written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Saturday 18 April 2020

Dance This Silence Down Through The Morning

I hosted an Easter Music Lyrics Quiz on Facebook last week-end and the title of today's blog was one of several clues that the hive mind failed to solve, to my considerable surprise. It's a line from what I'd previously considered was a well-known song, 'Mr Jones'  - a big hit for the band Counting Crows in the mid 1990s, from their debut LP. I find it an arresting lyric because it sounds poetic: "Dance this silence down through the morning". What does that mean? (to quote a particularly annoying earworm from a current TV advertisement for a range of vacuum cleaners). And does it really matter?  I shall discuss...

Here's what I think. At that end of the scale of expression closest to pure sound (music), there exist forms of words which are incantations, almost spell-like, where the meaning of the words (if indeed they have a logical meaning) is of secondary importance to the sound and sensation they produce. Slide just a little way from there in the direction of the prosaic and you have phrases like the one I've quoted, in lyrics or poems where a certain mystique resides, where language and imagery are allusive, where meaning may be hard to grasp, and where the sounds and sensations the words evoke are more powerful, more important than any concerns of realism or logical sense. That's the beauty and appeal of a line like "Dance this silence down through the morning". It means whatever you want it to mean. It's seductive in the way it allows, even demands, that the reader should engage his or her imagination in making something of it. May I rest my case there?

What I do know, from re-listening to that first Counting Crows album on my daily walks along the promenade this week, is that a new layer of strong impressions has been laid upon 'August And Everything After ', such that every time I hear it in future, it will not only take me back to the Shire of Herts circa 1993 but also to Blackpool's glorious sun-drenched though largely deserted seafront in the weird Covid spring of 2020.


For a poem this week, I've done something a little ekphrastic, based on the photograph above, related to the lyric title of the blog, with a nod to Tchaikovsky and in recognition of the weight of social distancing that is pressing all our lives out of their customary shapes. This may not be its final form, but I put it out as is... I hope you like it.

Duende*
Black swan pirouettes in slow emotion
to the score in her head, a slender isolate
dancing in silence down through the morning,
rehearsing the roles to which she's been bred,
this Odette/Odile, entrancing no one, soundlessly.

No curtain call as she curtseys breathless,
just the iron walls of the cavernous hangar
where by force of will day after day she pushes
body and soul through a repertoire missing its king,
bereft of its cast of supporting wings. But better is this

unobserved balletic routine, this exacting,
inspiring, quietly beautiful dance of defiance
while she has power in her young lungs; far better
than those long hours of worry each night, reverted
to human form, wondering fearful if her turn might come.

* a Spanish word meaning (ambiguously and appropriately): inspiration or evil spirit.

As an uplifting musical bonus, here's a link to  Mr Jones  (Just click on the song title to play it.)

Thanks for reading. Stay sprightly,  S ;-)

43 comments:

Nigella D said...

I love the poem!

Anonymous said...

Very good Mr R.

Max Page said...

I enjoyed this Steve. πŸ‘

The poem is great and a Facebook music quiz sounds most enterprising. Will you do it again? Enjoy the glorious sun.

Deke Hughes said...

Well I wouldn't have guessed the lyric either and I have the album! It just goes to show. I agree with what you say about it and I like how you've incorporated it into your poem. It's good to see you're being as productive as ever, not just eating more, sleeping more and watching bad tv like me!

Christine Tait said...

πŸ‘

Boz said...

I didn't know you were a fan of the old ballet, la! Good poem though. Stay happy :)

Miriam Fife said...

Lovely poem Steve. Stay sprightly yourself.

Luke Taylor said...

That's the contemporary lyricist in you (I think that's how you labelled it). I enjoyed your latest poem. Well done, keep them coming. πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

Jon Cromwell said...

I'm revisiting your latest blog to say I managed to locate your Easter Quiz (actually 2) on Facebook. Without cheating (i.e. Google etc) I got 11 on the first one and 12 on the second. I was never a fan of Counting Crows (just passed me by) but I've listened to Mr Jones on YouTube and it's fab. Did the line about Spanish dances give you the idea for Duende? It's a neat poem.

Billy Banter said...

An interesting take on working from home. Does she live in the hangar?

Carey Jones said...

Arresting poetry Steve. Thanks for sharing. I'll try and find your music quizzes on Facebook. Keep up the good work. BTW I did recognise the lyric :)

Jools said...

Good morning Steve. I enjoyed your second Covid-19 poem - clever and touching. It makes you wonder how long health and hope can hold out for. Stay well. x

Gemma Gray said...

That's a cool poem.

Harry Lennon said...

Yes Steve, like the poem. Some great lines: 'pirouettes in slow emotion', 'a repertoire missing its king', 'quietly beautiful dance of defiance'. I'd say you've interpreted well and clever use of Swan Lake to boot. πŸ‘

Jay Henderson said...

Bravo - thanks for the blog. I liked your poem and the link to Mr Jones. Stay safe.

Unknown said...

Graceful and poised writing - balletic in the way it flows

CI66Y said...

Thanks for the latest link Steve. Another excellent blog. I can see why you like that line from Mr Jones, Adam Duritz has quite a poetic style I agree. Another of his stand-out lines (from A Murder of One): I am feathered by the moonlight falling down on me. I like what you've done based on the picture and the references to Swan Lake. It's a fine poem. It must be so hard for anyone whose whole life is geared to physical perfection in group performance right now (actors, dancers, footballers even). Strange days, my friend.

Heather said...

Love it and ballet too. Win, win. Keep walking.

Hxx🌞🌞🌞

Sahra Carezel said...

Beautiful poetry Steve. πŸ’™

Ross Madden said...

Yes, very good (and quite moving). That's an interesting structure you've given your poem, an unconventional symmetry. I enjoyed the burst of Mr Jones as well - an uplifting sound.

Charlotte Mullins said...

That's a tremendous poem. I like the idea of the black swan and the ambiguity of duende. Nicely done.

Tom Shaw said...

That's a great poem for these trying times. USA now has a million confirmed cases of Covid-19 (so there are surely more out there) and Potus is suggesting we all inject ourselves with bleach. I hope I wake up from this one soon! Stay strong, sing songs. Mr Jones is a particular favorite of mine.

K. Worth said...

Very well done.

Stu Hodges said...

Damn. I missed your music quiz thing again - and I would have got Mr Jones. Great song..."I wanna be Bob Dylan" always creases me up. I enjoyed reading this Steve and I like what you've done with the poem. Nice job.

Diana Maartens said...

I thought your Duende poem is excellent. I love it, also the ballet. Thank you for the link to Mr Jones. I can see why you like it, it has a very upbeat sound.

Saskia Parker said...

Wonderful πŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’šπŸ’š

Wes Carter said...

So well written dude :)

Beth Randle said...

Beautiful and poignant Steve.

Rod Downey said...

Very nicely done. That's a lovely lockdown poem. Thanks for the re-introduction to Counting Crows as well, Mr Jones is great, isn't it :)

Mariel Lopez said...

Maravilloso!

Lina Gulhane said...

A rather lovely poem.

Caleb Green said...

You may rest your case! I've read a lot of poetry posts over the last month and can honestly say your black swan Duende poem is the one I've liked the most.

Jade Keillor said...

Agree with lots of the above comments - lovely words, very clever and touching poetry. πŸ’š

Dani Merakli said...

That's very good Steve. As a dancer, it's a subject close to my heart. Stay well. :)

Bickerstaffe said...

Did you see the ridiculous clip on YouTube of Toyah Wilcox and Robert Fripp dressed on black tutus prancing to music from Swan Lake in their garden on Sunday? Wonder if they read your blog for inspiration!

Jen McDonagh said...

Brilliant and beautiful. I love the poem. πŸ‘

Dan Francisco said...

Hey Steve. How are you? Sorry I missed your music quiz. Did you see I nominated you for the movie challenge? I enjoyed this blog buddy, great ballet poem. Keep safe and stay off the bleach :)

Emily Blythe said...

A delightful blog. As others have commented, your Duende poem is a clever and touching encapsulation of the 'work' dilemma so many (we performance artists in particular) have right now and I like the way you've threaded the whole thing together around that quoted lyric.

Dani Merakli said...

Thanks for the introduction to Counting Crows - great sound, album on order. I love what you've done in your poem. It resonates even though I'm not into ballet and know nothing of the story of Swan Lake. I think that's pretty good.

Kevin Sterling said...

Ha ha - I've seen that VAX advertisement and it IS really annoying. There used to be one years ago with the strapline 'Nothing sucks like a VAX.' I enjoyed your blog, up to its ususal high standard, and I like your poem. :)

Nick Ball said...

I really enjoy your blogs, so thanks for the weekly link. Sorry I missed your music quiz. I don;t do Facebook for reasons of privacy. I love your Duende poem, both clever and evocative of these strange times, and I'm intrigued by the shape of it: highly structured/symmetrical but most unusual. Is it a recognised form?

Mary Jane Evans said...

Very poignant Steve.

Anonymous said...

Well said about the abiding power of language when it is used allusively. I like it as a reader of poetry when my emotions and not just my intellect are engaged and I can pick up hints of what something might mean rather than having it spelled out for me.