On the Inside, Looking Out

From whiskey river:

Stone

Go inside a stone
That would be my way.
Let somebody else become a dove
Or gnash his teeth inside a tiger.
I am happy with a stone.

From the outside the stone is a riddle;
No one knows how to answer it.
Yet within, it must be cool and quiet
Even though a cow steps on it full weight,
Even though a child throws it in a river;
The stone sinks, slow, unperturbed
To the river-bottom
Where the fishes come to knock on it
And listen with eyes of dead roosters.

I have seen sparks fly out
When two stones are rubbed.
So perhaps, it is not dark inside after all.
Perhaps, there is a moon shining
From somewhere, as behind a hill;
Just enough light to make out
The strange writings, the star-charts
On the inner walls.

(by Charles Simic)

Not from whiskey river:

I Often Contradict Myself

I often contradict myself.
Oh no, I never do.
I argue with me day and night.
That simply isnt true.

Oh yes it is. Oh no it’s not.
I do this all day long.
Oh no I don’t. Oh yes I do.
That’s right. No way! It’s wrong.

I’m really quite agreeable.
I argue night and day.
I love to be around myself.
I wish I’d go away.

So if you see me arguing,
it’s certain that you won’t.
I like to contradict myself.
I promise you I don’t.

(by children’s poet Kenn Nesbitt)

Finally: The Missus and I saw the group Celtic Woman on tour a couple-three years ago. Although their voices are almost unbearably sweet, one of my favorite numbers — actually a back-to-back pair of numbers — was instrumental: “Ashoken Farewell” and “Contradiction.” Of those two, the first really sang to me; if you remember the PBS/Ken Burns The Civil War series, you’ll probably recognize the tune.

Again, this is an instrumental performance. (It’s by fiddler Máiréad Nesbitt of Celtic Woman — through most of the show, a manic dancing dervish of a leprechaun-like presence, but not here… not at all.) Nonetheless, the piece does have lyrics (added some time after the tune itself was composed), and these appear below the video.

Ashokan (or Ashoken) Farewell
(music by Jay Ungar, lyrics by Grian McGregor)

The sun is sinking low in the sky above Ashokan,
The pines and the willows know soon we will part.
There’s a whisper in the wind of promises unspoken,
And a love that will always remain in my heart.

My thoughts will return to the sound of your laughter,
The magic of moving as one.
And a time we’ll remember long ever after
The moonlight and music and dancing are done.

Will we climb the hills once more?
Will we walk the woods together?
Will I feel you holding me close once again?
Will every song we’ve sung stay with us forever?
Will you dance in my dreams or my arms until then?

Under the moon the mountains lie sleeping,
Over the lake the stars shine.
They wonder if you and I will be keeping,
The magic and music, or leave them behind.

From an interview (at the PBS site linked above) with Jay Ungar, who wrote the music:

“Ashokan Farewell” is a tune that I wrote unintentionally, really. It was a moment of deep emotion after the summer camps at Ashokan had ended. It was the third summer, and it was an experiment every summer, you know, pulling this together. And it had been such a deeply moving experience and the community of people and the feeling of unity that we had had through music, and being away from the regular world was so important to me that when I’d gotten home, I had a sense of loss and longing; and I was looking for a Scottish lament, you know, that would express how I felt. And I couldn’t think of one, so I just started playing, and this tune came out. And it brought me to tears. And every time I played the beginning of it, for months afterward, I was brought to tears.