“You will go into battle and the harps will keen for you.”

-The Grey God Passes

In current modern usage keen is rarely used to describe sound, but rather the sharpness of a blade or of a person’s wit. More importantly, Howard uses keen as a verb in this lone passage, the key passage to the love tragedy imbedded in the war story.

keen 1

(kēn)

adj. keen•er, keen•est

1. Having a fine, sharp cutting edge or point.

2. Having or marked by intellectual quickness and acuity. See Synonyms at sharp.

3. Acutely sensitive

4. Sharp; vivid; strong

5. Intense or bracing

6. Pungent; acrid.

7. a. Ardent; enthusiastic

b. Eagerly desirous

8. Slang Great; splendid; fine

________________________________________

[Middle English kene, from Old English cēne, brave.]