David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.
(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.


14 January 2016

stars of TAR : Victory over death 3 : I’m the Great I Am (I’m a blacksTAR)

                   
Colin McCahon  Victory over death 2  1970
"I look back with joy on taking a brush of white paint and curving through the darkness with a line of white." Colin McCahon1
Track 3 on David Bowie's last album is Lazarus
               
"I rediscovered good old Lazarus. Now this is one of the most beautiful and puzzling stories in the New Testament … It hit me, BANG! At where I was: questions and answers, faith so simple and beautiful and doubts still pushing to somewhere else. It really got me down with joy and pain."
McCahon on his painting Practical Religion:  the resurrection of Lazarus showing Mount Martha (Victory over death 1) 1969–702
McCahon as quoted by Deborah Hart here
          
Track 1 on David Bowie's last album is Blackstar

 This is the sTAR version by
stars of Theatre of the Actors of Regard :
         
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes
​
On the day of execution, on the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes
​
Ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah
​
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes
Ah-ah-ah

Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I’m a blacksTAR, I’m a blacksTAR)
​
How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd
(I’m a blacksTAR, I’m a blacksTAR, I’m not a gangsTAR)
​
I can’t answer why (I’m a blacksTAR)
Just go with me (I’m not a filmsTAR)
I’m-a take you home (I’m a blacksTAR)
Take your passport and shoes (I’m not a popsTAR)
And your sedatives, boo (I’m a blacksTAR)
You’re a flash in the pan (I’m not a marvel sTAR)
I’m the Great I Am (I’m a blackstar)
​         

 Colin McCahon  I Am  1954
           
I’m a blacksTAR, way up, on money, I’ve got game
I see right, so wide, so open-hearted pain
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes
(I’m a blacksTAR, I’m a blacksTAR)
​
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I’m a blacksTAR, I’m a sTAR's sTAR, I’m a blacksTAR)
​
I can’t answer why (I’m not a gangsTAR)
But I can tell you how (I’m not a film sTAR)
We were born upside-down (I’m a sTAR's sTAR)
Born the wrong way ‘round (I’m not a white sTAR)
(I’m a blacksTAR, I’m not a gangsTAR
I’m a blacksTAR, I’m a blacksTAR
I’m not a pornsTAR, I’m not a wandering sTAR
I’m a blacksTAR, I’m a blacksTAR)

In the villa of Ormen stands a solitary candle
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
On the day of execution, only women kneel and smile
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes, your eyes
Ah-ah-ah               
     

 Colin McCahon  A candle in a dark room  1947
          
 detail
 A Person Looks At A Work Of Art/
 someone looks at something...

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