The Logos of Polyhymnia
I sing a hymn to gods! I sing a hymn
to those that seek to praise. To those that bend
to those that stoop! To those whose life is work
upon the land. Let none set us at odds.
For it is in the call and ans'ring voice
that sounds about the ear, and lifts the hand
for one more step along the road we pull.
(Stage Direction. This line is deliberately left empty to give the performer time to ready the chorus)
One!
(Chorus)
One!
(Polyhymnia)
The Task is done another looms.
Two!
(Chorus)
Two!
(Polyhymnia)
Once more we Pull and heave the weight!
(Chorus)
One! Two!
(Polyhymnia)
Let the voice sound with joy and vim!
(Chorus)
One! Two!
(Polyhymnia)
Through time we chant, through pain and toil
(Chorus Cadence continues, initiating each line with "One, Two!")
In the striving heart of worker.
In the far off frightened soldier.
In the sweeping mother's fulcrum.
in the cries of mad assembly.
Set us a good pace for our play,
one that we can easily match
One that ensures that all alone
themselves be the line of endings
Come audience, for you should speak
in concert with our praise of you.
We sing for all, to all who hope
for all deserve the praise for trials
Put aside your rage at others
without their help you cannot shift
crushing shadow that squats perverse
Denies the home and rest within
Ignore his taunts, forgive his barbs
Instead find love, instead find truth
within the liar squirms fat, maggot
seeking to eat that which is his.
Or so he claims. His by birth and
status. His by birth and conquest.
A claim made solely on dead sheets
While live men sleep with none at all
(Chorus Ends Chant)
So I shall set our stage. For once upon
a small beach on a burning ravaged coast
A seeker prayed for guidance most simple
instead of what he thought he sought found truth
Comments
Ok, like the Logos of Apollo, this one is in Verse...
And Technically Iambic Pentameter (IF you count the Chorus parts as part of the line) except for ONE line, which I deliberately screwed up the scansion to draw attention to the fact that it's something that DOESN'T belong in Polyhymnia's speech. It's supposed to feel "Wrong" and hopefully that comes across.
Thanks to Polyhymnia for the great ideas today. She's usually one of the Muses people forget about, but then again, she's a very "Working Class" muse, at least to me.
Edit: I posted this a LITTLE too early, and made a few mistakes. Fixed now.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Thanks, detroit. Love it.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Thanks for reading again!
I intended for this to be simple call and return, but Polyhymnia had a fun idea involving the chorus and trying to turn it into a Paean to the work it takes to put on a show. And yeah, there just MIIIIGHT be a little socialist/communist imagery.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.
Good work!
I'm unclear, however, on what this means?
One that ensures that all alone
themselves be the line of endings
Am I being thick?
"More for Gore or the son of a drug lord--None of the above, fuck it, cut the cord."
--Zack de la Rocha
"I tell you I'll have nothing to do with the place...The roof of that hall is made of bones."
-- Fiver
Not at all it's a bit obscure...
Essentially I'm trying to express through those two lines that each individual in the chorus has value. I played with the meter a lot on these lines to try to get it to fit.
The meaning is that in a group project, everybody has to think "The Buck stops here". Drawing a line and taking responsibility for what occurs, even though you weren't the only one working.
Of course there's also a couple other ways it can be taken, which are also valid.
It reinforces the Cynic concept of the end purpose of work, even with the support of others, is to flourish, and be the end goal. The Line of Endings can also mean a "Finish Line" (But that doesn't scan well in the piece, so I went with another concept.)
And it tied in well with the hauling concept that the cadence and chorus chant try to embody. Imagine the "One Two" as a hauling action and the lines after an exhortation by Polyhymnia to keep going. In a way she's the "Sergeant" of the Chorus in this manner.
Edit: Thank you for reading and Commenting, BTW! I was very happy with this and tapping out the beat on my desk while I wrote it was a lot of fun.
I do not pretend I know what I do not know.