Forget safety. Live where you fear to live. Destroy your reputation. Be notorious. — (Rumi, 1207-1273)
I’ve had this melody stuck in my head – where did it come from? I felt it had words, but I didn’t know them – where were the words? Finally I figured out that it had come from watching the movie Babette’s Feast very recently and I wandered around there and sure enough, towards the end, the melody was used for one of the hymns they sang after dinner. Googled what the subtitles gave as words and found this eventually – same tune, different words I believe. The tune was used by Bach but was written by Georg Neumark (1621-81)
These are the translated words, from the Danish hymn-writer and bishop, Thomas Kingo (1634-1703):
Oh, watch the day once again hurry off
And the sun bathe itself in water
The time for us to rest approaches, O God,
Who dwelleth in heavenly light
Who reigns above in heaven’s hall
Be for us our infinite light in the valley of night
The sand in our hourglass will soon run out
The day is conquered by the night
The glories of the world are ending
So brief their day, so swift their flight
God, let Thy brightness ever shine
Admit us to Thy mercy divineThe clock strikes and time goes by
Eternity is nigh, let us use this time to try
To serve the Lord with heart and mind
So that our true home we shall find
elvish silver ring
a glinting on my finger
cheering my small heart.ring on my finger
reminds me magic and strength
must come from withinexcept in legend
there’s not a strength or power
that’s not from within.
In my mind, I may don my elvish attire:
my magical greaves, my gloves of wisdom
the cloak that shelters me from harm
I stand, my mage-like self.
But as the mirror gives me back
my denim-clad and human view,
I could lament except…
except for this, my ring.
This ring which I put on long years ago
and which has not left me since.
This band, a ring of fearlessness.
And while you may laugh at me
do not, you, laugh at my ring
this silver ring imbued with
all the power I could put upon it.
I set it to remind me that, listen!
there is no power to make me fear
except that fear I grant myself
and so this silver band says no,
be brave and every day be so.
Who you are inside is what helps you make and do everything in life.
