"A thousand years or more ago,
When I was newly sewn,
There lived four wizards of renown,
Whose names
are still well known;
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,
Shrewd
Slytherin, from fen.
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,
They hatched a daring plan
To educate young sorcerers
Thus Hogwarts
School began.
Now each of these four founders
Formed their own house, for each
Did value different virtues
In the
ones they had to teach.
By Gryffindor, the bravest were
Prized far beyond the rest;
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest
Would always
be the best;
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were
Most worthy of admission;
And power-hungry Slytherin
Loved those
of great ambition.
While still alive they did divide
Their favorites from the throng,
Yet how to pick the worthy ones
When
they were dead and gone?
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,
He whipped me off his head
The founders put some brains in me
So
I could choose instead!
Now slip me snug about your ears,
I've never yet been wrong,
I'll have to look inside your mind
And
tell where you belong!"
In times of old when
I was new
And Hogwarts barely
started
The founders of our
noble school
Thought never to be
parted:
United by a common goal,
They had the selfsame
yearning,
To make the world's
best magic school
And pass along their
learning.
"Together we will build
and teach!"
The four good friends
decided
And never did they dream
that they
Might someday be divided,
For were there such
friends anywhere
As Slytherin and Gryffindor?
Unless it was the second
pair
Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?
So how could it have
gone so wrong?
How could such friendships
fail?
Why, I was there and
so can tell
The whole sad, sorry
tale.
Said Slytherin, "We'll
teach just those
Whose ancestry is purest."
Said Ravenclaw, "We'll
teach those whose
Intelligence is surest."
Said Gryffindor, "We'll
teach all those
With brave deeds to
their name,"
Said Hufflepuff, "I'll
teach the lot,
And treat them just
the same."
These differences caused
little strife
When first they came
to light,
For each of the four
founders had
A House in which they
might
Take only those they
wanted, so,
For instance, Slytherin
Took only pure-blood
wizards
Of great cunning, just
like him,
And those of sharpest
mind
Were taught by Ravenclaw
While the bravest and
the boldest
Went to daring Gryffindor.
Good Hufflepuff, she
took the rest,
And taught them all
she knew,
Thus the Houses and
their founders
Retained friendships
firm and true.
So Hogwarts worked in
harmony
For several happy years,
But then discord crept
among us
Feeding on our faults
and fears.
The Houses that, like
pillars four,
Had once held up our
school,
Now turned upon each
other and,
Divided, sought to rule.
And for a while it seemed
the school
Must meet an early end,
What with dueling and
with fighting
And the clash of friend
on friend
And at last there came
a morning
When old Slytherin departed
And though the fighting
then died out
He left us quite downhearted.
And never since the
founders four
Were whittled down to
three
Have the Houses been
united
As they once were meant
to be.
And now the Sorting
Hat is here
And you all know the
score:
I sort you into Houses
Because that is what
I'm for,
But this year I'll go
further,
Listen closely to my
song:
Though condemned I am
to split you
Still I worry that it's
wrong,
Though I must fulfill
my duty
And must quarter every
year
Still I wonder whether
sorting
May not bring the end
I fear.
Oh, know the perils,
read the signs,
The warning history
shows,
For our Hogwarts is
in danger
From external, deadly
foes
And we must unite inside
her
Or we'll crumble from
within
I have told you, I have
warned you....
Let the Sorting now
begin.
