Plight of a Father

My oldest walked away from me
A shield upon his back
Soon a soldier he would be
My mind the fear would crack

My second ran away from me
He forever sought the truth
A scholar was his destiny
But I feared for his youth

My daughter met a nobleman
From a land so far away
She left with him against my ban
Now I am alone all day

My eldest never returned to me
They all tell me that he died
Though a braver man they'll never see
After his final ride

My second son came home at last
Now wise beyond his years
The thousands truths he found had cast
His mind a thousand fears

My daughter always wrote to me
She said life had lost its fun
A mother she was soon to be
To the noble's only son