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New poem: Colors
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Arthur T.
Aug 12, 2017, 8:14:39 PM8/12/17
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If you see scansion problems in the third stanza, please check the
original before pointing them out to me.
Title: Colors
Ala: Where Go the Boats by Robert Louis Stevenson
Dark brown is the otter;
Golden is the wasp.
There's colors in the fauna,
And green throughout the copse.
Green plants and yellow
Flowers on their stems.
With all this a fellow
Has no need of gems.
Rainbows have beauty,
As do azure seas.
And even some spiders
Have colors that please.
People come in colors
(Some are multi-tone).
All too many favor
Only people of their own.
My words copyright 2017 by Arthur Tansky. License granted for
non-commercial, non-political archiving and performance as long as:
1. copyright notice is maintained, and
2. no money changes hands.
--
Arthur T. - ar23hur "at" pobox "dot" com
Guessing a lyricist's opinions from his songs is as futile as
guessing an author's opinions from his novels.
original before pointing them out to me.
Title: Colors
Ala: Where Go the Boats by Robert Louis Stevenson
Dark brown is the otter;
Golden is the wasp.
There's colors in the fauna,
And green throughout the copse.
Green plants and yellow
Flowers on their stems.
With all this a fellow
Has no need of gems.
Rainbows have beauty,
As do azure seas.
And even some spiders
Have colors that please.
People come in colors
(Some are multi-tone).
All too many favor
Only people of their own.
My words copyright 2017 by Arthur Tansky. License granted for
non-commercial, non-political archiving and performance as long as:
1. copyright notice is maintained, and
2. no money changes hands.
--
Arthur T. - ar23hur "at" pobox "dot" com
Guessing a lyricist's opinions from his songs is as futile as
guessing an author's opinions from his novels.
Mark Mandel
Aug 13, 2017, 12:52:53 PM8/13/17
to
Oh, I LIKE this! I have known the original and loved to sing it since I was about seven. I still remember the cover of the record, "A Child's Garden of Verses" on the "Esoteric" label (a completely self-descriptive word to me at the time, I had no idea what it meant). Saving.
About the scansion: The relevant fact is that the verses have different tunes and don't all scan the same.
Heh. The title immediately reminds me of Donovan's very different 1960s song "Colours" (https://youtu.be/hoEle04qu_U),
which I have also liked ever since I heard it and still occasionally sing, but not nearly so much as this one. (Especially since my true love's hair was brown.)
Mark Mandel
The Filker with No Nickname
About the scansion: The relevant fact is that the verses have different tunes and don't all scan the same.
Heh. The title immediately reminds me of Donovan's very different 1960s song "Colours" (https://youtu.be/hoEle04qu_U),
which I have also liked ever since I heard it and still occasionally sing, but not nearly so much as this one. (Especially since my true love's hair was brown.)
Mark Mandel
The Filker with No Nickname
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mark.a...@gmail.com
Aug 13, 2017, 1:32:49 PM8/13/17
to
Oh, correction: The tune I know is clearly not by Stevenson and is not part of the poem itself. The record (though not the original pressing) is listed at https://www.discogs.com/Seymour-Barab-Russell-Oberlin-A-Childs-Garden-Of-Verses/release/9969296. Here's the review I've just put there:
This is a wonderful recording, but this is not the original release. I well remember listening to it in my bedroom as a child, probably in the late fifties, and wondering at the strange label name, "Esoteric", which was indeed esoteric to me. The cover was pink and didn't have Steig's art. I have a very strong memory for songs in general, and I still know and sing some of these, including The Swing, Windy Nights, and Where Go the Boats.
And I've added this:
PS: The original is listed at https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/9910128657402121 , which says "Publication New York : Esoteric Records, [1953]"
This is a wonderful recording, but this is not the original release. I well remember listening to it in my bedroom as a child, probably in the late fifties, and wondering at the strange label name, "Esoteric", which was indeed esoteric to me. The cover was pink and didn't have Steig's art. I have a very strong memory for songs in general, and I still know and sing some of these, including The Swing, Windy Nights, and Where Go the Boats.
And I've added this:
PS: The original is listed at https://search.library.wisc.edu/catalog/9910128657402121 , which says "Publication New York : Esoteric Records, [1953]"
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