cubelith

Many of these ideas seem to be pretty similar to the reversed First Ideal (which I described here). I think some likely answers are those revolving around command (or protecting important people, like Dalinar), or about finding a third way/being smart instead af blindly fighting to protect

Thank you all! I wonder though, if anybody will disagree or add something, as I don't believe I grasped everything at the first try. Even though I am actually a poet and have taken part in the Linguistics Olympiad, so Quell's compliment was suprisingly accurate. For me the First Ideal has become something of a motto when I need motivation or perseverance. But back to the topic: if any passing poet/linguist/bypasser decides to add something or challenge my view, I'd be very pleased!

And here it is, in one of the best books ever created. I wonder if my interpretation was intended, even in the tiniest bit

I believe I'm the first one to notice this, if not, please link me to the apprioprite thread. I recently noticed that the First Ideal can easily be reversed to uncover a second, complementary meaning. We basically reverse both the words and their order, so from life before death, strength before weakness, journey before destination we get destination after journey, weakness after strength, death after life. While this sound a little bit awkward in English, it also carries deep meaning, at least to me. Destination after journey After our journey we always reach a destination, or at least strive to do so. Our actions have a purpose. Wandering aimlessly is pointless. We choose our general goals with our oaths, but to fullfill them many particular quests need to be done. We should not only talk about our ideals and mission, not only act like we're doing something, but take actions that will lead to a measurable gain. For example, a Windrunner tasked with watching over the town should not only patrol the streets (which improves safety, of course, but rather temporarily), but also do something that is far less enjoyable and convenient, yet probably more important, such as spending many nights lying in a wet den to spy on a dangerous gang and finally destroy it. We also don't stop midway - we are persistent. If only possible, we continue the journey until we reach the destination. Things need not only to be started, but also finished. Young zeal is appealing, but even the most loved activity will tire us and require a measure of perseverance. Thus, it is hard not to stop after some time, yet we must not. For example, in times of sorrow, a Lightweaver decides to paint a town hall for the enjoyment of all people. She takes to it with with eagerness, but halfway through the job becomes tedious. She wishes to go play at a theater, which would also make some citizens happy. Yet she should finish the painting, while taking at most short breaks when she is really more needed somewhere else. The painting will, after all, lighten people's moods for centuries, while an unfinished one could even make them sadder. [spoiler] The most important step a man can take. It's not the first one, is it? It's the next one. Always the next step, Dalinar. [/spoiler] Weakness after strength After showing our strength, we have the right to rest. Even the sturdiest shield has to be oiled, lest it rusts and breaks. We must not push ourselves too hard, even if resting seems lazy. Of course that does not allow true laziness, but we're only humans. It's better to take a break from battle than to fall because of fatigue. This also applies to mental fatigue. We don't play tough after facing death or other horrors. It is right to seek support if you need it. We never try to seem stronger than we really are - that always ends up worse. We are not ashamed to seek help. We also understand that others are humans, too. While it is right to encourage and expect others to do their best, we remember that they also have the right to both rest and fail. Don't swing a sword too hard, lest it breaks. Death after life This part was the hardest to interpret. First of all, it is basically memento mori. We need to remember we are not immortal, no matter how grand are our powers. No other earthly thing is eternal, either. Due to that, we need to think in the long term. Back to that Windrunner protecting a town - even if it's his lifelong duty, he has to realise that one day he will be gone. So he should not only protect the town as best as he can, he should at least make sure to find a replacement. And it would be best if he estabilished an efficient guard that would keep the town safe for generations. The same goes for the Lightweaver's painting. This also means that since we have to die one day, we should sacrifice our life for our ideals if it is needed (however we must do it wisely - see the first part). Also we shouldn't attach ourselves to impemanent things too much, as they will eventually turn to dust, while our ideals may guide the whole humanity to a better path. What do you think about this interpretation?

Well, so just make sure you leave symmetical wounds on any bad guys you decide to make holier

I don't mean to brag, but I'm naturally a skilled poet, I guess that transfers to keteks too. I mean, I've mostly written classical (very regular, with full rhymes) poems before I discovered keteks. But I'm very eager to discover new forms, as long as they are strict enough (check out the dróttkvætt for example). And as you can see, I try to find inspiration around me, in music for example. So I guess the important factors are: - a large vocabulary (useful for finding rhymes in typical poems) - some intelligence (again, I really don't want to brag, but I've won country-wide maths competitions) - eagerness and zeal - general creativity and good ideas But as a matter of fact, and this time I mean to brag, I'm just 17, and English is not my native language. But keep trying, the more you write, the bigger the chance that some will be really good! Also, thank you for your appreciation!

Alright, I wrote a few more. They're not particularly connected with the books or anything, just my random creations. This one with a nice meaning: Steel of shields broken. Will our defeat truly never be endured? Is victory yet possible? Yet victory is endurance - is never truly defeated. Our will breaks shields of steel. This philosophical one: Truly, we are but men. Enduring, actually, but weak. Seemingly fragile, seemingly weak, but actually enduring men. But are we, truly? And this one about a beautiful, amazing thing that happened today, because I forgot my keys and had to walk about 2km to borrow another set: Beautiful was that sky, clear. So then wind blew. There, it brought darkness, down came rain for purging earth. Storm, raging storm. Earth purged, for rain came down - darkness brought it. There blew wind then, so clear. Sky! That was beautiful.

That one isn't actually symmetric - "he is" appears in the same order on both sides. They're quite nice though

I wrote this one as a praise for Brandon. I'm seriously thinking about sending it to him (possibly in stylized glyphs or something). Tell me what do you think about this (and maybe how to improve it) - I guess everybody here agrees that he deserves the highest honors possible, right? I'd probably like to replace "great" with some fancy synonyn, but none seem to fit. I'm proud of how cleverly I used Wit as both a name and a word, though. "Only women for not being lucky" - wrote Wit. And your books are great friends, though. Friend, great are books your and wit. Writing, luckily, is not for women only. "Only women for not being lucky" / wrote Wit. / And your books are great friends, though. / Friend, great are books your and wit. / Writing, luckily, is not for women only. I also wrote this one, because my parents would send me photos from their trip in the mountains and I didn't know how to respond. A little background - there's at least one mountain in my country that is considered a sleeping knight in legends (kinda looks like one, too). Summits - the defeated knigths, as shaped in stone - lived. We - lives, stone in shape, as knights defeat the summits.