Daughter of the Library

[Verse 1] Chalk dust on her fingers Wax tablet by her side Laughing at the thunder Plotting paths across the sky Bronze bells on the harbor Spice smoke in her hair She walks through Alexandria Like a question in the air [Chorus] Hypatia of Alexandria Name like a flame in the wind You drew your circles in the sand They washed them out You drew again Hypatia of Alexandria Pages burned The stars remain What they could not bear to answer Still is written in your name [Verse 2] Crowded Cracked mosaics Voices sharp as shattered glass Power dressed in piety Afraid of what won’t pass You spoke of turning planets Of numbers clean and clear They answered with a gathering Of stones and twisted fear [Chorus] Hypatia of Alexandria Name like a flame in the wind You drew your circles in the sand They washed them out You drew again Hypatia of Alexandria Pages burned The stars remain What they could not bear to answer Still is written in your name [Bridge] They can break the body They can tear the scrolls They can darken windows But not eclipse a soul Somewhere in the silence A young girl mouths your story (oh) Learning how to question In a borrowed library [Chorus] Hypatia of Alexandria Name like a flame in the wind You drew your circles in the sand They washed them out We draw again Hypatia of Alexandria Ash and dust can’t drown the flame Every mind that dares to wonder Says a prayer in your name