The Road to Epoli

[Verse 1]
Upon the road the Stranger strode through fog not from the sea
O'er windswept haunts and gloomy downs of black and crooked trees
Staving fright the stranger sang aloud despite the dark
As wordless will'o'wisps incanted wiles upon his heart

But though he could not see ahead, he tread forth ever on
And never more looked back upon the life he left behind
Only marching toward the golden city he must find

Away from home and hearth, his bonny bride and family
Forgotten by the Stranger on thе Road to Epoli

[Refrain]
The Road to Epoli
The Dream of Epoli

[Verse 2]
At last thе Stranger wandered west, past Kril and Lionen
Upon which grew the oaken vales and ash-wood Shady Glens
But where now was the warming hearth, the gold and gilded flame?
And where now were the singing saints of yesteryear's refrain?

The gray moon cast no light ahead as dusk entombed his heart
He stumbled through the darkened crypts of doubt and deep despair
And fell beneath the icy rifts of hope that brought him there

Alone and cold, his burdens dampened all that he might see
Perhaps he was not meant to find the Road to Epoli

[Refrain]
The Road to Epoli
The Flame of Epoli

[Chorus]
O, sorry-hearted traveler just lay your head to rest
The evergreen is fading and the starlight wanes away
Like old stones set in sicking sands so weary are your bones
Look to the Morning-Light on high, look through the shrouded sky
Oh!

May starlight guide you home tonight, O starlight guide you home
Though long and far you roam, upon the Road to Epoli

[Verse 3]
So lonely was the wayward road with no one by his side
No other folk to spark the lamp, no friend to kindly guide
The crickets and the sparrow-sprites went still as dusk befell
For lo, there lurked the olden fog...a-rolling from the dells

In fright, the Stranger dropped his pack and everything he owned
He cursed himself for lacking now the footing of the bold
Like griffon-hearted champions of epic stories told

His birthright was not noble, never sworn by king's decree
But all who seek find something on the Road to Epoli

[Refrain]
The Road to Epoli
The Heart of Epoli

[Verse 4]
The Stranger looked unto the seas, beyond the veil of night
Upon which sailed a fleet of ships, aglow with twink'ling light
"Ahoy," they sang, "Our silver ships draw near the Gilded Peaks."
"Below the bluffs and by the deep, the Golden City sleeps."

Then swirling mists obscured the ships and drowned the sailors' song
The fog wove 'round the snarling crag and slithered up the sand
Like fingers on a ghostly hand, it clawed onto the land

Yet far above the shadowed shore a mighty mountain gleamed
A crown atop the sea along the Road to Epoli

[Refrain]
The Road to Epoli
The Light of Epoli

[Chorus]
O, sorry-hearted traveler just lay your head to rest
The evergreen is fading and the starlight wanes away
Like old stones set in sicking sands so weary are your bones
Look to the Morning-Light on high, look through the shrouded sky
Oh!

May starlight guide you home tonight, O starlight guide you home
Though long and far you roam, upon the Road to Epoli

[Verse 5]
Within the gloom he tarried not and climbed beyond the shores
The Stranger, shouting, finally found the fabled golden doors
But tarnished was their luster now, o'ergrown with shabby vines
While toppled stone and lichen shrouded everything in sight

And woe to him, the Stranger's heart fell faster than the stars
He looked toward the sky and cried, "Where hath the city gone?"
Then keeled at last to weep amidst that lonely, distant dawn

No spires of the gilded flame, no sparkle by the sea
No fire within the Stranger on the Road to Epoli

[Refrain]
The Road to Epoli
The Fall of Epoli