Monday, August 4, 2014

Bookends

Portrait of the Artist as a Duck
June 2010
Much has happened in between these two drawings. Too much to relate. The lovely but impersonal narrative and the white noise of the rushing river abide and help moderate my moodiness.

Portrait of the Artist as a Goose
August 2014




Der Wegweiser
Was vermeid' ich denn die Wege,
Wo die ander'n Wand'rer geh'n,
Suche mir versteckte Stege,
Durch verschneite Felsenhöh'n ?
Habe ja doch nichts begangen,
Daß ich Menschen sollte scheu'n, -
Welch ein törichtes Verlangen
Treibt mich in die Wüstenei'n ?
Weiser stehen auf den Straßen,
Weisen auf die Städte zu.
Und ich wandre sonder Maßen
Ohne Ruh' und suche Ruh'.
Einen Weiser seh' ich stehen
Unverrückt vor meinem Blick;
Eine Straße muß ich gehen,
Die noch keiner ging zurück.

Text by Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827)



The Sign Post
Why then do I avoid the highways
Where the other travelers go,
Search out the hidden pathways
Through the snowy mountain tops ?
I've committed no crime
That I should hide from other men -
What is the foolish compulsion
That drives me into desolation ?
Signposts stand along the highways
Pointing to the cities,
And I wander ever further
Without rest and look for rest.
Before me I see a signpost standing
Fixed before my gaze.
I must travel a road
From which no one ever returned.




** an interesting and moving analysis of this song by pianist Erica Ann Sipes. **

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