All articles

Exercise in Song Opera English

ACT I. The Wanderer, His Absent Home, His Drink, Land, Sea, Foam, Chorus of Listeners.

1. Opening Chorus of Listeners. "Sing to us, hero," etc.

Sing to us, hero, thy song!
Make thy ceaseless wand'ring into art!

2. The Wanderer, "So tired! So weary!" Recit.

So tired! So weary! And the thought of what I’ve lost—
Oh, it pierces my poor heart!
In truth I am distressed
In my head, my spleen, my breast.

ACT II. The Wanderer, His Absent Home, Chorus of Listeners.

3. Final Chorus of Listeners. "Let us sing for him," etc.

Exercise in Song Distinguo

Show me (not throw me) a way,
So I can (not icon) move along.
I’ve drunk a bit (not bunkered writ); gone to my head
(And not headed to my gong.)

On land or sea or foam
(Not Orlando’s fee-sore roam)
I’ll be singing “show me how to get home”
(Not “get me out of this tome!”)

Exercise in Song Prognostication

I'll have this drink, wait an hour,
Then start to regret I ever did.
I'll gradually get wearier and ask to go home.
I will feel slow and stupid.

When that happens to me,
I'll go on a long journey,
And you'll hear this song till you show me home:
Then, finally, you'll be free.

Exercise in Song Logical Analysis

Show; way home ? show the way home
Fatigue; will ? fatigue engenders will
A drink; an hour ? I had a drink, an hour ago
Feeling; ill ? I'm feeling ill

Whether; sea, sand or sod
? whether on sea, sand or sod
You have ears; this song ? you will hear this song
Demonstrandum erat quod.

Exercise in Song Gallicisms

Deerectmwa to mamaysong:
I veuh cooshay and I’m fateegay.
I had uhn petee bwassong, onveeron oon eur
And I’m com uhn Polonay!

It really fay duh rian
Oo zhe rest or ou zhe vian
Voomay cootay toozhoor shonton this song:
Deet if shaymwah is troh lwan!

RSS feeds

RSS feeds for articles, news, the blog or all content. More information here.