Friday 27 September 2013

The Destroyer

Barry Windsor Smith: Conan the Destructor

The Destroyer by K. Palamas (my translation)

Listen! I am the Destroyer, because I 'm also the builder,
denial's the chosen one, the dearest son of faith,
Destruction also needs mind and heart and hands.
In the midnight of hate flickers the star of a desire.

And if I am the offspring of the night, the father of destruction,
I always look towards the distant light of day.
I am the ruthless earthquake, I am also the sharp-eyed,
the beholder of the distant, the thief and the defender,
and with my flintlock and my mace
I turn the town into wilderness, I turn the field into heath.
You 'd better sprout! the thistles, you 'd better howl! the wolves,
you 'd better surge! the rivers, you 'd better open! the graves,
and thunder! the dynamite and trickle! the blood, 
rather than being the lord in the towers and the deceit in the temples.
The world of the firstborn times with the beasts
is coming again. Welcome. I destroy the ugliness.
I am a powerless child enslaved by
the cowardice that keeps asking and neither "yes" nor "no",
nobody replies to him, and keeps waiting
for the reason that does not come, and a shame ties him.
But only when I will hold the axe in my hand,
and my axe become my soul with abundant anger.
I wonder which wizard, which wraith worked on its steel
and I feel my heart as flame and my head as rock,
and I want to move forward and open wide places,
and with a "Yes" to dash and with a "No" to thunder?
Riding on my magic horse, I am not afraid of whoever you are.
Listen! a command comes from within it: Destroy!

GREEK ORIGINAL:

Ο Γκρεμιστής (Κ. Παλαμάς)

Ακούστε. Εγώ είμαι ο γκρεμιστής, γιατί είμ' εγώ κι ο κτίστης, 
ο διαλεχτός της άρνησης κι ο ακριβογιός της πίστης. 
Και θέλει και το γκρέμισμα νου και καρδιά και χέρι. 
Στου μίσους τα μεσάνυχτα τρέμει ενός πόθου αστέρι.

Κι αν είμαι της νυχτιάς βλαστός, του χαλασμού πατέρας, 
πάντα κοιτάζω προς το φως το απόμακρο της μέρας. 
εγώ ο σεισμός ο αλύπητος, εγώ κι ο ανοιχτομάτης, 
του μακρεμένου αγναντευτής, κι ο κλέφτης κι ο απελάτης 
και με το καριοφίλι μου και με τ' απελατίκι 
την πολιτεία την κάνω ερμιά, γη χέρσα το χωράφι. 
Κάλλιο φυτρώστε, αγκριαγκαθιές, και κάλλιο ουρλιάστε, λύκοι, 
κάλλιο φουσκώστε, πόταμοι και κάλλιο ανοίχτε τάφοι, 
και, δυναμίτη, βρόντηξε και σιγοστάλαξε αίμα, 
παρά σε πύργους άρχοντας και σε ναούς το Ψέμα. 
Των πρωτογέννητων καιρών η πλάση με τ' αγρίμια 
ξανάρχεται. Καλώς να ρθει. Γκρεμίζω την ασκήμια. 
Είμ' ένα ανήμπορο παιδί που σκλαβωμένο το 'χει 
το δείλιασμα κι όλο ρωτά και μήτε ναι μήτε όχι 
δεν του αποκρίνεται κανείς, και πάει κι όλο προσμένει 
το λόγο που δεν έρχεται, και μια ντροπή το δένει.
Μα το τσεκούρι μοναχά στο χέρι σαν κρατήσω, 
και το τσεκούρι μου ψυχή μ' ένα θυμό περίσσο. 
Τάχα ποιος μάγος, ποιο στοιχειό του δούλεψε τ' ατσάλι 
και νιώθω φλόγα την καρδιά και βράχο το κεφάλι, 
και θέλω να τραβήξω εμπρός και πλατωσιές ν' ανοίξω, 
και μ' ένα Ναι να τιναχτώ, μ' ένα Όχι να βροντήξω; 
Καβάλα στο νοητάκι μου, δεν τρέμω σας όποιοι είστε 
γκρικάω, βγαίνει από μέσα του μια προσταγή: Γκρεμίστε!



Tuesday 24 September 2013

Hastings

Thomas Lovell: Battle of Hastings

I see the fog that surrounds me
I feel the cold wind that pierces me
I feel death breath above us

On the horizon the normans are standing
Through my friends the tensio is ascending
I await signs from the sky

Now I see the messengers talking
Now they're back to their lines for fighting
Horns of war now they growl

Everything comes, everything goes
I see my friends lay down all around
Loudest sounds are becoming silence
I spent my life to live this day at last
Everything comes, everything goes, but
What kind of money can give back a life?

Men and horses now meet steel and fire
Now my friends had left here their desires
Blood, fire, steel around me

I die here for the order of the royals
Dead for a land where I'm not the owner
I fall down without life

I had seen the fog that surrounded me
I had felt the cold wind that pierced me
Now I'm rising through the sky

Peace now it's done... 

Friday 20 September 2013

Don't believe a word...

Edward Henry Corbould: The Seduction

Don't believe me if I tell you 
Not a word of this is true 
Don't believe me if I tell you 
Especially if I tell you that I'm in love with you 

Don't believe me if I tell you 
That I wrote this song for you 
There just might be some other silly pretty girl 
I'm singing it to 

Don't believe a word 
For words are so easily spoken 
And your heart is just like that promise 
Made to be broken 

Don't believe a word 
'Cause words can tell lies 
And lies are no comfort 
When there's tear in your eyes 

Don't believe me if I tell you 
Not a word of this is true 
Don't believe me if I tell you 
Especially if I tell you that I'm in love with you 

Don't believe a word 
No Don't believe a word 
Don't believe it, don't believe it 
Not a single word 
Hey, don't

Thursday 19 September 2013

Danger in Paradise

Theodoros Rallis: The sleeping  Concubine

Fire in the sky
Cause she hung me out to dry
And the tears I cry are falling like the rain

Tried to visualise just how she's done it
I acted like a kid outta school
She just played the game and now she's won it
And I just played the fool.

I'm in danger in paradise
Livin' in the sun and feeling cold as ice
I'm in danger in paradise
My castle's in the sand will soon be sacrified
To the sea

Letters in the sand
Written by devils hand
But my eyes were blind couldn't read the prophecy

Tried to visualise just how she's done it
I acted like a kid outta school
She just played the game and now she's won it
While i just played the fool

I believed i found you
Caged without a friend
The world i built around you
Is crashing to its end

Saturday 14 September 2013

Burn again!

Boris Vallejo: Arcanes



.... and again!

Thursday 12 September 2013

In Union we stand!

Henry Merwin Shrady: Cavalry

(The Charge Of The Light Brigade, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson)
Half a league half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred:
'Forward, the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns' he said:
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

'Forward, the Light Brigade!'
Was there a man dismay'd ?
Not tho' the soldier knew
Some one had blunder'd:
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do & die,
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley'd & thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of Hell
Rode the six hundred.

Flash'd all their sabres bare,
Flash'd as they turn'd in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army while
All the world wonder'd:
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro' the line they broke;
Cossack & Russian
Reel'd from the sabre-stroke,
Shatter'd & sunder'd.
Then they rode back, but not
Not the six hundred.

Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley'd and thunder'd;
Storm'd at with shot and shell,
While horse & hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro' the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of Hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.

When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder'd.
Honour the charge they made!
Honour the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!

Tuesday 10 September 2013

Medusa

Sir Edward Burne Jones: Medusa

Endless curse, blood runs cold
Evil stare, will turn your flesh to stone
Land of doom, world of sin
All subside, don't venture near
The island where she lives
Oh, she'll suck you in

Destroyer of life, Demon
Oh I'm ready to strike, Gorgon

Serpents bride, the end awaits
Human prey, no swords or armor
Shield you from your fate
Hey you, you can't escape
Wicked smile, full of lies
Head of snakes, approch her cave
But don't look in her eyes
Oh, her eyes

Sieze, appease, deceive, die

Medusa, she's staring at you
Medusa, with her eyes

Evil witch, cast her spell, seducing you
She'll take you to the very depths of hell
cannot move, no eyes to see, a statue now
For all eternity Medusa laughs at you
And you're her slave

Medusa, she's staring at you
Medusa, with her eyes
Medusa, oh she's cold

(Anthrax - Medusa)

Sunday 8 September 2013

The Wayfarer

George Frederic Watts: Warrior

He came from the rain
from the temple of the broken chance
where the children yawn with boredom
where the seasons
are creaking roundabouts
He opened his eyes
on the distant battlefields
the fire burned out on the dusty road

The wayfarer has no name
just a stranger face in the crowd
no more soldier of a little reign
no more parody of a borrowed life
He left his pride
in the toybox of yesterday
and began to talk to the stars

And nobody knows his fate
where is the source of his tales
but the secret can't never be revealed,
the secret is a heartbeat in the eve
Another step ahead to seek
Another step ahead to understand
and the winter is so far away
The secret is a journey with no end

The wayfarer has no crown
but a necklace of flowers
and its thousand colours flow in the night
searching again for a piece of courage
till the next as his friend
and the wind has betrayed them

Thursday 5 September 2013

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Handled roughly

Daniel Maclise - Scene – Lawn before the Duke’s palace; Orlando about to engage with Charles, the Duke’s wrestler

My name is not important even if I'm handled roughly
You can take my soul and dig it down
My life is gone mr. Lucifer, you have made my body so shivered
Take me to hell only leave me there

Mr. Lucifer, mr. Lucifer, my body is all shrivelled
Mr. Lucifer, mr. Lucifer, I am handled roughly
If you want to see me, please take me from your hell
Maybe I can find a freedom anywhere

Years ago I feared the day when I would face the devil
Blinded by the light so far away
My life is not eternal, my spirit lives forever
Days are gone and time is killing me

Mr. Lucifer, mr. Lucifer, I have been mistreated
Mr. Lucifer, mr. Lucifer, you will live forever
If you want to see me, please take me from your hell
Maybe I can find a freedom anywhere

Maybe I can find a freedom even here
Maybe I can find a freedom even here