The Lovers’ Chronicle 5 October – lost – art by Francesco Guardi – premiere of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice & Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Dear Zazie,  Here is today’s Lovers’ Chronicle from Mac Tag dedicated to his muse.  Follow us on twitter @cowboycoleridge.  Rhett

The Lovers’ Chronicle

Dear Muse,

no, no, not, i once was…
“What the hell, I was ready”
i know you were
and your voice is lovely
but we are leavin’
drama mama at home
“Ok good idea”
i have written it
as a found story,
in order;
i had to find myself,
then the verse,
then you
and we emerged
lost no longer

© copyright 2023 mac tag/cowboy coleridge all rights reserved

steerin’ away from the drama, bored of that, lets try this, found; a story, had been messin’ around with writin’ in a journal in my thirties, lyrics started comin’ as i approached my fourth decade, began a daily writin’ habit the year i turned forty, but was derailed about a year later, stretched into a seven year derailment, tryin’ to be what could not be, then the verse showed up, shy and small, spurred by a daily routine of readin’ poetry, the early years of my fifties saw the first poems, they are bad, really, but i let ’em be, they are here in these pages if you are bold enough to seek them, the daily regimen of writin’ came to stay in June, three years before my three-score year milestone, been six years now and i would still be lost without this and you

© copyright 2022.2023 mac tag/cowboy coleridge all rights reserved

wait, we can do
better than that

once, but now found

arms that hold
desire blooms,
these thoughts
do hold the reins
and pierce my will

yes, please,
continue adagio

all of me, comin’ undone,
more beautiful than any
what i long for in those eyes

© copyright 2021 mac tag/cowboy coleridge all rights reserved

Pale Love, Pale Rider

yes, but now found

eyes that light
my dreams,
that hold me,
quench my desire,
which thoughts of
does hold the reins

pierce my will,
yes, please,
continue adagio

for clearness does surpass,
all of me, comin’ undone,
more beautiful than any

what i long for in those eyes

© copyright 2020 mac tag/cowboy coleridge all rights reserved

oh yes, of course
for so long it became
a way of life
coulda taught a graduate
level class on the subject
no worries though, not
gittin’ all dramatic with it
and not goin’, i once was…
nope, just wanna say
those years were a down payment
and worth the cost to git here
where i really wanted to be

© copyright 2019.2023 mac tag/cowboy coleridge all rights reserved

set upon
thoughts and dreams
that hold the reins

no longer
conquerable
all chains
cast aside
remorse
carefully secured
for the journey

evidently
gittin’ lost
along the way
was necessary

how else
to make sense
of the rough
and rocky travellin’
and the trail
of broken verse

not exactly sure
the choices made
were justified
by the ends,
but they sure as hell
made it possible

***

relationship status…

she said good morning,
and then she smiled
and then she…

CUT
that is a wrap y’all
thanks for comin’,
be sure you tip
the waitstaff

© copyright 2018 mac tag/cowboy coleridge all rights reserved

this just in…
there are no guides,
no how to’s,
no damn manuals
for the lost
it is DIY
at it’s best
and worst

s’pose,
doin’ the best you can
is all you can do
sometimes
it was enough
other times,
it was so fuckin’ far
from enough
it was sad

the lucky figure it out
sooner than the unlucky
and the damned
never figure it out

***

i do believe,
but hell
i could be wrong,
the winners are the ones
who die with the most friends
a tip of my hat to y’all

© copyright 2017 mac tag/cowboy Coleridge all rights reserved

And a poem, original lyrics and a song for you.  As you know, I am a lyricist but not a melody maker.  So, I wrote these lyrics based on a poem written by the French poet Philippe Desportes, who died on this day in 1606.  First the poem, then the lyrics, then the SOD.

Conquest

Those eyes that set my fancy on a fire,
Those crispéd hairs that hold my heart in chains,
Those dainty hands which conquered my desire,
That wit which of my thoughts doth hold the reins:
Those eyes for clearness do the stars surpass,
Those hairs obscure the brightness of the sun,
Those hands more white than ever ivory was,
That wit even to the skies hath glory won.
O eyes that pierce our hearts without remorse!
O hands that conquer more than Caesar’s force!
O wit that turns huge kingdoms upside down!
Then, Love, be judge, what heart may there withstand
Such eyes, such hair, such wit, and such a hand?

Those Eyes

Those eyes that set my thoughts and dreams on fire,
Those winsome lips that hold my heart in chains,
Those lovely legs which conquered my desire,
That wit which of my thoughts does hold the reins

Those eyes that pierce my heart without remorse
Those eyes that conquer my will without force

Those eyes for clearness do the stars surpass,
Those lips make all of my thoughts come undone,
Those legs more beautiful than any lass,
That wit even to the skies has glory won

Those eyes that pierce my heart without remorse
Those eyes that conquer my will without force

Then, Love, what I long for under these skies
Those enchantin’ eyes, those enchantin’ eyes

© copyright 2012 mac tag/Cowboy Coleridge all rights reserved

The Song of the Day is “Those Eyes” by Thirsty Merc

Francesco Guardi
portrayed by Pietro Longhi (1764)

Today is the birthday of Francesco Guardi (Francesco Lazzaro Guardi; Venice; October 5, 1712 – January 1, 1793 Venice); painter of veduta, nobleman, and a member of the Venetian School.  He is considered to be among the last practitioners, along with his brothers, of the classic Venetian school of painting.

Gallery

today is the premier day of Orfeo ed Euridice (French: Orphée et Eurydice; English: Orpheus and Eurydice); an opera composed by Christoph Willibald Gluck, based on the myth of Orpheus and set to a libretto by Ranieri de’ Calzabigi. It belongs to the genre of the azione teatrale, meaning an opera on a mythological subject with choruses and dancing. The piece was first performed at the Burgtheater in Vienna on 5 October 1762, in the presence of Empress Maria Theresa. Orfeo ed Euridice is the first of Gluck’s “reform” operas, in which he attempted to replace the abstruse plots and overly complex music of opera seria with a “noble simplicity” in both the music and the drama.

Frederic Leighton – Orfeo ed Euridice 1864

The opera is perhaps the most popular of Gluck’s works, and was one of the most influential on subsequent German operas. Variations on its plot—the underground rescue mission in which the hero must control, or conceal, his emotions—can be found in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Beethoven’s Fidelio, and Wagner’s Das Rheingold.

Though originally set to an Italian libretto, Orfeo ed Euridice owes much to the genre of French opera, particularly in its use of accompanied recitative and a general absence of vocal virtuosity. Indeed, twelve years after the 1762 premiere, Gluck re-adapted the opera to suit the tastes of a Parisian audience at the Académie Royale de Musique with a libretto by Pierre-Louis Moline. This reworking was given the title Orphée et Eurydice, and several alterations were made in vocal casting and orchestration to suit French tastes.

filming took place in New York City and at the Studios at Paramount in Hollywood, California. The film’s music was composed by Henry Mancini and its theme song, “Moon River”, was written by Johnny Mercer.

The film received critical acclaim for its music and Hepburn’s style and performance, being nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Hepburn, and winning two (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Song for Mancini). The film also received numerous other accolades, although Rooney’s portrayal of the character I. Y. Yunioshi garnered significant subsequent controversy for being racist. In 2012, the film was preserved in the U.S. National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Mac Tag

thanks for stoppin’ by y’all

He loved her, of course, but better than that, he chose her, day after day.  Choice: that was the thing. – Sherman Alexie