Esther, A Sonnet Sequence: XXIX
A glorious triumph. On that day of days
When, standing on the summit's utmost edge
Of my first mountain--top, I viewed the maze
Which I had travelled upwards, ledge on ledge,
And all that wilderness of rock and plain
Rolled at my feet, and, when with heel fast set
On Nature's neck, I knew the giant slain,
My thrall, my prisoner, on the parapet,
I was transfigured. Slowly in me rose
The throb of courage as a sense new born.
``Even Man,'' I cried, ``Man's self, my foe of foes,
The phantom of my fears, shall feel my scorn
Yet in a nobler war.'' And trembling then
I seemed to stand, I too, a man with men.
poem by Wilfrid Scawen Blunt
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On The Ledge Under The Sky
You sit up high,
On a ledge under the sky,
Where wings don’t fly,
And humans don’t cry,
Up high on this ledge under the sky,
But why or why,
Do you want to fly?
When you can sit up on the sky,
And hear a voice that doesn’t die,
Or see a drifting tie,
On this ledge in the sky,
And smell a pie,
From miles and miles away a sty,
Under the sky,
Where no one can lie,
‘Cause we see everything from up high,
On this ledge under the sky,
Where you can wonder from your mind’s eye,
And your leg and thigh,
Dangle down from this ledge upon the sky,
Where one never does sigh,
Or look upon the rye,
On this ledge below the sky,
You can be a spy,
You can pry and pry,
And never will people see the tears you cry,
Up upon this ledge in the sky,
Never will you fly,
Or dream why or why,
For you’re already on the ledge under the sky.
Tested Faith
Led to believe
One amoungst them
Was beneath.
For years this perception,
Was fed and conceived.
The followers were blinded
By the one deceiving them to the ledge.
With vows they pledged to honor him...
And he took them to the edge.
They had no wings to fly.
He did not help them...
Or want them to try.
'With me you do not need them! '
They did not know he lied!
The one believed beneath them,
Although shunned and ostracized...
Explored his flights from different heights.
And did this as days went by.
Until he mastered with abilities that grew.
Soaring past those who thought they knew him...
Standing on the edge.
With no understanding where that led them!
They had fears...
No one taught them to release.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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Meet On The Ledge - Originally By Fairport Convention
We used to say
That come the day
When wed all be making songs
Or finding better words
These ideas never lasted long
The way is up
Along the road
The air is growing thin
Too many friends who tried
Were blown off this mountain with the wind
Meet on the ledge
Were gonna meet on the ledge
When your time is up youre gonna meet all your friends
Meet on the ledge
Were gonna meet on the ledge
If you really mean it, it all comes round again
So here I sit
Im all alone
But thats the only way to be
Youll have your chance again
Then you can do the work for me
song performed by by Ocean Colour Scene
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Edge Of Forever
(Johnny Van Zant-Rickey Medlocke-Jim Peterik)
I hear rumors flyin
About a head on crash
At the stroke of midnight
When centuries clash
Some gonna party
Some gonna kneel and pray
Well you can quote the bible
Bribe the devil
But there's gonna be some hell to pay
We were young and innocent
Thought this day would never come
And tomorrow seemed a million miles away
Let's look each other in the eyes
And realize it could be time
To set aside our anger
And know we're all the same
Take my hand we're gonna cross the line
To a brand new day on the end of time
We're gonna rise as one or fall together
Out here on the ledge
We're standing on the edge...of forever
From the silence i hear the thunder roll
Words of the prophets echo in my soul
One salvation in the world to me
I know in my heart if we love each other
We can face what's meant to be
Now there's power in the wrong hands
A madman in a foreign land
If we don't get our senses
It's all gonna slip away
Take my hand we're gonna cross the line
To a brand new day on the end of time
We're gonna rise as one and fall together
Out here on the ledge
standing on the edge...of forever
Take my hand we're gonna cross the line
To a brand new day on the end of time
We're gonna rise as one and fall together
Out here on the ledge
standing on the edge
Out here on the ledge
Dancin' on the edge...forever
Oh oh forever oh forever
song performed by by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Over The Edge
Its not the truth I say
Its just a mockery
Dont need to waste my time
You know I really try
You take and never give
It gets so hard to live
Im hanging on a ledge, push straight over the edge
Grow up and be a man
Drop dead right where I stand
Im hanging on a ledge, push straight over the edge
Dont do the things you do
Dont have to oblige you
Make choices on my own
Dont buy the sh*t they sell
You take and never give
It gets so hard to live
Im hanging on a ledge, push straight over the edge
song performed by by Hole
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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In the Trenches
I snatched two poppies
From the parapet’s ledge,
Two bright red poppies
That winked on the ledge.
Behind my ear
I stuck one through,
One blood red poppy
I gave to you.
The sandbags narrowed
And screwed out our jest,
And tore the poppy
You had on your breast ...
Down - a shell - O! Christ,
I am choked ... safe ... dust blind, I
See trench floor poppies
Strewn. Smashed you lie.
poem by Isaac Rosenberg
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Love Is Coming Down
Surrounded by people
Surrounded by people
A real heavy crowd
A real heavy crowd
But inside I still feel lonely now
But inside I still feel lonely now
Should I get away
Should I get away
From the high heels so proud
From the high heels so proud
Is there something different life can show me now
Is there something different life can show me now
First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
Second chance - ooh, I knew it wouldnt be as easy as they said
Second chance - ooh, I knew it wouldnt be as easy as they said
Third chance - Im cut up, lifes like a razors edge
Third chance - Im cut up, lifes like a razors edge
Fourth chance - ooh, Im all shut up and Im standing on the ledge
Fourth chance - ooh, Im all shut up and Im standing on the ledge
And Im goin down (Im goin down)
And Im goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Ooh, down
Ooh, down
Im not a loser
Im not a loser
But did I really win?
But did I really win?
Can I afford to go through it all again?
Can I afford to go through it all again?
I hope I dont sound
I hope I dont sound
As immature as I feel
As immature as I feel
But when I get wise, Ill give you a call, my friend
But when I get wise, Ill give you a call, my friend
First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
First chance - I blew it, I better start it all again
Second chance - ooh, I knew it wouldnt be as easy as they said
Second chance - ooh, I knew it wouldnt be as easy as they said
Third chance - Im cut up, lifes like a razors edge
Third chance - Im cut up, lifes like a razors edge
Fourth chance - Im all shut up and Im standing on the ledge
Fourth chance - Im all shut up and Im standing on the ledge
Now Im goin down (Im goin down)
Now Im goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Goin down (Im goin down)
Ooh, down (down)
Ooh, down (down)
Love is coming down on me, ooh yeah
Love is coming down on me, ooh yeah
Love is burning, teaching, turning out in me
Love is burning, teaching, turning out in me
Love is coming down, down
Love is coming down, down
Down, down
Down, down
Down, down
Down, down
Im not a loser
Im not a loser
But did I really win?
But did I really win?
Im lookin forward to doin it all again
Im lookin forward to doin it all again
song performed by by Who
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Breaking Point
I'm standing on the edge
toes hanging over the ledge
I'm wondering where the breaking point is
I'm standing on the edge thinking and eating some Ritz
I'm wondering where is the best place to jump
then I thought maybe I could just dump
my bag of Ritz over the side
and see which of them died
I'm standing at the edge of ths place
tears streaming down my face
I just lost my bag of Ritz
poem by Arianna Loshnowsky
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Out Of My Hands
on the window ledge I don't feel safe,
stay looking down you
it's out of my hands for now
it's out of my hands for now
I can't just walk away
it'd be nice to walk away
but I don't feel safe
get away, all the way up here
it's out of my hands for now
it's out of my hands for now
oh it is down from here
down from here
start to feel insane, betrayed
out on my window ledge
and now our finest hour arrives,
see the pig dressed in his finest fine
and all the believers stand behind him and smile
and the day lights up with fire
let me in
let me in
I stopped feeling crazed, betrayed
out on my window ledge
and now our finest hour arrives,
see the pig dressed in his finest fine
and all the believers stand behind him and smile
watch the day lights up in fire
lookin' down from here
it's out of my hands for now
on my window ledge
it's out of my hands for now
so let me in
let me in
song performed by by Dave Matthews Band
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Commemoration
I sat by the granite pillar, and sunlight fell
Where the sunlight fell of old,
And the hour was the hour my heart remembered well,
And the sermon rolled and rolled
As it used to roll when the place was still unhaunted,
And the strangest tale in the world was still untold.
And I knew that of all this rushing of urgent sound
That I so clearly heard,
The green young forest of saplings clustered round
Was heeding not one word:
Their heads were bowed in a still serried patience
Such as an angel's breath could never have stirred.
For some were already away to the hazardous pitch,
Or lining the parapet wall,
And some were in glorious battle, or great and rich,
Or throned in a college hall:
And among the rest was one like my own young phantom,
Dreaming for ever beyond my utmost call.
'O Youth,' the preacher was crying, 'deem not thou
Thy life is thine alone;
Thou bearest the will of the ages, seeing how
They built thee bone by bone,
And within thy blood the Great Age sleeps sepulchred
Till thou and thine shall roll away the stone.
'Therefore the days are coming when thou shalt burn
With passion whitely hot;
Rest shall be rest no more; thy feet shall spurn
All that thy hand hath got;
And One that is stronger shall gird thee, and lead thee swiftly
Whither, O heart of Youth, thou wouldest not.'
And the School passed; and I saw the living and dead
Set in their seats again,
And I longed to hear them speak of the word that was said,
But I knew that I longed in vain.
And they stretched forth their hands, and the wind of the spirit took them
Lightly as drifted leaves on an endless plain.
poem by Sir Henry Newbolt
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The Blue Mountains
Above the ashes straight and tall,
Through ferns with moisture dripping,
I climb beneath the sandstone wall,
My feet on mosses slipping.
Like ramparts round the valley's edge
The tinted cliffs are standing,
With many a broken wall and ledge,
And many a rocky landing.
And round about their rugged feet
Deep ferny dells are hidden
In shadowed depths, whence dust and heat
Are banished and forbidden.
The stream that, crooning to itself,
Comes down a tireless rover,
Flows calmly to the rocky shelf,
And there leaps bravely over.
Now pouring down, now lost in spray
When mountain breezes sally,
The water strikes the rock midway,
And leaps into the valley.
Now in the west the colours change,
The blue with crimson blending;
Behind the far Dividing Range,
The sun is fast descending.
And mellowed day comes o'er the place,
And softens ragged edges;
The rising moon's great placid face
Looks gravely o'er the ledges.
poem by Henry Lawson
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Some Weird Sin
Pop/bowie
Well, I never got my license to live
They wont give it up
So I stand at the worlds edge
Well, Im trying to break in
Oh no, its not for me
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
Thats when I want
Some weird sin
Things get too straight
I cant bear it
I feel stuck
Stuck on a pin
Well Im trying to break in
And I know its not for me
And the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
Thats when I want
Some weird sin
Thats when I want
Some weird sin
Just to relax with
Thats some dumb weird sin
For a while anyway
With my head on the ledge
Thats what you get out on the edge
Some weird sin
Things get too straight
I cant bear it
I feel stuck
Stuck on a pin
Im trying to break in
Oh, I know its not for me
Well, the sight of it all
Makes me sad and ill
Thats when I want
Some weird sin
Thats when I want
Some weird sin
Just to relax with
.
Thats some dumb weird sin
For a while anyway
With my head out on the ledge
Thats what you get out on the edge
Some weird sin
Some weird sin, some weird sin
song performed by by Iggy Pop
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Jumper
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies that youve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again I would understand
I would understand
The angry boy a bit too insane
Icing over a secret pain
You know you dont belong
Youre the first to fight
Youre way too loud
Youre the flash of light on a burial shroud
I know somethings wrong
Well everyone I know has got a reason
To say put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies that youve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again I would understand
I would understand
Well hes on the table and hes gone to code
And I do not think anyone knows
What theyre doing here
And your friends have left you
Youve been dismissed
I never thought it would come to this
And i, I want you to know
Everyones got to face down the demons
Maybe today
You could put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
You could cut ties with all the lies that youve been living in
And if you do not want to see me again I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
I would understand
Understand
Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah
Can you put the past away
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
And I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
I wish you would step back from that ledge my friend
I would understand
song performed by by Third Eye Blind
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Morning Land
Around and beneath, the dull grey mist and the sullen roar of the sea,
Scant footing-place on the sheer cliffs face—with death for a penalty;
But afar and above there is rest and love, there is hope for brain and hand,
The valleys fair and the crystal air and the peaks of Morning Land.
Around and beneath are the mists of toil and the sullen roar of the world,
And the sneer of scorn for a foothold gone and a climber backward hurled;
But afar and above are the hopes of men with the heart and will to stand
On the thin rift’s edge and the slippery ledge that lead to Morning Land.
They slip and fall from the sheer cliffs face; ah, God! they are falling still!
But another leaps for the vacant place, and another his place will fill.
’Tis little they fear the coward’s sneer, or the scorn of a selfish band,
Whose eyes are set on the parapet and the heights of Morning Land.
Hark to the ring as their rock picks swing, and bite for a foothold there!
Grip by grip they are straining up that others may travel fair.
The world will follow them all some day, the men it has shunned and banned,
The gallant hearts that hewed the way that leads to Morning Land.
poem by George Essex Evans
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The Pass
Words by neil peart, music by geddy lee and alex lifeson
Proud swagger out of the schoolyard
Waiting for the worlds applause
Rebel without a conscience
Martyr without a cause
Static on your frequency
Electrical storm in your veins
Raging at unreachable glory
Straining at invisible chains
And now youre trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Cant face life on a razors edge
Nothings what you thought it would be
All of us get lost in the darkness
Dreamers learn to steer by the stars
All of us do time in the gutter
Dreamers turn to look at the cars
Turn around and turn around and turn around
Turn around and walk the razors edge
Dont turn your back
And slam the door on me
Its not as if this barricade
Blocks the only road
Its not as if youre all alone
In wanting to explode
Someone set a bad example
Made surrender seem all right
The act of a noble warrior
Who lost the will to fight
And now youre trembling on a rocky ledge
Staring down into a heartless sea
Done with life on a razors edge
Nothings what you thought it would be
No hero in your tragedy
No daring in your escape
No salutes for your surrender
Nothing noble in your fate
Christ, what have you done?
song performed by by Rush
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Clara
I saw you cryin' as i turned away
Did i see your face, like it wasn't there
And i know i was wrong...
Yeah, i knew it all along
But i didn't care about you
Clara, where are you today?
And did you make the same mistakes...
That i made, a million times before i met
You
Did you go, did you run, did you think of
Your son?
Did you know you're not the only one...
That tried to make a piece of coal into a
Diamond yeah!
So everything's fine now, at least you say
Maybe that's o.k. - but you know it's
Wrong
Was i right, did it last?
Were you dwelling on the past???
Or hanging on to a memory
So you say your time will never come
Maybe you should go ahead and jump...
Then you'll become exactly what you are
Hanging onto
Standing there on the bridge
With your feet on the ledge
Maybe i might push you over the edge...
And send you falling straight to the ground
song performed by by Ataris
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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I
I am anger
Under pressure
Lost it cages
A prisoner
The first to escape
I am wicked
I am legion
Strength in numbers
A lie
The number is one
Chorus:
I - I - i
Everything that I see is for me
Yes, I am giant
Im a monster
Breaking windows
In houses
Buildings of glass
Rebel rebel
Holy outlaw
Ride together
Dont try it
The powers in one
Chorus:
I - I - i
I am standing alone
But I can rock you
I - I - i
On the edge of the blade
But the knife cant cut the hero down
I am virgin
Im a whore
Giving nothing
The taker
The maker of war
Ill smash your face in
But with a smile
All together
Youll never
Be stronger than me
Chorus:
I - I - i
Right here on my own
But I still rock you
I - I - i
Dont follow behind
Just leave me on the outside
I - I - i
I am standing alone
But I can shock you
I - I - i
On the edge of the blade
But no one makes the hero bleed
( no, no , no )
I am hunger
Feed my head
All together
Youll never
Never make the hero bleed
( no, no, no )
song performed by by Black Sabbath
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Utah Canyon '04
In a beautiful,
Devinely desolate,
Limpidly lonely,
Canyon - where the Spirit meets the man -
The wind mournfully blows
As it plays with the rocks and trees
It alone so intimately knows.
Utah uniqueness,
Hypaethral happiness...
A place far different from all the rest,
A place ardored with the aroma
Of a deeply spiritual quest.
Sun by day,
Moon by night
In here reflect
Beauty so bright;
From beyond the ledge on high
A hawk soars down - interlucent epiphany -
God stands here...
For this is holy ground.
-Only a few,
This wilderness wonder,
Are allowed to see;
Thank God
One of them
Has been me, standing here at
Heaven's door,
In Utah, aught-four.
' Always I shall be one who loves the wilderness:
Swaggers and softly creeps between the mountain peaks;
... I shall sing my song above the shriek of desert winds. ' - Everett Ruess.
poem by Smoky Hoss
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To D—, Dead By Her Own Hand
My dear, I wonder if before the end
You ever thought about a children’s game—
I’m sure you must have played it too—in which
You ran along a narrow garden wall
Pretending it to be a mountain ledge
So steep a snowy darkness fell away
On either side to deeps invisible;
And when you felt your balance being lost
You jumped because you feared to fall, and thought
For only an instant: That was when I died.
That was a life ago. And now you’ve gone,
Who would no longer play the grown-ups’ game
Where, balanced on the ledge above the dark,
You go on running and you don’t look down,
Nor ever jump because you fear to fall.
poem by Howard Nemerov
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The Titanic
Forth flashed the serpent streak of steel,
Consummate crown of man's device;
Down crashed upon an immobile
And brainless barrier of ice.
Courage!
The grey gods shoot a laughing lip: -
Let not faith founder with the ship!
We reel before the blows of fate;
Our stout souls stagger at the shock.
Oh! there is Something ultimate
Fixed faster than the living rock.
Courage!
Catastrophe beyond belief
Harden our hearts to fear and grief!
The gods upon the Titans shower
Their high intolerable scorn;
But no god knoweth in what hour
A new Prometheus may be born.
Courage!
Man to his doom goes driving down;
A crown of thorns is still a crown!
No power of nature shall withstand
At last the spirit of mankind:
It is not built upon the sand;
It is not wastrel to the wind.
Courage!
Disaster and destruction tend
To taller triumph in the end.
poem by Aleister Crowley
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