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Music

Posted: Wed May 20, 2020 8:20 pm
by Colm Roe
Music elevates us,
we flatter our intelligence
with its ownership
and claims staked in its origins.
We, no doubt
nurtured its evolution,
like found poetry, discovered
something that was always there.

Trees that fall in forests do make noise
vibrate the air,
ears are not always required.
Words, when arranged just so
and read in silence
can violin extraordinary and
unexpected emotion,
seed the senses.

Purer than religion,
a reason to live, it is sublime, and yet
we found a way to corrupt it.
To send men braver to the slaughter
or reasons why they are superior,
to elevate their savagery.

Music is a mystery and a direction
telling us, with every crashing tree
that we are beneath
even ourselves.

Re: Music

Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 10:22 am
by indar
I am so impressed with the transitions between the elements of this poem and how cleverly it uses the old saw "if a tree falls in the forest" etc. And the "marching off to war" genre as corruption of a pure art ties up the initial statement in S1---such a salient point. Very rich poem that invites much contemplation.

Re: Music

Posted: Thu May 21, 2020 8:20 pm
by Colm Roe
Thanks for your generous comments Linda :)

Posted: Fri May 22, 2020 11:50 pm
by murmac
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Re: Music

Posted: Mon May 25, 2020 7:22 pm
by Colm Roe
[/quote]
“We are dealing with the best-educated generation in history. But they've got a brain dressed up with nowhere to go.”
-Timothy Leary.
[/quote]

Very true. But I suppose it'll be an ongoing thing. Each new generation will be better dressed, and the preceding ones will slag them off :lol:

Posted: Tue May 26, 2020 8:13 am
by murmac
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Re: Music

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 5:29 am
by ajduclos
This is awesome, Colm.  Everything Linda says, and more.  If you have a soul and occasionally acknowledge it, then you know music, you hear music.  There is music in everything if we chose to hear it, to listen.  Sitting under my apple trees I hear a flute.  Love the phrase "violin extraordinary and unexpected emotion".  Sadly beauty is often used for ugly purposes.  A banquet for thought here.

And murmac - yes, lyrics are often surprisingly good.  Fun, indeed, to ad lib new lyrics to music.

Aj

Re: Music

Posted: Fri May 29, 2020 9:29 am
by Dave
Hi Colm
Thought-provoking, which IMO is good. Positive about human achievements which is uplifting - i love music. And dreary when comparing those achievements with the bad parts - just my view as you know.
The conclusion I simply did not really get. The idea behind yes but the phrase makes no real sense to me, I am afraid.
"we are beneath
even ourselves." This both seems impossible and hybris because you being a human cannot judge this. It is a philosophically weak conclusion to the interesting poem IMO. Keep pushing the thought provoking stuff out there though.
dave

 

Re: Music

Posted: Sat May 30, 2020 7:43 pm
by Colm Roe
The conclusion I simply did not really get. The idea behind yes but the phrase makes no real sense to me, I am afraid.
"we are beneath
even ourselves." This both seems impossible and hybris because you being a human cannot judge this. It is a philosophically weak conclusion


Impossible? I assume you're familiar with the term 'to marry beneath oneself'.
And it is just as possible to judge ourselves as it is to judge others.
As for Hybris??? I never mentioned her.
We are not as clever as we think we are is a weak philosophical conclusion? Ok, whatever.
Thanks for your comments Dave.

Re: Music

Posted: Mon Jun 01, 2020 10:03 am
by Dave
Hey Colm,
Thanks for the reply. I can't really explain what I mean. But thanks for the response and explanation.
Do you the Dunning-Kroger Effect - which suggests that a person without real expertise tends to over-estimate their abilities whilst a person with a great deal of expertise or knowledge tends towards more intellectual humility?