On Woman
MAY God be praised for woman
That gives up all her mind,
A man may find in no man
A friendship of her kind
That covers all he has brought
As with her flesh and bone,
Nor quarrels with a thought
Because it is not her own.
Though pedantry denies,
It's plain the Bible means
That Solomon grew wise
While talking with his queens.
Yet never could, although
They say he counted grass,
Count all the praises due
When Sheba was his lass,
When she the iron wrought, or
When from the smithy fire
It shuddered in the water:
Harshness of their desire
That made them stretch and yawn,
pleasure that comes with sleep,
Shudder that made them one.
What else He give or keep
God grant me -- no, not here,
For I am not so bold
To hope a thing so dear
Now I am growing old,
But when, if the tale's true,
The Pestle of the moon
That pounds up all anew
Brings me to birth again --
To find what once I had
And know what once I have known,
Until I am driven mad,
Sleep driven from my bed.
By tenderness and care.
pity, an aching head,
Gnashing of teeth, despair;
And all because of some one
perverse creature of chance,
And live like Solomon
That Sheba led a dance.
poem by William Butler Yeats
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Related quotes
Solomon To Sheba
SANG Solomon to Sheba,
And kissed her dusky face,
'All day long from mid-day
We have talked in the one place,
All day long from shadowless noon
We have gone round and round
In the narrow theme of love
Like a old horse in a pound.-
To Solomon sang Sheba,
Plated on his knees,
'If you had broached a matter
That might the learned please,
You had before the sun had thrown
Our shadows on the ground
Discovered that my thoughts, not it,
Are but a narrow pound.'
Said Solomon to Sheba,
And kissed her Arab eyes,
'There's not a man or woman
Born under the skies
Dare match in learning with us two,
And all day long we have found
There's not a thing but love can make
The world a narrow pound.'
poem by William Butler Yeats
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I want to
I want to tell you a story, And you can read about it some more,
About a wise king called Solomon, who had servants do e Rey chore;
One day he heard the Lord God of Israel talk to him and say,
Because you chose to be my child, and my words you do obey,
I have decided to give you a gift and you can decide which to choose,
You can become very rich, so money, or wisdom, which can you use?
Solomon thought long and hard, and decided wisdom was the best,
And so God said because you wasn't greedy you can have the rest.
Solomon soon found out wisdom he did receive, from the Lord,
When 2 women came fighting over one baby boy he had heard;
The mother of the one who died said its mine the child that's alive,
But the other mother whose one who lived no that's mine, she does lie.
They both argued so king Solomon said cut the baby in two,
Let them share half each, In the bible you'll see it's true;
The real mother said no give to her, please don't destroy the boy,
But the other mum just kept saying slice him, she thought it like a toy.
So king Solomon said give the child to the mother over there,
She is the real mother, she was protecting him, cause she doth care;
Only a real mother could show so much love, enough to give away,
Than let her child be destroyed, Wise Solomon knew what to say.
Yes! Solomon received money as well, but becoming rich went to his head,
When he built such beautiful buildings, he forgot God, and said t'was I. Instead;
The Moral of this story, is don't forget to say Thanks to God for everything,
Never think that you did it all, God has made. So Give Praises to God as you sing.
poem by Margaret Haig
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Solomon And The Witch
AND thus declared that Arab lady:
'Last night, where under the wild moon
On grassy mattress I had laid me,
Within my arms great Solomon,
I suddenly cried out in a strange tongue
Not his, not mine.'
Who understood
Whatever has been said, sighed, sung,
Howled, miau-d, barked, brayed, belled, yelled, cried, crowed,
Thereon replied: 'A cockerel
Crew from a blossoming apple bough
Three hundred years before the Fall,
And never crew again till now,
And would not now but that he thought,
Chance being at one with Choice at last,
All that the brigand apple brought
And this foul world were dead at last.
He that crowed out eternity
Thought to have crowed it in again.
For though love has a spider's eye
To find out some appropriate pain --
Aye, though all passion's in the glance --
For every nerve, and tests a lover
With cruelties of Choice and Chance;
And when at last that murder's over
Maybe the bride-bed brings despair,
For each an imagined image brings
And finds a real image there;
Yet the world ends when these two things,
Though several, are a single light,
When oil and wick are burned in one;
Therefore a blessed moon last night
Gave Sheba to her Solomon.'
'Yet the world stays.'
'If that be so,
Your cockerel found us in the wrong
Although he thought it. worth a crow.
Maybe an image is too strong
Or maybe is not strong enough.'
'The night has fallen; not a sound
In the forbidden sacred grove
Unless a petal hit the ground,
Nor any human sight within it
But the crushed grass where we have lain!
And the moon is wilder every minute.
O! Solomon! let us try again.'
poem by William Butler Yeats
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Queen Sheba-Ra
To the Snake Island,
To the Fish Island,
To the Love Island,
To the Peace Island,
To where our muses do meet;
Like a message from Queen Sheba-Ra.
Many want to see my face but,
I am faceless;
Many want to know my name but,
I am nameless;
Many want to see my home but,
I am homeless;
Many want to hear my voice but,
I am voiceless;
Many want to see my hair but,
I am hairless;
You can change your life by making the right choices.
A message from Queen Sheba-Ra,
The Queen from Nubia in Ethiopia;
Like the message from a poet without a name.
I am from a land of an entity but of different people,
My muse is all that i leave for mankind;
Queen Sheba-Ra,
Love must come from the heart;
Of the traditions of Africa,
Queen Sheba from Nubia;
Let's free ourselves from mental slavery.
I eat Cassava but i don't eat Gari,
You eat eggs but you don't eat chicken;
Yes, like Queen Sheba who met King Solomon.
My 73-year-old mother-in-law rides a bicycle,
My 82-year-old father-in-law rides a bicycle,
So pass it on to the next generation;
Like Amen-Ra from the roots of Egypt.
A call for the African Chiefs,
Queen Sheba-Ra III met Nii Adjei Karku II;
Hannibal the cannibal,
Queen Sheba-Ra III met Nii Tetteh Otu II;
Queen Sheba,
Queen Sheba-Ra I,
Queen Sheba-Ra II,
Queen Sheba-Ra III,
Of the African Chiefs and Queens;
46664 is in our hands today and,
Nelson Mandela has enough for us.
Of a cloud as small as a man's hand,
Of a poem as sweet as your muse,
Of a head taller than the others;
Life is like the one who puts off his armour.
Queen Sheba-Ra,
A man is measured by his strength;
Queen Sheba-Ra,
A woman is measured by her wisdom;
Queen Sheba-Ra,
I am very old and grey-headed;
So, i will rather have my donkey saddled.
Listen oh Heavens,
Hear oh Earth;
I am the shadow from the mountains!
Let my poetry fall on you like rain,
Let Queen Sheba-Ra III carry on her message,
Let wisdom abound to those who want to learn;
Like a lamb in front of the Balsam tree.
Brazil won a football tournament,
Italy won a football tournament,
Egypt won a football tournament,
Spain won a football tournament;
46664 is in our hands today and,
We have to learn more from Nelson Mandela!
From Ur to Rome,
From Queen Sheba to Queen Sheba-Ra III;
Africa has more to tell the world.
poem by Edward Kofi Louis
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Queen Of Sheba
From Sheba a distant report
Of Solomon's glory and fame,
Invited the queen to his court,
But all was outdone when she came;
She cried, with a pleasing surprise,
When first she before him appeared,
How much, what I see with my eyes,
Surpasses the rumour I heard!
When once to Jerusalem come,
The treasure and train she had brought;
The wealth she possessed at home,
No longer had place in her thought:
His house, his attendants, his throne,
All struck her with wonder and awe;
The glory of Solomon shone,
In every object she saw.
But Solomon most she admired,
Whose spirit conducted the whole;
His wisdom, which God had inspired,
His bounty and greatness of soul;
Of all the hard questions she put,
A ready solution he showed;
Exceeded her with and her suit,
And more than she asked him bestowed.
Thus I when the gospel proclaimed
The Saviour's great name in my ears,
The wisdom for which he is famed,
The love which to sinners he bears;
I longed, and I was not denied,
That I in his presence might bow;
I saw, and transported I cried,
A greater than Solomon Thou!
My conscience no comfort could find,
By doubt and hard questions opposed;
But He restored peace to my mind,
And answered each doubt I proposed:
Beholding me poor and distressed,
His bounty supplied all my wants;
My prayer could have never expressed
So much as this Solomon grants.
I heard, and was slow to believe,
But now with my eyes I behold,
Much more than my heart could conceive,
Or language could ever have told:
How happy thy servants must be,
Who always before thee appear!
Vouchsafe, Lord, this blessing to me,
I find it is good to be here.
poem by John Newton
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Little Sheba
I took a business trip
Down to Florida
I got a room at a Holiday Inn
There was an earthquake in California
Must be the reason why this place was shakin'
Down in the barroom it was
Loaded with servicemen
Elbow to elbow
I said: "Scuze me blood,
Just what is shakin'?"
He say, "Girls on the dance floor
Wrestling in jello"
And the joint was jammin'
From the pumpin' by the D.J.
They were rappin' and clappin'
When up steps Little Sheba
Chorus:
Little Sheba she's as tough as you find
She's the local color burnin' like a Florida Pine
They raise the girls on gator down here
Doncha know
Little sheba she's the favorite one
Everybody's got money on her 9 to 1
They raise the girls on gator down here
Doncha know
Into the ring steps her worthy opponent
A nasty little vixen with a New York vibe
Before Little Sheba could say,
"Welcome to Dixie"
She'd kick all her buttons
And punched out her headlights
And the crowd was reelin'
They were chomping and chanting
They can't believe what they're seein'
Didn't look good for Little Sheba
Chorus
Now to make a long story
Just a little bit longer
Little Sheba was humbled on that humid night
She returned from emergency
With a fistfull of fractures
Our fabled femme fatale
Spoilin' for another fight
Chorus
song performed by by 38 Special
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Scarlet And Sheba
Scarlet wants to hold me, wearing just a red-veiled hat
Sheba's in the shadows waiting for her turn at bat
In the parlour where the lights are low
A vulture sister act, I watch their show
They're trying to kill me, want to pick my bones
Methodically, erotically
I just want your body, Sheba
I don't want your brain
Scarlet gets what's left of my remains
I just want your body, Sheba
You lock me up in chains
Scarlet, she can referee the game
Scarlet likes to scold me, showers me with all her love
Sheba's in a bad mood, sharpening her black fur glove
With blood and honey attitude
They'll never know my gratitude
I'm crossed with longitude and latitude
Upon my back... with a crack
I just want your body, Sheba
I don't want your brain
Scarlet gets what's left of my remains
I just want your body, Sheba
You lock me up in chains
Scarlet, she can referee the game
I just want your body, Sheba
I don't want your brain
Scarlet gets what's left of my remains
I just want your body, Sheba
You lock me up in chains
Scarlet, she can referee the game
song performed by by Alice Cooper
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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The Three Beggars
i{"Though to my feathers in the wet,}
i{I have stood here from break of day.}
i{I have not found a thing to eat,}
i{For only rubbish comes my way.}
i{Am I to live on lebeen-lone?'}
i{Muttered the old crane of Gort.}
i{"For all my pains on lebeen-lone?'}
King Guaire walked amid his court
The palace-yard and river-side
And there to three old beggars said,
"You that have wandered far and wide
Can ravel out what's in my head.
Do men who least desire get most,
Or get the most who most desire?'
A beggar said, "They get the most
Whom man or devil cannot tire,
And what could make their muscles taut
Unless desire had made them so?'
But Guaire laughed with secret thought,
"If that be true as it seems true,
One of you three is a rich man,
For he shall have a thousand pounds
Who is first asleep, if but he can
Sleep before the third noon sounds."
And thereon, merry as a bird
With his old thoughts, King Guaire went
From river-side and palace-yard
And left them to their argument.
"And if I win,' one beggar said,
'Though I am old I shall persuade
A pretty girl to share my bed';
The second: "I shall learn a trade';
The third: "I'll hurry' to the course
Among the other gentlemen,
And lay it all upon a horse';
The second: "I have thought again:
A farmer has more dignity.'
One to another sighed and cried:
The exorbitant dreams of beggary.
That idleness had borne to pride,
Sang through their teeth from noon to noon;
And when the sccond twilight brought
The frenzy of the beggars' moon
None closed his blood-shot eyes but sought
To keep his fellows from their sleep;
All shouted till their anger grew
And they were whirling in a heap.
They mauled and bit the whole night through;
They mauled and bit till the day shone;
They mauled and bit through all that day
And till another night had gone,
Or if they made a moment's stay
They sat upon their heels to rail,,
And when old Guaire came and stood
Before the three to end this tale,
They were commingling lice and blood
"Time's up,' he cried, and all the three
With blood-shot eyes upon him stared.
"Time's up,' he eried, and all the three
Fell down upon the dust and snored.
1
poem by William Butler Yeats
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Hats
Amy grant/chris eaton
Copyright 1991 age to age music, inc. (ascap)/clouseau music ltd. (prs), adm. by reunion music group, inc.
The sun comes up
The breakfast show
Cant you see me running
Its crazy dont you know?
(dont you know? dont you know? )
The moon is high
Im working through the night
Will somebody tell me
Where do all the hours go?
(I dont know.)
Well it dont stop
No, its never gonna stop
Why do I have to wear so many things on my head?
Hats!
One day Im a mother
One day Im a lover
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
(working for a livin)
All because Im driven
(all because Im driven)
To be the very best for you.
The water is hot
(so hot)
The phone dont stop
(hello, good-bye)
So how do I manage
To hold on to my sanity
(I dont know, baby, I dont know)
The red dress on
Time for having fun
(time for having fun)
But can I really be
The girl you see in me?
The spirit is willing
But the flesh is weak
Why do I have to wear so many things on my head?
Hats!
One day Im a mother
(one day Im a mother)
One day Im a lover
(one day Im a lover)
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
(working for a livin)
All because Im driven
(all because Im driven)
To be the very best for you.
Hats!
One day Im a mother
(one day Im a mother)
One day Im a lover
(one day Im a lover)
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
All because Im driven
To be the very best for you.
This may be a dream come true
This may be poetry in motion
This may be a dream come true
But when it all come down
Its an awful lot to do.
Hats!
It dont stop
Why do I have to wear thing on my head?
Hats!
One day Im a mother
(one day Im a mother)
One day Im a lover
(one day Im a lover)
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
(working for a livin)
All because Im driven
(all because Im driven)
To be the very best for you.
Hats!
One day Im a mother
(one day Im a mother)
One day Im a lover
(one day Im a lover)
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
All because Im driven
To be the very best,
Very best (nah, nah, nah).
Hats!
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
(working for a livin)
All because Im driven
(all because Im driven)
To be the very best
It dont stop
No, its never gonna stop
Why do I have to wear
Why to I have to wear
Hats!
One day Im a mother
One day Im a lover
What am I supposed to do?
Hats!
Working for a livin
All because Im driven
To be the very best for you.
song performed by by Amy Grant
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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My Mother
Who watched me in bed cradle
and when life brought storm, made good use paddle
and fought with gods to make me live
with hope watered me tree even i hadn't leaf
who cried when i fell ill
and if i died pwore herself to kill
motivated her husband solomon of wise counsel
for she was in his song the damsel
what a creature with beauty and preety
as nature had her be dark and lovely
for whom i'll stake my head for a treathy
cos though discipline was still humble and comely
stood to be a mother of nations
kept apart and head of gods feminine creations
wonderfully her children did groom
which made them stick together as broom
if all the mothers were to be like you
this world would have been like rice and stew
poem by Gideon Zerah Ogbonna
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Brings me hope
WHAT drunkenness is this that brings me hope--
Who was the Cup-bearer, and whence the wine?
That minstrel singing with full voice divine,
What lay was his? for 'mid the woven rope
Of song, he brought word from my Friend to me
Set to his melody.
The wind itself bore joy to Solomon;
The Lapwing flew from Sheba's garden close,
Bringing good tidings of its queen and rose.
Take thou the cup and go where meadows span
The plain, whither the bird with tuneful throat
Has brought Spring's sweeter note.
Welcome, oh rose, and full-blown eglantine!
The violets their scented gladness fling,
Jasmin breathes purity-art sorrowing
Like an unopened bud, oh heart of mine?
The wind of dawn that sets closed blossoms free
Brings its warm airs to thee.
Saki, thy kiss shall still my bitter cry!
Lift up your grief-bowed heads, all ye that weep,
The Healer brings joy's wine-cup--oh, drink deep!
Disciple of the Tavern-priest am I;
The pious Sheikh may promise future bliss,
He brings me where joy is.
The greedy glances of a Tartar horde
To me seemed kind--my foeman spared me not
Though one poor robe was all that I had got.
But Heaven served Hafiz, as a slave his lord,
And when he fled through regions desolate,
Heaven brought him to thy gate.
poem by Shams al-Din Hafiz
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Hermaphroditus
I.
LIFT UP thy lips, turn round, look back for love,
Blind love that comes by night and casts out rest;
Of all things tired thy lips look weariest,
Save the long smile that they are wearied of.
Ah sweet, albeit no love be sweet enough,
Choose of two loves and cleave unto the best;
Two loves at either blossom of thy breast
Strive until one be under and one above.
Their breath is fire upon the amorous air,
Fire in thine eyes and where thy lips suspire:
And whosoever hath seen thee, being so fair,
Two things turn all his life and blood to fire;
A strong desire begot on great despair,
A great despair cast out by strong desire.
II.
Where between sleep and life some brief space is,
With love like gold bound round about the head,
Sex to sweet sex with lips and limbs is wed,
Turning the fruitful feud of hers and his
To the waste wedlock of a sterile kiss;
Yet from them something like as fire is shed
That shall not be assuaged till death be dead,
Though neither life nor sleep can find out this.
Love made himself of flesh that perisheth
A pleasure-house for all the loves his kin;
But on the one side sat a man like death,
And on the other a woman sat like sin.
So with veiled eyes and sobs between his breath
Love turned himself and would not enter in.
III.
Love, is it love or sleep or shadow or light
That lies between thine eyelids and thine eyes?
Like a flower laid upon a flower it lies,
Or like the night’s dew laid upon the night.
Love stands upon thy left hand and thy right,
Yet by no sunset and by no moonrise
Shall make thee man and ease a woman’s sighs,
Or make thee woman for a man’s delight.
To what strange end hath some strange god made fair
The double blossom of two fruitless flowers?
Hid love in all the folds of all thy hair,
Fed thee on summers, watered thee with showers,
Given all the gold that all the seasons wear
To thee that art a thing of barren hours?
IV.
Yea, love, I see; it is not love but fear.
Nay, sweet, it is not fear but love, I know;
Or wherefore should thy body’s blossom blow
So sweetly, or thine eyelids leave so clear
Thy gracious eyes that never made a tear—
Though for their love our tears like blood should flow,
Though love and life and death should come and go,
So dreadful, so desirable, so dear?
Yea, sweet, I know; I saw in what swift wise
Beneath the woman’s and the water’s kiss
Thy moist limbs melted into Salmacis,
And the large light turned tender in thine eyes,
And all thy boy’s breath softened into sighs;
But Love being blind, how should he know of this?
Au Musée du Louvre, Mars 1863.
poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
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Woman Made Of Love
Woman Made Of Love
a woman from above
made from some distant heaven
made and fashioned somehow differently
than most of them
a woman made of love
a woman made of solid stuff
she decided to have a secret beau
so she hid him in her heart
but he grew cold
so she grew bold
and they both grew old
in talking love together
now he is bold and never cold
and she is never old
for in warming him she is now better
a woman made of love
she has her beau for ever
and they have love
-
poem by Charles Hice
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Why Trust You
You come on strong with a great
Big smile
But your teeth are as sharp as a
Crocodile
You promised me the moon and
The stars and the sun
But you never did nothin for
Anyone
Cant look me in the face or
Straight in the eye
Id buy the movie rights to your
Alibi
I wonder how long you will go
I wonder how high your head will
Blow
Youre a psychopathic liar
Your soul is on fire
Youre bluffin with nuthin
While the stakes are gettin higher
Why trust you
You never made a dream come
True
Why trust you
Give me one good reason, one
Good reason why
You come to me all teary-eyed
With your big tall tale way up in
The sky
Begging on your knees for
Another chance
But everybody knows thats a
Song and a dance
There used to be a time when you
Were the best
You had the fastest tongue in the
West
Ya gave a look and a line like
Nobody else
Youd try to sell the Bible to the
Devil, himself
You sadistic little liar
Youre walkin on the wire
Youre bluffin up with nothin
And the bills are gettin higher
Why trust you
Give me one good reason, one
Good reason why
Trust you
The noose is getting tighter
Your face is turning whiter
You can stuff it up your muffin
And go stick it in the fire
Why trust you
You never made a dream come
True
Why trust you, give me one good
Reason, one good reason
Why trust you, you never made a
Dream come true
Why trust you, give me one good
Reason, one good reason
Why trust you, why trust you
Why trust you, why trust you
Why trust you
song performed by by Alice Cooper
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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i Saw a Woman
i saw a woman
Dancing on her grave
She smiled and sang
La la lee
La la lo
La la lee
La la lo
She picked up Death's cat
By tail & twirled the thing
La la lee
La la lo
Death watched curriously
How this thing could be
La la lee
He scratched his head
La la lo
The woman looked back at Death
And flipped him off
Her skeleton bones
Were white as snow
Now her dance
Was beginning to slow
Death thought now
Was her time to go
Instead
She skinned the cat
And made a dress
Put it on
And picked up her song
La la lee
Death's eyes popped out
At what he saw next
The woman's bones
Grew new flesh
Her hair combed and tapered in curls
Death ran at her with fury
But tripped along
An old tomebstone
La la lo
Death on the ground
She picked up her dance
And danced on Death
Bone by bone
She trampled him in the ground
The last thing he saw
Was the woman's child
And he sang and danced
La la lee
Along with a whole
Party of bones
La la lo
poem by Deci Hernandez
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To Paul: A Lost Identity
Thus can art be fair, no excuse to be fairer.
Those soft touch of liquor and desire,
Ever falls and sleep in eyes of pleasure.
With no mistaken sight to admire,
As life’s extremity starting the fire.
Wandered in depths of an old promise
That kissed the scent of bliss.
The broken past upon the quietness;
A shed of tears and despair drew.
Wearing mask, play with fire, more or less
The fire and hunger around it grew
But behind a mask is where love lies
Showing humor under the starry skies
Most true it is thy will that doth fulfill
And full with will making love that doesn’t still
Yet so they talk, only speaking of their woe
That every word says guilt should look so
An impasse puzzle, an indelible sight
And only she was the pieces of delight
Pity thyself as the greatest thief
Wanting falsehood and made the darkest grief
But thou, to her still lay the weary heart
That whence pleasure thou may not come and part
From all the lies, sin, and knavery
Want only but to know an identity
Find love, find a name, for being unacquainted
And place the treasure of glory to remain disconnected
Crown thyself a king for the true things deemed
Maybe an oaf, crafty or well esteemed
With thy powerful humor and appeal
If you can’t know, well can’t I still?
poem by Jan Dennis Destajo
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Bus To Birmingham
(Jess Brown/Tony Lane)
She didn't see me see her cryin'
As she sat there by the window
On a southbound Greyhound leavin' town
The hardest thing I've ever done
Was to walk away and let that woman go
'Cause she came close to turnin' me around
Now I know she missed her mama
'Cause that's the kind of life she comes from
Ain't no kind of life I'm ever gonna have
She said she'd call me from the station
But I'll be gone before she gets there
And I'll see her every time I'm lookin' back
Heaven knows I ain't no angel
And I don't always do the right thing
And right now I know that she don't understand
But I'll sleep better knowin'
The only thing I ever loved
Is on that bus to Birmingham
Tonight I'll slip back in the shadows
And I'll sip a glass of whiskey
And I'll try to keep from whisperin' her name
But there's some highways I ain't driven
And there's some towns that I ain't lived in
And there's some times that I can't get out of the rain
And Lord I can't bear to break
Another promise that I made her
So I made out like I wanted her to go
And I'm better off believin'
That she's better off without me
'Cause I don't want her to see me do her wrong
Heaven knows I ain't no angel
And I don't always do the right thing
And right now I know that she don't understand
But I'll sleep better knowin'
The only thing I ever loved
Is on that bus to Birmingham
Heaven knows I don't always to the right thing
And right now I know that she don't understand
But I'll sleep better knowin'
The only thing I ever loved
Is on that bus to Birmingham
song performed by by John Michael Montgomery
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Solomon in The Bible Proverbs 31:30
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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King Solomon And The Queen Of Sheba
(A Poem Game.)
“And when the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, . . .
she came to prove him with hard questions.”
[The men’s leader rises as he sees the Queen unveiling
and approaching a position that gives her half of the stage.]
Men’s Leader: The Queen of Sheba came to see King Solomon.
[He bows three times.]
I was King Solomon,
I was King Solomon,
I was King Solomon.
[She bows three times.]
Women’s Leader: I was the Queen,
I was the Queen,
I was the Queen.
Both Leaders: We will be king and queen,
[They stand together stretching their hands over the land.]
Reigning on mountains green,
Happy and free
For ten thousand years.
[They stagger forward as though carrying a yoke together.]
Both Leaders: King Solomon he had four hundred oxen.
Congregation: We were the oxen.
[Here King and Queen pause at the footlights.]
Both Leaders: You shall feel goads no more.
[They walk backward, throwing off the yoke and rejoicing.]
Walk dreadful roads no more,
Free from your loads
For ten thousand years.
[The men’s leader goes forward, the women’s leader dances round him.]
Both Leaders: King Solomon he had four hundred sweethearts.
[Here he pauses at the footlights.]
Congregation: We were the sweethearts.
[He walks backward. Both clap their hands to the measure.]
Both Leaders: You shall dance round again,
You shall dance round again,
Cymbals shall sound again,
Cymbals shall sound again,
[The Queen appears to gather wildflowers.]
Wildflowers be found
For ten thousand years,
Wildflowers be found
For ten thousand years.
[He continues to command the congregation, the woman to dance.
He goes forward to the footlights.]
Both Leaders: And every sweetheart had four hundred swans.
Congregation: We were the swans.
[The King walks backward.]
Both Leaders: You shall spread wings again,
You shall spread wings again,
[Here a special dance, by the Queen: swans flying in circles.]
Fly in soft rings again,
Fly in soft rings again,
Swim by cool springs
For ten thousand years,
Swim by cool springs,
For ten thousand years.
[The refrain “King Solomon” may be intoned by the men’s leader
whenever it is needed to enable the women’s leader to get to
her starting point. All the refrains may be likewise used.]
Men’s Leader: King Solomon,
King Solomon.
Women’s Leader: The Queen of Sheba asked him like a lady,
[They bow to each other—then give a pantomime
indicating a great rose garden.]
Bowing most politely:
“What makes the roses bloom
Over the mossy tomb,
Driving away the gloom
Ten thousand years?”
Men’s Leader: King Solomon made answer to the lady,
[They bow and confer. The Queen reserved, but taking cognizance.
The King wooing with ornate gestures of respect, and courtly animation.]
Bowing most politely:
“They bloom forever thinking of your beauty,
Your step so queenly and your eyes so lovely.
These keep the roses fair,
Young and without a care,
Making so sweet the air,
Ten thousand years.”
[The two, with a manner almost a cake walk, go forward.]
Both Leaders: King Solomon he had four hundred sons.
[On this line, King and Queen pause before the footlights.]
Congregation: We were the sons.
[Pantomime of crowning the audience.]
Both Leaders: Crowned by the throngs again,
[On this line they walk backward, playing great imaginary harps.]
You shall make songs again,
Singing along
For ten thousand years.
[They go forward in a pony gallop, then stand pawing.]
Both Leaders: He gave each son four hundred prancing ponies.
Congregation: We were the ponies.
[They nod their heads, starting to walk backward.]
Both Leaders: You shall eat hay again,
[A pony dance by both, in circles.]
In forests play again,
Rampage and neigh
For ten thousand years.
Men’s Leader: King Solomon he asked the Queen of Sheba,
[They bow to each other, standing so that
each one commands half of the stage.]
Bowing most politely:
“What makes the oak-tree grow
Hardy in sun and snow,
Never by wind brought low
Ten thousand years?”
Women’s Leader: The Queen of Sheba answered like a lady,
[They bow to each other, again, with pantomime indicating a forest.]
Bowing most politely:
“It blooms forever thinking of your wisdom,
Your brave heart and the way you rule your kingdom.
These keep the oak secure,
Weaving its leafy lure,
Dreaming by fountains pure
Ten thousand years.”
[They go to the footlights with a sailor’s lurch and hitch.]
Both Leaders: The Queen of Sheba had four hundred sailors.
[The King and Queen pause.]
Congregation: We were the sailors.
Both Leaders: You shall bring spice and ore
[They walk backward with slow long-armed gestures
indicating the entire horizon line.]
Over the ocean’s floor,
Shipmates once more,
For ten thousand years.
Women’s Leader: The Queen of Sheba asked him like a lady,
[They bow to each other, the Queen indicating the depths of the sea.]
Bowing most politely:
“Why is the sea so deep,
What secret does it keep
While tides a-roaring leap
Ten thousand years?”
Men’s Leader: King Solomon made answer to the lady,
[They bow to each other, then confer; the Queen reserved,
but taking cognizance, the King wooing with ornate gestures
of respect and courtly admiration.]
Bowing most politely:
“My love for you is like the stormy ocean—
Too deep to understand,
Bending to your command,
Bringing your ships to land
Ten thousand years.”
King Solomon,
King Solomon.
[They go to the footlights with the greatest possible strut.]
Both Leaders: King Solomon he had four hundred chieftains.
Congregation: We were the chieftains.
[The leaders stand with arms proudly folded.]
Both Leaders: You shall be proud again,
[They walk backward haughtily, laughing on the last lines.]
Dazzle the crowd again,
Laughing aloud
For ten thousand years.
[From here on the whole production to be
much more solemn, elevated, religious.]
[The leaders go forward to the footlights carrying imaginary torches.]
Both Leaders: King Solomon he had four hundred shepherds.
[The man and woman pause at the footlights.]
Congregation: We were the shepherds.
[They wander over the stage as though looking for lost lambs,
with torches held high.]
Both Leaders: You shall have torches bright,
Watching the folds by night,
Guarding the lambs aright,
Ten thousand years.
Men’s Leader: King Solomon he asked the Queen of Sheba,
[The King kneels, and indicates the entire sky with one long slow gesture.]
Bowing most politely:
“Why are the stars so high,
There in the velvet sky,
Rolling in rivers by,
Ten thousand years?”
Women’s Leader: The Queen of Sheba answered like a lady,
[The Queen kneels opposite the King,
and gives the same gesture as she answers.]
Bowing most politely:
“They’re singing of your kingdom to the angels,
They guide your chariot with their lamps and candles,
Therefore they burn so far—
So you can drive your car
Up where the prophets are,
Ten thousand years.”
Men’s Leader: King Solomon,
King Solomon.
Both Leaders: King Solomon he kept the Sabbath holy.
[The two stand, commanding the audience.]
And spoke with tongues in prophet words so mighty
[The man and woman stamp and whirl with great noise and solemnity.]
We stamped and whirled and wept and shouted:—
Congregation Rises and Joins the Song:
. . . . “Glory.”
We were his people.
[On these two lines, man and woman stamp and whirl again,
gravely, magnificently.]
Both Leaders: You shall be wild and gay,
Green trees shall deck your way,
[On these two lines they kneel, commanding the audience.]
Sunday be every day,
Ten thousand years.
[Now they rise and bow to each other and the audience,
maintaining a certain intention of benediction.]
King Solomon,
King Solomon.
poem by Vachel Lindsay
Submitted by Poetry Lover
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The mania started with insomnia and not eating and being driven, driven to find an apartment, driven to see everybody, driven to do New York, driven to never shut up.
quote by Patty Duke
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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