Ballad of the Starcrossed Miner

"The Ballad of the Starcrossed Miner" is a poem from the Infocom interactive fiction game "Planetfall". It appears at a critical juncture in the game's plot.

:O, they ruled the solar system :Near ten thousand years before :In their single starcrossed scout ships :Mining ast'roids, spinning lore.

:Then one true courageous miner :Spied a spaceship from the stars :Boarded he that alien liner :Out beyond the orb of Mars.

:Yes, that ship was filled with danger :Mighty monsters barred his way :Yet he solved the alien myst'ries :Mining quite a lode that day.

:O, they ruled the solar system:Near ten thousand years before :'Til one brave advent'rous spirit :Brought that mighty ship to shore.

The ballad itself refers to another Infocom interactive fiction game, "Starcross", and sets the timeline relative to that earlier title.