The River Never Drinks It's Own Water

The river never drinks its own water.
The tree never tastes its own fruit.
The field never consumes its own harvest.
They selflessly strive for the well-being of all those around them.
- Mewari proverb, India

Eno: By This River

Agnes Obel: Riverside

Gil Scott-Heron, Rivers of My Fathers

Stitchthread: Last Days

last days by stitchthread from Burnt World on Vimeo.

Stitchthread are a Doom/Metal/Punk phenomenon from Preston. If you like your music dark, this is the band to listen to.

The video is an atmospheric journey towards, and then across the River Ribble, as if toward a promised land, or across the Styx.

Ivor Cutler - The River Bends

Riverside Farm: Mikhail Klodt

Image courtesy of Art Images Library

Abdul Qasim Al Shabi: To the Tyrants of the World

The inspiring movement of the Tunisian masses continues to gain strength. Today the Tunisian police, national guard and fire brigades all started marching alongside the protesters, who a week ago they were battling with.

The police are now demanding their own Trade Union, and the right to fight for better pay and conditions. They have decisively joined the Tunisian revolution on the side of the people.
One of the features of the movement is that the protestors have been chanting the words of Tunisian poet Abo Al Qassim Al Shabbi.

This is one of his most famous poems: Ela Toghat Al Alaam ("To the Tyrants of the World")

Hey you, the unfair tyrants...

You the lovers of the darkness...

You the enemies of life...

You've made fun of innocent people's wounds; and your palm covered with their blood

You kept walking while you were deforming the charm of existence and growing seeds of sadness in their land

Wait, don't let the spring, the clearness of the sky and the shine of the morning light fool you...

Because the darkness, the thunder rumble and the blowing of the wind are coming toward you from the horizon

Beware because there is a fire underneath the ash

Who grows thorns will reap wounds

You've taken off heads of people and the flowers of hope; and watered the cure of the sand with blood and tears until it was drunk

The blood's river will sweep you away and you will be burned by the fiery storm.

Arabic script of the poem "Ela Toghat Al Alaam" (To the tyrants of the world)
ألا أيها الظالم المستبد

حبيب الظلام عدو الحياه

سخرت بأنات شعب ضعيف

و كفك مخضوبة من دماه

و سرت تشوه سحر الوجود

و تبذر شوك الاسى في رباه

رويدك لا يخدعنك الربيع

و صحو الفضاء و ضوء الصباح

ففي الافق الرحب هول الظلام و قصف الرعود و عصف الرياح

حذار فتحت الرماد اللهيب

و من يبذر الشوك يجن الجراح

تأمل هنالك انى حصدت رؤوس الورى و زهور الأمل

و رويت بالدم قلب التراب اشربته الدمع حتى ثمل

سيجرفك سيل الدماء

و يأكلك العاصف المشتعل

Here's a version sung by Arabic songstress Latifa, which she dedicated to Ariel Sharon and George Bush, I imagine Mohamed Ghannouchi is hearing this song in his dreams, and waking up sweating:

Tory election poster

River's Bend Wordled

This is a wordling of the River's Bend Blog, click on it to see the bigger picture:



And this is a wordle of "Kestrel's Dive"

Owed to the Postmodern Philosopher

Godzilla of the postmodern word
Tearing up the meanings of the world
Incompleting what the universe began
Deconstructing all the works of man
When all meaning and all worth has died
How will we tell what you signified?