Those of you who have read my review of
the 1995 stage musical, posted in the previous blog entry dated 12/5/14, were
promised quotes from its poetry, and I am now fulfilling that promise. The poetic words, whether spoken in voiceover
by John Kavanaugh, or sung by performers as lyrics are intelligible by way of
the subtitles the album furnishes. Any
of you who have not yet read my write-up is urged to do so before reading any
further. The first poem, “Out of the
Sea We Came,” I have already excerpted in
the review itself. I will go on from
there.
The Heart’s Cry
Where
the river foams and surges to the sea, wise and as daring, following the
heart’s cry. I am that deep pool, I am
that dark spring.
Refrain:
Warm with a mystery I may reveal to you. . .in time, time holds the heart’s
key. Key to everything is love. Love makes the heart flower! Flower into a deep desire. Passion in the heart’s fire! Passion and desire!
See
the eagle rise above the open plain, golden in the morning air, weaving and
soaring, watchful and protecting. I am
your shelter, I will enfold you.
Refrain
repeated
Hear My Cry
Hear
my cry in my hungering search for you, taste my breath on the wind. See the sky, as it mirrors my colors. Hinds and whispers begin.
Refrain: I am living to nourish you, cherish you. I am pulsing the blood in your veins. Feel the magic and power of surrender to
life.
Every
finger is touching, searching, until your secrets come out. In the dance, as it endlessly circles, I
linger close to your mouth.
Refrain
repeated
The following are heard in connection
with the Diaspora sequence.
We Will Not Go Down
Fire
leaps from dark to dark. Fear and anger
leap to meet it.
We
will not go down. We will not be beaten
down like grain.
Out of the Night, Out of the Sea
No
life is forever. We formed and fought
here. We loved and died here. Wave after wave, the sea of time beats
against every shore!
Whole
generations lift now to depart. The land
has failed us.
The
dark soldiers appear against us. In
dance and song
we
gift and mourn our children. They carry
us over the ocean in dance and song. Out
of the night, out of the sea, on a new shore, lights blaze in the dawn. Motherless, fatherless, we are torn from our
homes.
We
bring tears to the land we make our own.
Lift the
Wings
The words of parting lovers amidst the
Diaspora:
How
can the small flowers grow, if the wild winds blow and the cold snow is all
around? Where will the frail birds fly,
if their homes on high have been torn down to the ground?
Refrain: Lift the wings that carry me away from here
and fill the sail that breaks the line to home, but when miles and miles apart
from you, I’m beside you when I think of you, Stoirin a gra (my treasure, my
love).
How
can a tree stand tall, if the rain won’t fall, to wash its branches down?
How
can the heart survive? Can it stay
alive, if its love’s denied for long?
Refrain repeated
These next two pertain to life after the
journey abroad, after the Diaspora. The
first is a prayer number for a mixed choir, led by a strong baritone at center
stage.
Heal Their Hearts, Feed Their
Souls
(Solo)
In the deep night, from a dark space, I can hear their voices calling out. They are wounded, they are broken, but their
spirit rises when awoken.
Refrain:
Yes, they may be poor in birth, but, yes, how great each one is worth. Heal their hearts, feed their souls. Their lives can be golden, if your love
enfolds.
(Solo
continued) In their dream times, in their visions, how they always hunger after
freedom. Every hard road, every dark
road leads them on to reach a new horizon.
Refrain
repeated
(Men’s
chorus) Lord, where is our freedom? When
will our hope begin? We have waited for
the time. Lord, what of the promise you
made? When will it come?
(Women’s
chorus) Lord, what of our children? Will
they always depend on you? Lord, why are
they scattered and torn and their young hearts in chains? How they hunger for liberty! Feel their hatred of poverty. Let their spirits rise soaring free. Lord, let it come. Our day will come.
(Combined
chorus) We have waited for the time, for
the truth to live, when justice will shine.
Too long those hands of greed held on and made us bleed. When will your people breathe? Lord, will it come
Refrain
repeated
[I am especially drawn to the words
”When will your people breathe?” A
strong verbal image of the effects of social and political oppression!]
A humorous tap dance contest between
Afro-American kids and young Irish men dancing hard shoe is introduced
here. I mentioned it in the review. Some sensational footwork in these moments!
Torn and Straight
Torn
and straight – this is how we dance.
Torn and straight my father taught me – this is how we dance. Battering feet on the city street, in pools
of light on street corners! The proud,
bright carnival of the poor!
A solo bongo drum and the Spanish dancer
(Maria Pages) joined by Colin Dunne provide the electrifying follow-up to the
following tribute to the life force.
Heartbeat of the World
Cry
of an infant, heartbeat of the world!
Storm
against ship, heartbeat of the world!
Heel
against floor and wave upon shore, heartbeat of the world!
Sigh
of a lover, heartbeat of the world!
Cry
of a mother, heartbeat of the world!
Oh,
unstopped heartbeat of the world!
The final song heard in “Riverdance” is
my favorite, a fitting conclusion and summation of what the journey has been
about.. I hope it will move all who hear
it.
Home and the Heartland
High
in the sky through the clouds and rain every familiar field seems like an old
friend, when every hand that you shake is like a warm embrace. Could be the one sweet place – home and the
heartland!
Refrain:
Sing out your songs and ring out your stories and rhymes. Weave from your dreams the mystical dances
that lead us to bind in heart and mind.
As
we circle the world with our wandering airs, gathering here and there, leaving
behind our share. Like the leaves on
the wind they are blown along, melodies rising from home and the heartland.
Refrain
repeated
To
repeat what I indicated before, the DVD album can be rented from Netflix or it
can be purchased from Warner Home Video Inc., 4000 Warner Blvd, Burbank,
California 91522.
To read other entries in my
blog, please consult its website:
enspiritus.blogspot.com. To learn
about me consult on the website the blog entry for August 9, 2013.
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