Tag: storytelling

Litany of Fear

Litany of Fear


I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain.

Dune

The road not taken

The road not taken


Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

La Belle Dame Sans Merci

La Belle Dame Sans Merci


I

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

                          II

 

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.

                          III

 

I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

                          IV

 

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful – a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

                          V

 

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

                          VI

 

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.

                          VII

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said –
‘I love thee true’.

                          VIII

 

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

                          IX

 

And there she lulled me asleep
And there I dreamed – Ah! woe betide! –
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.

                          X

 

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried – ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!’

                          XI

 

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.

                          XII

 

And this is why I sojourn here
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

John Keats

the King of Elflands Daughter

the King of Elflands Daughter


Who are you, he said,
    to the woman before his eyes
    I did not see you coming,
    and so I’m quite surprised
    To find that I can see the sky,
    looking through your eyes
    
    I cam across the void, said she,
    Yes, I’m a stranger here
    And I have need this moment,
    to whisper in your ear
    A favour I would ask of thee,
    and so will you draw near?
    
    She breathed herself like whiskey
    into his waiting brain,
    All in amaze he turned and asked
    the lady of her name,
    You know me from your waking dreams
    of when you were a boy,
    I am the king of Elfland’s Daughter.
    
    Now friend, will you drop everything
    and come away with me,
    Along the rocky cliffs so high
    and then across the sea
    Come and join our faerie band
    in our dance among the trees
    
    I will, he said, and took her hand
    and so they journeyed far,
    And called a dance together
    between the daylight and the dark,
    And if you should go seeking them
    you’ll find them dancing still
    
    
    She breathed herself like whiskey
    into his waiting heart,
    And in the end it mattered not
    they came from worlds apart,
    He a mortal man and she
    quite something else again,
    She was the King of Elfland’s Daughter.

Mark Unger

Gevallen Engel

Gevallen Engel


je noemt mij engel
spreek over
het verbond
van mijn ogen
de harp
van mijn lippen

ik wil dat jij
ziet
of ik een engel bent
ik ben gevallen
mijn gelaat is in de schaduwen
voor jou
die verblindt is door de halo
van jouw waarneming
dus hoe kan jij mij kennen?

mijn hiel is rond
rozig engelachtig
maar spits zich tot puntige tenen
gehoefd galopperend
slaan vonken uit veelkleurige stenen
en ik zou zo de koningin van tyrus zijn

ga jij voor mij de jacobsladder vlechten?
zal jij een vlammend zwaard doven?
zal je witte mantels beloven
en geven aan
de gewichtloosheids van veren
iets om aan te hechten?

Bron: Annette Heyder
Vertaling: Q

Let’s Talk About Sex

Let’s Talk About Sex



Punch it, Hurb
Yo, I don’t think we should talk about this
Come on, why not?
People might misunderstand what we’re tryin’ to say, you know?
No, but that’s a part of life)

Come on

[CHORUS]

Let’s talk about sex, baby
Let’s talk about you and me
Let’s talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be
Let’s talk about sex
Let’s talk about sex
Let’s talk about sex
Let’s talk about sex

Let’s talk about sex for now to the people at home or in the crowd
It keeps coming up anyhow
Don’t decoy, avoid, or make void the topic
Cuz that ain’t gonna stop it
Now we talk about sex on the radio and video shows
Many will know anything goes
Let’s tell it how it is, and how it could be
How it was, and of course, how it should be
Those who think it’s dirty have a choice
Pick up the needle, press pause, or turn the radio off
Will that stop us, Pep? I doubt it
All right then, come on, Spin

[CHORUS]

Hot to trot, make any man’s eyes pop
She use what she got to get whatever she don’t got
Fellas drool like fools, but then again they’re only human
The chick was a hit because her body was boomin’
Gold, pearls, rubies, crazy diamonds
Nothin’ she ever wore was ever common
Her dates heads of state, men of taste
Lawyers, doctors, no one was too great for her to get with
Or even mess with, the Prez she says was next on her list
And believe me, you, it’s as good as true
There ain’t a man alive that she couldn’t get next to
She had it all in the bag so she should have been glad
But she was mad and sad and feelin’ bad
Thinkin’ about the things that she never had
No love, just sex, followed next with a check and a note
That last night was dope

Let’s talk about sex, baby (sing it)
Let’s talk about you and me (sing it, sing it)
Let’s talk about all the good things
And the bad things that may be
Let’s talk about sex (come on)
Let’s talk about sex (do it)
Let’s talk about sex (uh-huh)
Let’s talk about sex

Ladies, all the ladies, louder now, help me out
Come on, all the ladies – let’s talk about sex, all right
[repeat]

(Yo, Pep, I don’t think they’re gonna play this on the radio
And why not? Everybody has sex
I mean, everybody should be makin’ love
Come on, how many guys you know make love?)

[CHORUS]

Salt & Pepa

Een ander land

Een ander land


Gisteren kwam je voor ‘t eerst
Ik zag je op de rug van een witte eenhoorn
Met goudgelakte hoeven
Je boog je hoofd, je lachte, en je zei
“Ik weet niet wie ik ben, maar m’n land heet Pijpkaneel
‘t Is niet ver, en als je mee gaat zal ik je m’n vrienden laten zien
De dieren zullen met je spreken, ik zal je alle stenen geven
Ik strooi de mooiste vlinders in je schoot en je zult honing eten”
Ik heb geaarzeld, maar ik ben mee gegaan
En d’r is veel gebeurd
Maar nu is ‘t vandaag en ‘t is honderd eeuwen later

Als ‘t herfst is zal ik weggaan naar de bron
Als ‘t herfst is zal ik terug gaan naar ‘t land waar ik begon
Als ‘t regent zal ik terug gaan naar de bron
Langs de wegen zal ik weggaan naar de velden van de zon
Naar ‘t huis van te lang geleden
Naar de zomer, als ‘t koren in brand staat

Over de akkers zal ik reizen naar de cirkels van de zon
Van de zon
Lala-la-lalala, lala-la-lalala, lala-lala-la-lalala, lala-lala-la-lalala

Elly & Rikkert

East of the sun and west of the moon

East of the sun and west of the moon


East of the sun and west of the moon,
We’ll build a dream house of love
Near to the sun in a day, near to the moon at night,
We’ll live in a lovely way dear
Living our love in memory
Just you and I, forever and a day,
Love will not die, we’ll keep it that way,
Up among the stars we’ll find
A harmony of life, too lovely tune
East of the sun and west of the moon, dear,
East of the sun and west of the moon.
Just you and I we’ll build a dream house so lovely

Brooks Bowman

Jij bent van jou

Jij bent van jou


Jij bent van jou, onachterhaalbaar eigen.
Ik ben van mij, geen ander zal mij krijgen.
Wat ik jou vraag, wat jij mij vraagt
is leeg en zonder zin gevraagd.
Eén oogwenk ver in vreemd gebied,
ooit verder komen doen wij niet.

Ik wou een leven meer, mocht ik
jou vinden.
Ik bond mij aan je vast, kon ik mij binden.
Ik zou in jou vergaan, en jij
ontstaan in mij, en wij in wij.
Eens lag ik neer, versteend van kou,
ik droomde dat ik vocht met jou.

Die nacht werd mij een nieuwe naam gegeven.
Geschonken werd mij nog een
tijd van leven.
En even, tot de morgen daagt,
is wat ik vraag en wat jij vraagt,
vervuld en één. Toen ging jij heen
en bleef ik met mijn droom alleen.

Huub Oosterhuis

Egidius, waer bestu bleven

Egidius, waer bestu bleven


Egidius, waer bestu bleven?
Mi lanct na di, gheselle mijn.
Du coors die doot, du liets mi tleven.
Dat was gheselscap goet ende fijn.
Het sceen teen moeste ghestorven sijn.
Nu bestu in den troon verheven
Claerre dan der zonnen scijn,
Alle vruecht es di ghegheven.
Egidius, waer bestu bleven?
Mi lanct na di, gheselle mijn.
Du coors de doot, du liets mi tleven.
Nu bidt vor mi: ic moet noch sneven
Ende in de weerelt liden pijn.
Verware mijn stede di beneven:
Ic moet noch zinghen een liedekijn.
Nochtan moet emmer ghestorven sijn.
Egidius, waer bestu bleven?
Mi lanct na di, gheselle mijn.
Du coors die doot, du liets mi tleven.