Consequent Bloggers — Elated Mango Jam: May 12

Friends, Romans, jellybeans — lend me your eyes. For here we are: the very second instalment of the highly promising series Consequent Bloggers. We are now on a whole new site, entirely for the purpose of writing and displaying this blog, and I must confess it introduces a wonderful excitement to the project.

And, after all, that’s exactly what it is—an internet project between two friends. And it’s really the very best thing we could do, since we live in different countries, and thus letters would be impractical.

The central theme of this blog, as Reese explained previously, is questions: one of us asks a question, answers it, and the other one answers that question in their post, and then asks another question, after which they answer it themselves. Questions and answers, questions and answers: they form the foundation of all science, all philosophy, and now they form the foundation of this web log. I hope you enjoy it.


QUESTION 1:

“What are your favourite song lyrics and why?” is the question I was asked by my friend, and this is the answer—

‘Stardust’, by Mitchell Parish, with music by Hoagy Carmichael.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aQFx8T5UBc0 (since I don't seem to be able to embed videos here).


And now the purple dusk of twilight-time
Steals across the meadows of my heart.
High up in the sky the little stars climb,
Always reminding me that we’re apart.

You wander down the lane and far away,
Leaving me a song that will not die.
Love is now the stardust of yesterday:
The music of the years gone by.

Sometimes I wonder why I spend
The lonely night dreaming of a song;
The melody haunts my rêverie,
And I am once again with you:
When our love was new,
And each kiss an inspiration.
But that was long ago;
Now my consolation
Is in the stardust of a song.

Beside a garden wall,
When stars are bright,
You are in my arms.
The nightingale tells his fairy tale,
A paradise where roses bloom.
Though I dream in vain,
In my heart it will remain:
My stardust melody,
The memory of love’s refrain.


The lyrics to this song are beautiful; I often think of them as poetry, as opposed to lyrics. Take the first two lines of the second verse—they are perfect iambic pentameter. If one forgets for a moment the melody which is intrinsic to these words, then it can be appreciated as a wonderful work of art. The imagery is flawless, with stunning turns of phrase and beautiful rhythms. The theme itself is one of loss, but presented, as was commonplace in those days, in a peaceful, blissful tune with fair words and fair sounds. I have personal attachments to it also, so my appreciation of it is heightened.


And my question is as follows:

QUESTION 2: (are we going to number the questions in that fashion?)

What real person, alive or dead, do you most relate to?

A somewhat commonly-asked question, but one which I think can really tell a lot about a person. My answer is undoubtedly, after a while of thought (and the dismissal of many wonderful people), the great Leonardo da Vinci. He was an extraordinary man, and I share a lot in common with him—he was well-mannered, witty, fiercely intelligent, a vegetarian (in fact, he bought live animals from markets and set them free), very secretive, somewhat eccentric, deeply philosophical, and quite simply a man with presence. I do not flatter myself that I am anywhere near his level of magnificence, but out of the few people with whom I relate, he is the one who is most like me.

I am saddened to say that we are coming to the end of this article, and I hope I have entertained you in some way, dear Reader; and to you, Reese, I hope that you are slightly better informed of my personality, and I look forward to your next post.

Until the next time,

Adam.


P.S. By the way, ‘elated mango jam’ is an anagram of my name, Adam J. M. Eagleton. I find it amusing.

P.P.S. I added a banner to the blog, Reese. Tell me what you think, even if you don't like it.

Currently reading: ‘The Universe: a Biography’, by John Gribbin.