We have been up and running for two months already . Doesn't time whizz by?
I am huddled here in furs and you lot are sipping cool drinks by the pool enjoying the cicadas.
So, to celebrate your summer, next week's poem is called ' Twilight in Summer '.
Choose a piece of music thatexpresses summer twilight and put it on for next week.
Make sure it is on you tube so that we can listen to it while reading your poem.
Oh, and I almost forgot....in terza rima sonnet form please.I think this is easier than the Shakespearean or the Petrarchan sonnet form...good one for those who have not written a sonnet before.
The use of iambic pentameter is optional. Viv and I wrote some examples of IP in the last post as examples.
Looking forward to discovering your musical tastes and as always your interesting and enjoyable poetry.
CiaoRallentanda
I won’t pretend to be a Classical Music buff.
I’ve chosen three tunes I can relate to…
Not Twilight Tunes per se
But tunes that can be interpreted to invoke
Twilight in broader terms.
In my opinion, three tunes that would grace
the collections of anyone who is serious about music
and/or, who writes poetry; forming
a tribute, not only to Twilight,
but also to Poets and Musicians,
specifically:
Leonard Cohen
Maya Angelou/ Branford Marsalis
Pharaoh Sanders
As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset, I am in paradise - The Kinks
THE FUTURE
When twilight’s veil announces sun’s retreat
Those holier than thou shall say ‘Repent’
Will you be ready to admit defeat?
They’ll speak in voices they think heaven sent
That overturn the order of the soul
You’ve paid your dues up front - you owe no rent
Still they’ll persist; your dignity their goal
Not Christ, nor Hiroshima; loaded gun
Could influence this mind they would control
So things are gonna slide; it won’t be fun
You know… it’s not your first night on this Earth
You’ve seen the future… seen the setting sun
The Future - Leonard Cohen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D97OxHZzBeQ
Click to listen
THE PRESENT
Salute Cicada sunset serenade
Propose a toast to evening’s golden glow
Watch twilight fall as light transforms to shade
The solstice sun sure likes to go down slow
…To match the mood of hope for summer love?
Caged birds fly free not wishing to forego
This gentle glimpse of goodness from above
For things unknown but longed for still they yearn
Like unrequited passion; hand in glove
Though bathed in evening’s glory, they too learn
That freedom is a dream that won’t come true
Their hopes are dashed; and to their cage return
I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Buckshot LeFonque
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vnt7TBovKs
Click to listen
THE PAST (REPRISE)
Harmonium, distorted Tabla beat
Keyboard, Soprano Sax; ethereal
Paid homage to the summer twilight heat
The evening air with tones imperial
And watched the sunset stain the sky blood-red
As sundown sang its nightly serial
Crescendo built in waves of words unsaid
As darkness overcame the sinking sun
And fleeting signals echoed in my head
While dreams proclaimed ‘goodnight the day is done’
The music faded - Tabla tones beat on
The mellow tune retired; its course was run
Jewels Of Love - Pharoah Sanders
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6l4mMYZQtI
Click to listen
Acknowledgements:
THE FUTURE
‘Repent’,
overturn the order of the soul
Christ
Hiroshima
things are gonna slide
seen the future
All from the song ‘The Future’ by Leonard Cohen
THE PRESENT
things unknown but longed for still
From the poem ‘I know why the caged bird sings’ by Maya Angelou
Set to music by Branford Marsalis
THE PAST
Based on ‘Jewels of love’ by Pharaoh Sanders
Here's some more music I like: MASTERPLAN
Check out Evening Over Rooftops by The Edgar Broughton Band
(in the sidebar - 'Playlist')
A very well written song; perfect for this prompt.
(Though not Terza Rima)
I've also added the Youtube video viewer but it's a bit pot luck.
Not too sure how to set it up.
And I just remembered a song called Twilight by Pete Shelley.
That's in the Playlist too.
And... just for you, Rall I've added Szla Dzieweczka
(Which means 'Precious Girl')
Ha ha...!
Phew, Stan you've really gone to town on this one, love the thud, thud, beat!
ReplyDeleteThanks Andy; You know me and music - I couldn't leave it at just one.
ReplyDeleteNot stictly sonnets but, I think close enough.
Amazing work here, Stan! I struggled to write one sonnet and you have presented us with three! I love the way they are connected and one flows into the next! Majestic literary triptych!
ReplyDeleteThis is truly stunning, poems and the music. Very good, a real treat. Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteThanks to:
ReplyDeleteMarianne; I couldn't decide which tune I liked best, so picked out three of my favourites.
Uma; I agree with you on the music.
Stan, outstanding range of messages and accompanying music. Above and beyond the call! Must search and hear more Pharaoh Sanders...
ReplyDeleteThanks JDM; I urge you to do so - you won't be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteWOW! A tour de force. I was glad when the darkness of the first morphed into the warmth of the second,and the vibrant emotion of the third. You've certainly got the Terza Rima sussed, all but the lack of final couplets. Your rhythm is impeccable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder of Waterloo Sunset. My Dad walked across Waterloo Bridge every day to go to work, and I love that song, and the Kinks - my era!.
Thanks ViV; When I checked out Terza Rima, I was paying attention to the rhyming structure and overlooked the final couplet.
ReplyDeleteI first heard Waterloo Sunset in about 1980 with the Mod/Ska revival.
Well Stan, here I am extolling my virtue at having written my first sonnet and you're tossing these versions out with ease! I even forgot the music!!! I like the first two particularly.
ReplyDeleteI too used to walk over Waterloo Bridge and believe it offers the best view of London than any other bridge.
Thanks Derrick; I didn't get it quite right, but felt I didn't want to change what I'd written by adding an extra two lines to each.
ReplyDeleteBravo Stan! What a project you took on, and conquered. I love that you took three completely different pieces and had them all working together. I especially loved the second, Angelou inspired sonnet (and that first stanza).
ReplyDelete- Dina
'Precious girl'..that's pretty good, oom-pah pah oom-pah pah. Leonard Cohen is living proof that one can be cool at any age.You have had a great time with this.It shows.I will be using music prompts again.I have had fun listening to it all. Buckshot Le Fonque could not be viewed here.Three poems is an impressive effort!
ReplyDeleteThanks to:
ReplyDeleteDina; It just didn't seem right to leave anyone out.
Rallentanda; I love the way your prompts make us think, and move us in the directions we go. Looking forward to the next one.
Stan, Startling pieces, love the beat and flow. Thanks for the introduction to Jewels of Love...the drumming is crazy.
ReplyDeleteThanks Brenda; Go check... he'll amaze you.
ReplyDeleteWow what you did here is amazing I especially love the first!
ReplyDeleteI am a big fan of Leonard!
Pamela
Thanks Pamela; Me too - for thirty years or more.
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to top Leonard Cohen, but I like all three musical choices and their accompanying sonnets. The last tercet of the "The Present" really grabbed me.
ReplyDeleteThanks Francis; I wanted to convey as many aspects of 'twilight' as possible.
ReplyDelete