Table of
Contents 1)
As our music cheers us, so be the melody of our lives;
As our mirth
unites us, so be the harmony of our hearts;
As our spirits rise to the lilt
of our song,
so may the Great Spirit uplift us to renewed endeavor;
And
may the happy fellowship of this circle go out into all the world.
2)
May this fire touch us with the magic of its mystery;
May we see in
its dance the ever-changing beauty of the world;
May this fire be good
medicine,Where fellowship, adventure, and fun sit side by side;
May this fire
tonight remain forever in our hearts;
Even as their first fire kindled by our
ancestors
Has remained alight through the ages.
3)
The stars shining over us, Their light shines before us,
Oh God of
Nature, Grant to us a perfect peace.
4)
Kneel always when you light a fire;
Kneel reverently and thankful
be,
For God's unfailing charity.
5)
Tall trees that reach the sky, Mountains and lakes nearby;
Draw
near my friends, Come sing, my friends,
Our campfire time is nigh.
6)
The fire is lit, come lift your voice;
Let song and skit beguile
the hours;
The fire is lit, so let's rejoice,
Our hearts are full, the
night is ours.
7)
The life of a fire is like the life of a person.
In it's infancy,
it is faint and weak and must be carefully nourished and tended.
As it
catches, it crawls and spreads like a child exploring it's world.
In it's
adolescence, it flares fast and bright, racing for new height.
Soon, it will
burn with the steady heat and light of it's adulthood.
8)
As the Flames point upward, so be our aims,
As the red logs glow,
so be our sympathies;
As the gray ash fades, so be our errors;
As this
good fire warms us, so may our ideals warm the world.
So may the Scout ideal
warm the world.
9)
Music of the Night
Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation.
Darkness stirs and wakes
imagination.
Silently the senses abandon their defenses.
Slowly, gently, night unfurls it's splendor.
Grasp it, sense it --
tremulous and tender.
Turn your face away from the garish light of day.
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light,
And listen to the
Music of the Night.
Softly, deftly, music shall caress you.
Hear it, feel it secretly possess
you.
Open up your mind,
let your fantasies unwind,
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight.
The Darkness of the
music of the night.
10)
Leap high O golden flame, the day is dead.
Bring warmth and cheer,
O flame, the sun has fled.
Stoutly your gleam maintain, youths not
abed,
Ring out the heart's refrain, goodwill to all.
11)
Who hath smelt wood smoke at twilight?
Who hath heard the birch
log burning?
Who is quick to read the noises of the night?
Let him follow
with the others,
For the young men's feet are turning
To the camps of
proved desire and known delight. (Rudyard Kipling)
12)
Cold night weighs down the forest bough,
Strange shapes go
flitting through the gloom;
But see... a spark, a flame and now
The
wilderness is home!
13)
The simple life and friendly cheer,
May all those find who gather
here.
14)
Behold the fire, my comrades,
May it's flames purify your
hearts,
Let no unfriendly thoughts be harbored,
Let no uncouth word be
spoken,
Keep the spirit of the campfire in your hearts forever,
Peace be
to all men.
15)
The forests of long ago, stored up in themselves the warmth of the
sunshine of ages past,
and then perished to give it out to us again and make
fleeting pictures in our fire.
1)
As darkness creeps into our circle of light,
Embers that glow and
sigh
Draw our friendship circle closer,
Whisper memories that will not
die;
God's magic danced in our fire's flames,
And fills the gathering
night
With mystery and a wondrous peace
That bids safe sleep 'til
morning's light.
2)
The stars shining over us,
Their light shines before us,
Oh God
of Nature,
Grant to us a perfect peace.
3)
Once you have been a camper,
Something has come to
stay.
Something has come that nothing
Will ever take away.
We came as
strangers, we became friends, we part as brothers.
4)
The day was long; we've worked and played,
And round this fire,
we've good friends made;
We've shared a friendship fine and deep,
And now
this circle leaves to sleep.
5)
A fire, in it's later life, goes dim.
No longer does it have the
fierce brightness of it's youth.
Still, it gives a gentle, steady warmth,
just as an elderly man or woman shares the warmth of understanding
and
the steadiness of experience.
6)
And, this is a fact of life: all things must die.
The memory of
those passed on lives deep and dear in our hearts.
This fire will fade to
cold ash, but it's flame will glow in our memory - Leader, May '91.
7)
Around the fire's glow the silent night
Pressed close and closer to
the dying flame,
And in the narrowing circle of it's light
Closer and
closer to its heart we came.
8)
Wood and water, wind and tree,
Wisdom, strength and
courtesy,
Scouting favor go with thee.
9)
Sparkling Thoughts
You need enough sugar to give everyone in the
circle a small handful. After the Closing, ask the group to gather around the
dying embers. Pass around the jar of sugar and quietly ask people to take some
and hold onto it. When everyone is ready, together toss the sugar on the fire.
You can compare the flashing sparks and quick flames to happy thoughts or simply
enjoy these happy thoughts in silence.