Loreena McKennitt’s version of Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Lady of Shalott” is my favourite so far. The story of Lady of Shalott has always been one of my favourite Arthurian myths, and I think Loreena McKennitt’s voice and style of music goes perfectly with the general feel of the story.
On either side of the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, That clothe the Wold and meet the sky; And thro’ the field the road run by To many-towered Camelot; And up and down the people go, Gazing where the lilies blow Round an island there below, The Island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver, Little breezes dusk and shiver Thro’ the wave that runs for ever By the island in the river Flowing down to Camelot. Four grey walls, and four grey towers, Overlook a space of flowers, And the silent isle embowers The Lady of Shalott.
Only reapers, reaping early, In among the bearded barley Hear a song that echoes cheerly Down to Tower’d Camelot; And by the moon the reaper weary, Piling sheaves in uplands airy, Listening, whispers “Tis the Fairy The Lady of Shalott.”
There she weaves by night and day A magic web with colours gay. She has heard a whisper say, A curse is on her if she stay To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be, And so she weaveth steadily, And little other care hath she, The Lady of Shalott.
And moving through a mirror clear That hangs before her all the year, Shadows of the world appear. There she sees the highway near Winding down to Camelot; And sometimes thro’ the mirror blue The Knights come riding two and two. She hath no loyal knight and true, The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights To weave the mirror’s magic sights, For often thro’ the silent nights A funeral, with plumes and lights And music, went to Camelot; Or when the moon was overhead, Came two young lovers lately wed. “I am half sick of shadows,” said The Lady of Shalott.
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves, He rode between the barley sheaves, The sun came dazzling thro’ the leaves, And flamed upon the brazen greaves Of bold Sir Lancelot. A red-cross knight for ever kneel’d To a lady in his shield, That sparkled on the yellow field, Beside remote Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow’d; On burnish’d hooves his war-horse trode; From underneath his helmet flow’d His coal-black curls as on he rode, As he rode down to Camelot. From the bank and from the river He flashed into the crystal mirror, “Tirra lirra” by the river Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom, She made three paces thro’ the room, She saw the water-lily bloom, She saw the helmet and the plume, She look’d down to Camelot. Out flew the web and floated wide; The mirror crack’d from side to side; “The Curse is come upon me,” cried The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river’s dim expanse Like some bold seer in a trance, Seeing all his own mischance– With a glassy countenance did she look to Camelot. And at the closing of the day She loosed the chain, and down she lay; The broad stream bore her far away, The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carold, mournful, holy, Chanted loudly, chanted lowly, Till her blood was frozen slowly, And her eyes were darkened wholly, Turn’d to tower’d Camelot. For ere she reach’d upon the tide The first house by the water-side, Singing in her song she died, The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony, By garden-wall and gallery, A gleaming shape she floated by, Dead-pale between the houses high, Silent into Camelot. Out upon the wharfs they came, Knight and burger, lord and dame, And round the prow they read her name, The Lady of Shalott.
Who is this? And what is here? And in the lighted palace near Died the sound of royal cheer; And they crossed themselves for fear, All the knights at Camelot; But Lancelot mused a little space He said, “She has a lovely face; God in his mercy lend her grace, The Lady of Shalott….
When the dark wood fell before me And all the paths were overgrown When the priests of pride say there is no other way I tilled the sorrows of stone
I did not believe because I could not see Though you came to me in the night When the dawn seemed forever lost You showed me your love in the light of the stars
Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me
Then the mountain rose before me By the deep well of desire From the fountain of forgiveness Beyond the ice and the fire
Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me
Though we share this humble path, alone How fragile is the heart Oh give these clay feet wings to fly To touch the face of the stars
Breathe life into this feeble heart Lift this mortal veil of fear Take these crumbled hopes, etched with tears We’ll rise above these earthly cares
Cast your eyes on the ocean Cast your soul to the sea When the dark night seems endless Please remember me… Please remember me… Please remember me…
Couple of days ago someone called me “Queen of exceptions”. For some reason it reminded me of this song that I’ve always loved…
Taking on water, Sailing a restless sea From a memory, A fantasy. The wind carries Into white water, Far from the islands. Don’t you know you’re Never going to get to France. Mary, Queen of Chance, will they find you? Never going to get to France. Could a new romance ever bind you? Walking on foreign ground, Like a shadow, Roaming in far off Territory. Over your shoulder, Stories unfold, you’re Searching for sanctuary. You know you’re Never going to get to France… I see a picture By the lamp’s flicker. Isn’t it strange how Dreams fade and shimmer? Never going to get to France… I see a picture By the lamp’s flicker. Isn’t it strange how Dreams fade and shimmer? Never going to get to France… Never going to get to France. Never going to… Never going to get to France. Never going to… Never going to get to France. Never going to…
I would imagine most of you have already heard this song since it was composed for the 2008 “Where the hell is Matt” clip. But I also think that the clip’s sheer amusement, causes the music not to shine as much as it might, if you’re listening to it with closed eyes. So yes, I recently re-discovered “Praan” by “Garry Schyman”, featuring the beautiful voice of “Palbasha Siddique”. The music takes my breath away, and the lyrics that are in fact from a poem by “Rabindranath Tagore”, are truly divine.
Lyrics & Translation:
Praan [Bangali]
Bhulbona ar shohojete Shei praan e mon uthbe mete Mrittu majhe dhaka ache je ontohin praan
Bojre tomar baje bashi She ki shohoj gaan Shei shurete jagbo ami
Bojre tomar baje bashi She ki shohoj gaan Shei shurete jagbo ami
Stream of Life [English]
The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures.
It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers.
It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow.
I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment.
ASD’s new gorgeous and painful demo called Chameleon was just released on Evoke, and it RUUUUUUUULEZ. =D And I really do mean painful. You have to watch it to know why….. You can download it from here, and read the lyrics here. Make sure you pay close attention to the music and the lyrics while enjoying the outstanding visuals. Aside from the fact that aMUSiC has done it again with an awesome tune [very 007 in my opinion this time around! ;)], the lyrics are just… priceless! 😉 They add a lot to the general direction and the message of the demo. I have to say this again… I luuuuvvv the visual style of ASD’s latest 3 demos! =)
The video capture is not there yet but I will post it as soon as there is one.
From underneath the trees, we watch the sky Confusing stars for satellites I never dreamed that you’d be mine But here we are, we’re here tonight Singing Amen, I, I’m alive Singing Amen, I, I’m alive [Chorus:] If everyone cared and nobody cried If everyone loved and nobody lied If everyone shared and swallowed their pride Then we’d see the day when nobody died And I’m singing Amen Amen I, Amen I, I’m alive Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I’m alive And in the air the fireflies Our only light in paradise We’ll show the world they were wrong And teach them all to sing along Singing Amen, I, I’m alive Singing Amen, I, I’m alive (I’m alive) [Chorus x2] And as we lie beneath the stars We realize how small we are If they could love like you and me Imagine what the world could be If everyone cared and nobody cried If everyone loved and nobody lied If everyone shared and swallowed their pride Then we’d see the day when nobody died When nobody died… [Chorus] We’d see the day, we’d see the day When nobody died We’d see the day, we’d see the day When nobody died We’d see the day when nobody died…..
Sooo I’ve been away for a good long while, blaming it on Twine again and on being terrifyingly busy. Will try to update more often though, I promise! =)
So here’s the video for Travis’ track “Sing”, which has been one of my favorites for a very long time. Love the mood of this track, and the lyrics too. I find a lot of metaphorical meaning in the part of it where it says “For the love you bring won’t mean a thing, Unless you sing, sing, sing sing”. Have been singing it to myself for a few days now, again. =) Here it goes:
When it comes to music, I’d say Mike Oldfield is certainly a God. I’ve felt the same ever since the first time I heard his music [I was an infant then… my parents were listening to Mike Oldfield]. Mike Oldfield’s music has been with me my entire life, and I would even say that in some ways, it has saved my life. The song Shabda is from his latest album called “Music of the Sphere”. Don’t mind the video as it’s not official… just listen to the music.
Terra autem erat inanis Super faciem abyssi Lux æterna dona nobis Terra autem erat in cæli
Terra autem erat inanis Super faciem abyssi Lux æterna dona nobis Terra autem erat in cæli
[Sorry for not translating… my Latin is enough to understand this, but certainly not enough to attempt a legid translation…]
Hey, I'm Aasemoon, and this is my blog which has been around since 1998. Childhood toy project that ended up growing up with me.
You can reach me here:
aasemoon.blue
Zorbas is my kitten. You can see some pictures of him below. =)
