“They saw their injured country's woe;
The flaming town, the wasted field;
Then rushed to meet the insulting foe;
They took the spear, - but left the shield.”
―Philip Freneau
.
And by a prudent flight and cunning save A life which valour could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain, But who can get another life again?
Archilochus
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Flying Away
“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”
My favorite quotation -- and the basis for my personal creed.
While not against "book learning" per se, I long ago realized that everything we believe we know, now stored between the covers of books and stored in vast electronic data bases, originated in the mind of some observant, highly perceptive individual who on a "hunch" or through the use of vivid, fertile imagination put the proverbial two and two together, and gave us four -- now an established "fact," but SOMEONE had to SEE it FOR HIMSELF, and REALIZE that it was TRUE.
An oversimplification, of course, but I am absolutely convinced that the "knowledge" we learn from books and tuition BEGAN as germ of awareness in some INDIVIDUAL'S brain.
Ergo, without imagination we would have no such thing as knowledge beyond "fire will burn you," "water will make you wet," and sex feels good.
Great discoveries never come to us COLLECTIVELY, but only through the manifestation of what some creative, perceptive, or inherently wise individual saw in his mind's eye.
How, in the morning brightness, You all around shine at me, Springtime, Beloved! With thousandfold love-bliss The holy feeling Of your eternal warmth Presses itself upon my heart, Unending beauty! Could I but embrace you In this arm! Ah, upon your breast I lie, languish, And your blossoms, your grass press upon my heart.
You cool the burning Thirst of my bosom, Lovely morning-wind! There calls the nightingale Lovingly for me from the misty vale.
I come, I come! Whither, ah whither?
Up! Up it surges. The clouds are leaning Downwards, the clouds Bow down to yearning love. To me! To me! In your lap, clouds, Upwards! Embracing, embraced! Upwards to thy bosom, All-loving Father!
Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon? Would you like to glide in my beautiful balloon? We could flow among the stars, together you and I
For we can fly, up, up and away (For we can fly) In my beautiful, my beautiful balloon
The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
For we can fly, up, up and away (For we can fly) In my beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Suspended under the twilight canopy We'll search the sky for a star to guide us If by some chance you find yourself loving me We'll find a cloud to hide us, keep the moon beside us
Love is waiting there, in my beautiful balloon Way up in the air, in my beautiful balloon If you'll hold my hand, we'll chase your dream across the sky
For we can fly, up, up and away (For we can fly) In my beautiful, my beautiful balloon, balloon
Words by Betty Comden, Adolphe Green and Carolyn Leigh
Mary Martin as Peter Pan
1956 telecast (black and white)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV9pk1reRzg
1960 telecast (color)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AilIsO6EG4c
JOHN:"Can you really fly?"
PETER:"I'll teach you."
PETER and CHILDREN: I'm flying (Flying, flying, flying) Look at me way up high , Suddenly here am I I'm flying. I'm flying (Flying, flying, flying) I can soar I can weave and what's more I'm not even trying High up, and as light as I can be. I must be a sight lovely to see. I'm flying. (Flying, flying, flying) Nothing will stop me now: Higher still look at how I can zoom around, 'Way up off the ground I'm flying.
I fly and I'm all over the place You try and you fall flat on your face
I'm flying. (Flying, flying, flying) Over bed, over chair Duck your head, clear the air Oh, what lovely fun Watch me everyone Take a look at me And you can see how easily it's done I'm flying!
CHILDREN: Oh, teach us Peter, please, teach us!
PETER PAN: First I must blow the fairy dust on you! (blows) Shhh... Shhh... Shhh... Now think lovely thoughts
PETER PAN: Ah, ah, flying! Like an owl, like a bat, Or the crow, It's so satisfying! I'm whizzing Through a cloud
Past the star I'm so proud Look how far I breeze in High over the moon Higher I fly By old mister moon Wave me goodbye
I'm flying. (Flying, flying, flying) Heading far out of sight Second star to the right Now the way is clear Never Land is near Follow all the air Cause I'm about to disappear I'm flying!
Unfettered imagination is the only possible means of escape we're ever going to get from "Social Realities."
That is why "art," –– when it is genuine, –– trumps every other field of endeavor, and why we remember the authors, poets, playwrights, painters, sculptors, composers, architects, with some degree of reverence and affection, but think very little of the kings, queens, generals, governors, politicians and reformers."
Philosophers, Scientists, Inventors, and Medical Practitioners have given us a long series of mixed blessings, so we remember them, but our feelings abut them are probably every bit as mixed as the long range value of their achievements.
12 comments:
My favorite quotation -- and the basis for my personal creed.
While not against "book learning" per se, I long ago realized that everything we believe we know, now stored between the covers of books and stored in vast electronic data bases, originated in the mind of some observant, highly perceptive individual who on a "hunch" or through the use of vivid, fertile imagination put the proverbial two and two together, and gave us four -- now an established "fact," but SOMEONE had to SEE it FOR HIMSELF, and REALIZE that it was TRUE.
An oversimplification, of course, but I am absolutely convinced that the "knowledge" we learn from books and tuition BEGAN as germ of awareness in some INDIVIDUAL'S brain.
Ergo, without imagination we would have no such thing as knowledge beyond "fire will burn you," "water will make you wet," and sex feels good.
Great discoveries never come to us COLLECTIVELY, but only through the manifestation of what some creative, perceptive, or inherently wise individual saw in his mind's eye.
GANYMED - poem by Goethe, music by Franz Schubert
Elisabeth Schwarzkopf:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v235hTRyCQw
Kathleen Ferrier:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_w7di1QfFQ
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
How, in the morning brightness,
You all around shine at me,
Springtime, Beloved!
With thousandfold love-bliss
The holy feeling
Of your eternal warmth
Presses itself upon my heart,
Unending beauty!
Could I but embrace you In this arm!
Ah, upon your breast I lie, languish,
And your blossoms, your grass press upon my heart.
You cool the burning
Thirst of my bosom,
Lovely morning-wind!
There calls the nightingale
Lovingly for me from the misty vale.
I come, I come!
Whither, ah whither?
Up! Up it surges.
The clouds are leaning
Downwards, the clouds
Bow down to yearning love.
To me! To me!
In your lap, clouds,
Upwards!
Embracing, embraced!
Upwards to thy bosom,
All-loving Father!
ICH SCHWEBE (I float)
Poem by Karl Friedrich Henckel
music by Richard Strauss
Wilma Driessenm soprano
Pierre Palla, piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVLLLuWCoA8
Kathleen battle, soprano
Dan Saunders, piano
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2KmB1jG9Fw
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
I float as if on an angel's wings,
my foot hardly touching the ground,
I hear a lament resounding
As if it were my love's farewell.
It resounds, so lovely, gentle and soft,
It speaks to me, so shy, so frail and pure,
The echo of the melody softly lulling
Me into a blissful dream.
My gleaming eye, while basking
In the sweetest of melodies
Watches my smiling love go by
Without any fabric's fold, any wraps.
NOTE: The third of Henckel’s 4 original stanzas was omitted by Strauss
UP UP and AWAY
Words and music by Jimmy L. Webb
As sung by The Fifth Dimension:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5akEgsZSfhg
Would you like to ride in my beautiful balloon?
Would you like to glide in my beautiful balloon?
We could flow among the stars, together you and I
For we can fly, up, up and away
(For we can fly)
In my beautiful, my beautiful balloon
The world's a nicer place in my beautiful balloon
It wears a nicer face in my beautiful balloon
We can sing a song and sail along the silver sky
For we can fly, up, up and away
(For we can fly)
In my beautiful, my beautiful balloon
Suspended under the twilight canopy
We'll search the sky for a star to guide us
If by some chance you find yourself loving me
We'll find a cloud to hide us, keep the moon beside us
Love is waiting there, in my beautiful balloon
Way up in the air, in my beautiful balloon
If you'll hold my hand, we'll chase your dream across the sky
For we can fly, up, up and away
(For we can fly)
In my beautiful, my beautiful balloon, balloon
Up, up and away
Up, up and away
Up, up and away
I’M FLYING (from Peter Pan -1954)
Music by Jule Styne, Mark Charlap
Words by Betty Comden, Adolphe Green and Carolyn Leigh
Mary Martin as Peter Pan
1956 telecast (black and white)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aV9pk1reRzg
1960 telecast (color)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AilIsO6EG4c
JOHN:"Can you really fly?"
PETER:"I'll teach you."
PETER and CHILDREN: I'm flying (Flying, flying, flying)
Look at me way up high
, Suddenly here am I I'm flying.
I'm flying (Flying, flying, flying)
I can soar
I can weave and what's more
I'm not even trying
High up, and as light as I can be.
I must be a sight lovely to see.
I'm flying. (Flying, flying, flying)
Nothing will stop me now:
Higher still look at how
I can zoom around,
'Way up off the ground I'm flying.
I fly and I'm all over the place
You try and you fall flat on your face
I'm flying. (Flying, flying, flying)
Over bed, over chair
Duck your head, clear the air
Oh, what lovely fun
Watch me everyone
Take a look at me
And you can see how easily it's done
I'm flying!
CHILDREN: Oh, teach us Peter, please, teach us!
PETER PAN: First I must blow the fairy dust on you! (blows)
Shhh... Shhh... Shhh... Now think lovely thoughts
ALL: Think lovely thoughts
Think lovely thoughts
Fishing
Hoopskirt
Candy!
Picnics
Summer
Candy!
Sailing Flowers Candy!
Lovelier thoughts, Michael!
Christmas?!
PETER PAN: Ah, ah, flying!
Like an owl, like a bat,
Or the crow,
It's so satisfying!
I'm whizzing Through a cloud
Past the star I'm so proud
Look how far I breeze in
High over the moon
Higher I fly
By old mister moon
Wave me goodbye
I'm flying. (Flying, flying, flying)
Heading far out of sight
Second star to the right
Now the way is clear
Never Land is near
Follow all the air
Cause I'm about to disappear
I'm flying!
:P
Pandemonium
"... Just think of lovely things
And your heart will fly on wings ..."
It's really excellent advice, FJ, whether it came from J.M. Barrie, himself, or Comden, Green and Leigh doesn't matter.
It's all about liberating one's SPIRIT.
__________ THE SWING __________
How do you like to go up in a swing,
Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!
Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
River and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside--
Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown--
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!
~ Robert Louis Stevenson (18501894)
Swinging back and forth between Social realities and the unfettered imagination...
Unfettered imagination is the only possible means of escape we're ever going to get from "Social Realities."
That is why "art," –– when it is genuine, –– trumps every other field of endeavor, and why we remember the authors, poets, playwrights, painters, sculptors, composers, architects, with some degree of reverence and affection, but think very little of the kings, queens, generals, governors, politicians and reformers."
Philosophers, Scientists, Inventors, and Medical Practitioners have given us a long series of mixed blessings, so we remember them, but our feelings abut them are probably every bit as mixed as the long range value of their achievements.
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