my little boy,

And I'll guard you all the while--

For you know I have no greater joy

Than to watch you when you smile...

-

When Sunset fades away--

And bereft of her enthralling crown,

The sky is weeping, grey and wan--

Don't despair, my precious spark,

Though the Autumn leaves come falling down,

As when shells by tides so dark are drawn:

For the cold earth remembers the light that is gone,

And I'll breathe on these embers when the days in Shadow's calling drown--

Till you come marching home in the Dawn...

-

Till you come marching home in the Dawn!

-


A/N: In case you were wondering, yes, the chorus was supposed to have some similar lines to the song Iroh sings that starts out "Leaves from the vine" etc. I'd been wanting to write a song whose chorus echoes the "little soldier boy" song for a while, but inspiration didn't come right away. Speaking of which, while writing the second verse i was thinking of that beautiful scene in The Avatar and the Fire Lord (which i had just seen) where Iroh gives his advice to Zuko (and at last we get to hear him talk again!). One line that particularly moves me in this song is the last line of the second verse--"Come back to me, and rest beneath my wings." It's hard to explain why, but hopefully you see what i mean. Another thing i wanted to point out is that in the first verse, the last word in the first half of it is "sleep" ("Beloved child, sleep"--by the way, the last "e" in "beloved" is pronounced here, so it will fit the meter), and in the second verse, the last word is "wake" ("From your slumb'ring shield, wake"). So anyway, i thought the fact that those two commands (well, not exactly commands, but my mental thesaurus is failing me yet again) are opposites was sort of neat. Btw, while the 3rd and 6th lines of the chorus rhyme on the last syllable ("wan" and "drawn," respectively), the second to last syllable of each of them is supposed to rhyme with the last word of the 1st and 4th lines ("away/grey" and "spark/dark"), if that wasn't too confusing. In the melody, there's a little pause between the last and second to last beats of the 3rd and 6th lines, to let both rhymes come out. But anyway, hope you liked it!