Saturday, November 1, 2014

Run, run, run forever following the rainbow

Once upon a time there was an English poet named Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Among his loves was the Arthurian Legend, and his work included pieces drawn from that fable with titles like "Galahad" and "Sir Lancelot and Queen Guinevere" and "The Lady of Shalott." There were two variations of "Lady," one written in 1833 and the second in 1842. An English painter named John William Waterhouse, inspired by Lord Tennyson's "Lady," produced his vision of her in 1888 in the form of an oil on canvas. This is what you see here today, Waterhouse's "The Lady of Shalott." Because this post does not revolve directly around this poem and that painting, we shall leave further discussion of them for another time. Instead, since the characters in this poem and that painting are a blend of history, myth and legend, it does not seem much of a leap to have them mingle with fairy tales generally relegated to stories for children. So, that is what I am doing in this post, as well as broadening the definition of "fairy tale" to include reference to a contemporary story more fiction than fact. To complete the circle of illustration/words/music, also present is a beautiful song called "Catch the Rainbow." It is performed by a band called Rainbow and portrayed in a marvelous video created by someone who calls them self Deep46Blue.
 
Part I .... the beauty of being a child ....

I recognized all the characters illustrated in this video rendition of "Catch the Rainbow" by Ritchie Blackmore and Ronnie James Dio and other members of the band Rainbow. How did you do? These characters appeared among the stories my mother read to me as a small boy. I probably had most of the tales memorized long before I could read them myself and, I suppose, the presence of these stories actually is how I learned to read. Hmmmm .... I remember that .... remember learning to read. I think I was a lucky boy.

Fram the Fortunate, then and now .... who had a mother, and a grandmother, who taught me not only how to read and never to fear an enchanted forest or the wine-dark sea, but to be honest and how to distinguish the providers from the takers, the good from the evil, the givers from the users, the fairy tales from reality.

I might act like a self-indulging dreamer at times -- a man with an idealistic vision searching for the end of a mythical rainbow where a mysterious princess playing solitaire awaits me as I travel along battling Fafnir and other lindworms and wyverns from here to there on my way to her -- but, I will not be fooled by false prophets or wizards or assorted charlatans along the journey.

Part II .... the allegory of then and now ....

Chicken Little likes to walk in the woods. She likes to look at the trees and hug them. She likes to smell the flowers. She likes to listen to the birds singing.

One day while she is walking an acorn falls from a tree, and hits the top of her little head.

- My, oh, my, the sky is falling. I must run and tell the lion/king about it, - says Chicken Little and begins to run.

She runs and runs. By and by she meets the hen.

- Where are you going? - asks the hen.

- Oh, Henny Penny, the sky is falling and I am going to the lion/king to tell him about it.

- How do you know it? - asks Henny Penny.

- It hit me on the head, so I know it must be so, - says Chicken Little.

- Let me go with you! - says Henny Penny. - Run, run.

So the two run and run until they meet Ducky Lucky.

- The sky is falling, - says Henny Penny. - We are going to the lion/king to tell him about it.

- How do you know that? - asks Ducky Lucky.

- It hit Chicken Little on the head, - says Henny Penny.

- May I come with you? - asks Ducky Lucky.

- Come, - says Henny Penny.

So all three of them run on and on until they meet Foxey Loxey, who in human form is Al Gore and is accompanied by Barry Soetoro and a cohort of liberal power/money mongers.

- Where are you going? - asks Foxey "Al" Loxey.

- The sky is falling and we are going to the lion/king to tell him about it, - says Ducky Lucky.

- Do you know where he lives? - asks the fox.

- I don't, - says Chicken Little.

- I don't, - says Henny Penny.

- I don't, - says Ducky Lucky.

- I do, - says Foxey "Al" Loxey. - Come with me and I can show you the way.

He walks on and on until he comes to his den. The sign above the entrance reads: Church of Climate Change.

- Come right in, - says Foxey "Al" Loxey. You can have anything you want while you rest here before resuming your journey, and I will read to you from the Gospel of Cradle to Grave.

They all go in, but they never, never come out again.
 

12 comments:

Anita said...

Beautiful music Fram!!!!
I needed it this morning!

Thanx!

I quess there is some political stuff in that hen poem!Did you make that yourself?

But what I like the most is Fafnir!
!I have never heard about him..That is quite interesting..Frænir was a son of the dwarf king Hreidmar and brother of Regin, Lyngheiðr, Lofnheiðr and Ótr. After being affected by the curse of Andvari's ring and gold, Fafnir became a dragon and was slain by Sigurd.

I think Tolkien was influed by those old stories..I will read them myself today!Thanx for tip!!

I think you have had and have a good life Fram..Are you sitting there reflecting upon it now?What you have done and not?
I see love is all around you..You only have to pick it up..

But while you are thinking and thinking..We enjoy your faboulous postings:)I wish you a great day from very very dark and cloudy rainy Bergen!
Anita

Fram Actual said...

Today is the first day of FramWinter. November 1 through March 31 is winter to me. There is no escape from it.

Yes, Anita, regarding the "Chicken Little" fable. I took an abbreviated version and added my own "two cents worth" in the form of Al Gore and the "Church of Climate Change." It is a perfect analogy, to my way of thinking.

So, you enjoyed learning of Fafnir, did you? At one point in my life, I was an avid student of the history of the Old Norse. History leads to religion and mythology. The Old Norse lead to the Old German. And, on and on and on it goes. I am sure I have mentioned it in previous posts and comments, but I often wear Thor's Hammer around my neck. Sometimes stone, sometimes bronze, sometimes silver, sometimes gold. My soul is ancient.

I have not read a word written by J.R.R. Tolkien, nor have I seen any film adaptations of his stories. I have three or four reasons for avoiding him which I will not mention other than to say there are countless books to read, and one must pick and choose according to his interests and instincts at the moment.

I have encountered bad luck now and then, too, and made more than a few bad decisions, but I generally move through life without significant obstacles to confront. I actually do think I have gotten everything I really, really wanted. Time will tell if the future matches the past.

And, yes, my life largely has been one of reflection since I came back from Poland. There have been situations which have locked me in place for months at a time, and that remains the case to a degree even now. But, one of these days my senses will explode and I will be off and running again. Whether running to the past or to the future is the primary question.

I hope your weekend goes well, Anita, and I am glad you came to visit me.

Kelly said...

Bravo, Fram, Bravimisso!
Loved this post. Let's hope this coming Tuesday shakes things up and America will get back on track!

I hope you are well and happy. I am.
Thinking of you so I stopped by. Hello, Goodbye, Hello :-)
Big Hug <3
Kelly

Fram Actual said...

There are times when I think I must be the dumbest man on the face of the planet. One such time was when Barack Obama was elected to a second term as president of the United States and another such time was when Al Franken was elected to represent Minnesota in the U.S. Senate.

It was absolutely beyond me how anyone could have voted for Obama the second time around after the lies, deceit, corruption and incompetence demonstrated by his administration during his first term.

It was simply incomprehensible to me that anyone would vote for a third-string comedian to represent them in the Senate. My only explanation is that a majority of Minnesotans believe Saturday Night Live is a reality television show about Washington, D.C., and thought Stuart Smalley was beginning a new sketch.

Otherwise, Kelly, for me life is strawberries and ice cream served every morning with Benedictine for breakfast.

It is great to see you again, and I do hope all is well and fine and calm and happy for you and your family. As for me, some things never change, and I am one of them. (So far.) My hobby is looking for issues to complain about, but after the Tuesday elections, I might descend from the clouds and return to earth again for a while. Then again, I have some personal matters in question which might also be answered on Tuesday and which, in all likelihood, will bury me for a while.

Anyway .... your presence here today has given me a few moments of happiness and more than a few pleasant memories. Thank you, Kelly, for battling rip tides and Great White Sharks to swim your way here to visit me.

A Cuban In London said...

As a child I was obsessed about King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. So, this post was a trip down memory lane for me. Thanks. And Rainbow or Deep Purple 2.0 as some people might put it in today's lingo, was a good band in its own right.

Greetings from London.

Fram Actual said...

Both kings and bands come and go, and we who follow tend to have our own memories and to write our own versions of history, it seems to me.

Personally, I am not a fan of horses, so I would not have done well as a Knight of the Round Table. I am talented, though, as an archer and can hold my own as a swordsman, and I love being in a forest and discovering magical, mystical glades, so I probably would have made out reasonably well in Sherwood Forest with a band of Merry Men.

It is difficult to debate the quality of this band vs. that band, but I relish listening to all incarnations of Rainbow and would place only two or three other bands ahead of it on my list of favorites. Yes, rather than which is the "best," which is the "favorite" seems to be the logical way to think of it.

Thank you, for stopping in for a visit, CiL.

Kelly said...

I hope life continues strawberries and cream :-) Yumm :-)

And I did not comment, but loved the music too!

As far as politics, I do agree with you...I feel I have lost all confidence in not only our government (both parties), but the people too! Has America really become so dumb? It is frightening.

Okie-dokie, FramO...take care and good luck! At least October is over so you may feel safe now :-)
Big Hug :-)
Kelly

Fram Actual said...

The Benedictine, Kelly. Do not forget the Benedictine !!

(Brandy will do, too.)

Rainbow is easily within the list of my top ten bands of the rock era, largely due to Ritchie Blackmore and his guitar work. Maybe, even the top five.

I will be glad when Election Day Tuesday has come and gone. The system seems to be failing largely due to the lack of integrity and honesty on the one hand and an insatiable desire for power and wealth on the other hand. And, yes, that applies to both major political parties.

I once was enthused by discussion and debate regarding issues and candidates, but when the President of the United States looks straight into the television camera and lies repeatedly to the people with a smile on his face and does nothing to remedy his corruption-ridden administration, there is not much hope that the nation will stop its slide into an abyss.

You take care, too, Kelly, and do not be a stranger.

Smareis said...

Olá Fram!

Acredito um dia todos nós já corremos atrás de um arco-íris...

Eu gosto muito de arte e pintura. A pintura sobre tela são magica, tem pintores muito bons.
John william waterhouse tem tela maravilhosa e seu trabalho é fantástico, acho que já postei algumas tela dele acompanhando postagem no meu blog.
Arte e pintura me fascinam.
Estou construindo um blog só wallpaper depois te envio o link, e tenho outro que tem dicas e informação, muito bom. Quando quiser conhecer, no menu meu blog tem link de um deles.
Eu sempre gostei de leitura desde criança, mas a história infantil foram poucas que me conquistaram.Algumas me assombraram risos. Sonhar é muito bom, e penso que sempre no fim de um arco-íris se encontra potes de mistérios. Bons e ruins. Acho que assim são histórias infantis, e a vida no real. Sempre tem o desconhecido, mistérios.

Gostei muito do vídeo, a música é excelente, você sempre escolhe músicas boas pra compartilhar junto com tua postagem.
Já havia lido sua postagem mais só agora deu pra comentar, minha internet deu um treco hoje e ficou muda, acho que foi uma forte chuva que caiu.
Vou ler o e-mail amanhã respondo.
Desejo uma excelente semana Fram!

☺Sorrisos estão sendo enviados do Brasil.☺

Fram Actual said...

So, Smareis, I see you have made the long journey from South America to North America to visit me. Were you able to ride on a rainbow part of the distance? It would be a wonder to travel that way.

Many of the fairy tales my mother read to me have been in existence for centuries, and while she was reading, I sometimes imagined that I was there, living in the times the stories were taking place, watching events transpire. That is the gift of books over television or films: It is your vision of the story you see through your imagination, not someone else's concept on a screen.

A few times, I even remember dreaming in my sleep that I was an actual participant a story.

Besides entertaining, many of the tales also taught a lesson about life and living. It bothers me that some children's stories are being rewritten today because they are not "politically correct." On a larger scale, it bothers me that much of history is being revised because it is not "politically correct." Well, that is another subject altogether and for another day.

The same is true of contemporary political philosophies and concepts in the United States. Too often politicians here try to pass fairy tales off as facts and, sadly, too often many people believe them.

I am glad you liked the post -- the words, the painting, the music. I adore oil paintings, too, but, really not much of what would be considered modern or contemporary paintings. I think too many of today's paintings are mere illustration rather than actual art, and too often simple variations of designs scattered here and there are labeled art when such work is nothing more than what it appears to be -- scattered designs here and there.

Thank you, for coming to visit me and for leaving your words with me, Smareis. The next time you prepare a post, I will find a rainbow to travel upon from here to you and your blog.

Hmmmm .... yes, thank you, Smareis .... I see you still are drifting upon a rainbow .... yes, my mood will improve and my trip will go well ....

Smareis said...

Então Fram,não que eu não goste de hist´ria infantil... cada pessoa tem uma história infantil que a conquistaram e ficaram na memória, acho que comigo não foi diferente, tenho minhas histórias infantis prediletas. Já sonhei bastante com as histórias infantis, minha mãe ao contrario de muitas gostava mais de contar história do que ler a própria história... Ela contava todos os dias uma história diferente, e inventava na hora a história. Muitas vezes eu pedia que me contasse uma história com algum personagem desconhecido, e ia ela me contar da forma que eu pedia.
Muitas vezes talvez o personagem não fosse tão bonzinho e me dava pavor. Penso que se hoje as crianças fossem criada ouvindo histórias infantis contadas pelos pais, não haveria tantos jovens se perdendo nesse universo. Contos infantis têm muito aprendizado, e as crianças deveriam ter incentivas do próprio governo nas escolas, coisas que hoje não se vê. A tecnologia afastou as crianças desse mundo mágico que era a leitura infantil.
Hoje as crianças com cinco anos já estão familiarizada com a tecnologia. Tanto em casa quanto na escola a tecnologia entrou pra valer. Não que a gente não tenha que acompanhar o desenvolvimento, mas tudo requer a hora certa pra começar. Os pais tem uma parcela muito grande nisso tudo, por não saber monitorar as crianças na medida certa.
Ah! seu blog tem um nome de um personagem infantil o Mickey que muitas criança gosta... Minha Pura curiosidade kkkk.

Você tem razão muita pinturas de hoje não passam de uma mera ilustração, arte real mesmo difícil encontrar. Mas tem algumas que enche os olhos porque é muito bem feito, gosto bastante de algumas.

Então Fram, meu arco-íris da distância hoje anda meio devagar risos.
Ainda pintarei alguns quadros com a magia de um arco-íris. Nem que seja uma ilustração só pra meu olhar. Gosto de pintar, e o desenho me fascinam.
Hum! Que seu humor possa melhorar.
Ótima viagem!

Fram Actual said...

Day one of this brief journey is drawing near its end with me at a computer, as I am most days. The difference today is that I am in an unfamiliar town, sitting in an unfamiliar room, at an unfamiliar table and on an unfamiliar chair. But, my habit of a cup of coffee on one side of me and my latest drink of choice -- half Southern Comfort / half brandy -- on the other side of me is present.

It is nice to see you here again, Smareis.

There are many illustrations I enjoy, too, especially ones depicting wildlife -- most especially ducks and geese. It is easy to like this manner of work -- these illustrations -- but they do not provide a vicarious feeling as does standing next to an oil on canvas painted by a master a few centuries ago. Sometimes, even, you find such paintings in a place where there is nothing between them and you other than a few feet of empty space -- no barrier, no glass, nothing. Those are marvelous moments.

You were indeed fortunate if some of the stories your mother told to you were ones which emerged from her mind, from her imagination. This is even a better technique for a child to use his/her own imagination to form the story characters in their mind.

I agree with your thought about children and technology. There is no escape from technology, but it would benefit children greatly to have parents who use story-telling and time together to stimulate their children's minds and imaginations. And, there are never enough hours to balance what needs to be done with what should be done to achieve harmony in a perfect world.

The blog name -- mickeyandava -- was created as sort of a tease, sort of a taunt. Mickey represented Mickey Rooney and Ava was Ava Gardner. They were once-upon-a-time quite famous actors who were married for a short while. Mickey represented me in this taunt and Ava represented a young lady who closely resembled Ava Gardner.

There was rain while I drove today, some sun, too, but no rainbow. Perhaps, that is just as well. I might have started to follow it, and who knows where I might have ended up.

So, Tuesday will be the busy day for me. Soon, I shall discover how it goes. Thank you, for coming to see me again, Smareis, and for leaving your words and thoughts here.

Something special ....