[[{{SUBST:Starlight, Smilebright}}| ]]  Starlight, Smilebright
|
[[{{SUBST:Starlight, Smilebright}}| ]]  |
[[{{SUBST:Starlight, Smilebright}}| ]] 
 Long, long ago,
Before my grandma was born,
Before her grandma's grandma
And her grandma were born,
There lived a small group
Of traveling men
Who wandered the land
Bringing smiles to the children.
Now listen up
And don't twiddle your fingers,
As I tell you the tale
Of the lost smilebringers.
The legends of past,
They most clearly state,
That when a star fell
'Twas not the end of its fate.
It could return to the heavens,
Before it should fade,
Make the journey back home
With a smilebringer's aid.
The smilebringers looked
Much like you and me
With eyes big and round,
Ears long and floppy.
But there were two things
That made them unique
Red hats on their heads
Large sacks at their feet.
They carried these bags
All across the land,
From large town to small village,
From deep snows to hot sands.
The sun hurt their eyes
So they stayed out of the light;
Came to knock on our gates
In the middle of the night.
To call upon us
While we slumbered away,
They would gather the stars
That had fallen astray.
Whispering to them
The right path to fly,
So the stars could return
To their homes in the sky.
And the stars would jump,
Through the air they'd sail,
Songs of joy on their lips,
Showers of light from their tails.
And when back home
The stars would shout out
And inform their return
To those all about.
To welcome them back,
Their friends would appear
And light up the night
With their joy-filled tears.
Such a sight to see
Was this aerial delight
That we would emerge
Into the dark of the night.
And when we laid eyes
On the red hats awaiting
We would open our gates
With little debating.
Till morning we'd chat
With the new come faces,
Listening to tales
Of magical places.
But not just the adults
Were under the spell
Of the smile-bringing lads
And the stories they'd tell.
All the town's children
Were equally caught
In the joy and the laughter
The smilebringers brought.
But there was one thing
That stopped the kids in their tracks
And that was the gifts
The bringers kept in their packs.
Boxes with bows
Filled with goodies and tarts
For the children they loved
With all of their hearts.
And in return
All the smilebringers asked
Was a grin on the lips
Of each boy and each lass.
However, one morning
The smiles went away.
The bringers had gone,
Where, no one could say.
The adults searched long
To the vast land's ends
Hoping to find
Those who'd become our dear friends.
But after days with no luck
They returned to town;
The jolly smilebringers
Nowhere to be found.
So as days turned to weeks
And weeks to long years
From the minds of the adults
Did the lads disappear.
However in the hearts
Of the good girls and boys
The travelers remained
As did the hope for more toys.
So every night
The children would stare
Into the night sky
At the stars that were there.
And when one would fall
They'd wish on the star
That their beloved smilebringers
Would not be too far.
Soon all of the children
In the small town
Refused to sleep
Until the bringers were found.
But the bringers were gone,
They'd left no traces,
And soon the smiles vanished
From all the kids' faces.
The adults all gathered,
And came up with a plan,
To make a wrong right
And return joy to the land.
They collected the crystals
From every guild there
And hung them on trees
That graced the town square.
And when came the eve
The trees sparkled bright
Like the stars in the sky
That light up the night.
When word of this scene
Reached the little one's ears
They rushed to the square
Their eyes filled with tears.
Near the trees stood,
All dressed in bright red,
A jolly smilebringer,
A cap on his head.
And so the children rejoiced.
Their friends had returned.
And with them the love
For which they had yearned.
And so if you are blue
Remember one thing:
Look to the stars
And the smiles they bring.
Compiled by Fraji-Orahji (Orastery)
 The poem above was taken from an old collection of children's stories entitled "Ten Timeless Tales of Tradition" (Federation Publishing, C.E. 808). While many of the races on Vana'diel have their own rendition of the smilebringer legend, most follow closely the details presented in this Windurstian version. Because of these similarities, many historians have come to believe that there may be some truth behind the tales, and that a group of travelers known as smilebringers may actually have wandered Vana'diel at one time. However, other than oral traditions passed down through the ages, no written works on the group remain. Due to this lack of concrete evidence, many of the theories made regarding the issue are considered nothing more than speculation.
While the origin of the smilebringers is lost in the mists of time, their legacy lives on in a modern-day gala known as the Starlight Celebration. From the brilliant illumination that lights up a city's streets to the red-capped samaritans delivering presents to all the good boys and girls, this present-day rendition of the smilebringers' visit is in many ways quite similar to the tales of old.
So why don't you join in on the festivities and let the smilebringers bring a little joy to your heart this holiday season?
[[{{SUBST:Starlight, Smilebright}}| ]]  |
Taken from: Vana'diel Tribune II Issue No. 02
|
|
Editing of this article or image is currently disabled in order to preserve published Square Enix material. Users may discuss changes on the talk page.
|
