I came, I saw, I conquered,
My soul now grows in me;
The Game of Life continues
Until I will be free.
Oh Traveller there are many ways,
And each must find his own;
Your Higher Self will guide you
To reach your destination.
Caesars of opportunity -
Be careful and be kind!
You must respect your body
To find true peace of mind.
"Hay que caminare sonando,"
The old man said to me.
"But what of Life?" I answered,
"For loving is the key."
Love all that does exist in Life
For better or for worse,
And don't forget in times of strife
The message of this verse.
Embrace the good, and smile upon evil,
For this is all a test
To see if we are capable
Of rising with the best.
And so, my friends, be vigilant
For things are not as they seem;
The truth shall be known eventually
When our lives transcend our dreams ... then we must go!
Composed at 1997-07-07 07:00 after yoga at David's house, Finsbury Park, London, inspired by (mis-)hearing a translation of an inscription at a monastery in Toledo - "Traveller, there are no ways, but we must go, dreaming", after which Luigi Nono composed his violin duet "Hay Que Caminaro Sonando" and chamber piece "No hay caminos, hay que caminar...". More verses were added at 1997-07-10 13:00 paddling in the sea with mbira near Southend, singing through the ocean to Craig Morrison in Oz.
I was feeling really down
When I came to London Town.
Suddenly my eyes did see
What on earth was wrong with me.
All my youth I had been blind
To the truth I now did find.
Suddenly my eyes did see
Your eyes looking back at me.
All who tread the Path of Light,
Have no fear for you are right.
All you seek shall soon be yours -
(The) Seven Keys shall open doors.
Let's have courage, let's be bold,
Let's see what the future holds.
Eventually we all shall find
Love in body, soul and mind.
Composed on 1997-03-16 in Dunni's bath, adding last two verses on 1997-06-21.
As we sow the seeds,
so we look ahead to harvest time,
hoping that our needs
will be fed by Mother Earth divine.
As we walk the fields,
so we pray for rain to bless this soil,
to bring forth good yield
and reward the hours of sweat and toil.
As we sing this song,
so our hearts think of the ones we love,
that we may be strong
to be caring, wise and true enough.
This is all we ask,
and that our horses may transport our souls
to the next great task:
sowing fields of Elysium.
Inspired by a dream of 1997-08-06 about a tribe of horseriders performing a crop-blessing ritual.
Substance of We
Feelings of Love
Emanations
From up above
Beyond the Earth
Spiritual
Healing, rebirth
For all people
This is what Life
Is all about
Find Love within
Then give it out
Then you will find
Awareness grows
New states of mind
And Knowledge that knows
No boundaries
Of time and space
Infinities
There is a place
Beyond the Earth.
Music composed on the evening of 1996-09-02, walking home from Flawforth Cemetery in Nottingham, with mbira. Words written 1996-98, inspired by Doris Lessing's CANOPUS IN ARGOS books.
There are surely three kinds of people:
those who don't want to
those who want to but don't
those who want to and do
Surely the kindest of Her people are:
those who want to and do.
Poem composed at 1993-11-24 23:58, hearing Mahavishnu Orchestra's "MEDITATION".
© copyright Malcolm Smith 2002-02-12 - last updated 2005-04-14
