a crack of a second

a crack of a second

Above the fairground’s festive lively crowd
a fancy acrobat tiptoed on his rope, high up.
A crack of a second, the final, he self-doubted,
as he caught sight of the thrilled, beneath.
Not far, a cellist deferred stirring a new phrase,
his bow tripped between F sharp and E,
but he soon resumed grave Elgar’s legato,
the while the acrobat wide-eyeing the sky
was yet alive and thus to sky escorted.

Over the scene, a passing bird lost a feather,
which now slid air current of the falling dusk.

"Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar meod, ve’ha’yikar, lo lefahed klal.»
- The world is but a very narrow bridge, and the most important is never to fear."

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bar22do

a crack of a second

Above the fairground’s festive lively crowd
a fancy acrobat tiptoed on his rope, high up.
A crack of a second, the final, he self-doubted,
as he caught sight of the thrilled, beneath.
Not far, a cellist deferred stirring a new phrase,
his bow tripped between F sharp and E,
but he soon resumed grave Elgar’s legato,
the while the acrobat wide-eyeing the sky
was still alive and thus to sky escorted.

Over the scene, a passing bird lost a feather,
which now slode air current of the falling dusk.

«Kol ha’olam kulo gesher tzar meod, ve’ha’yikar, lo lefahed klal.»
- The world is but a very narrow bridge, and the most important is never to fear.

---

I wish I could summon from memory Elgar's legato to play in my ears while I read this elegantly mystical poem! There's a magnificent counterpoint between the fully elaborated first verse and the very brief glimpse of the eternal (?) ephemeral (?) in the second.

Synchronistically, I was enraptured this morning at the Cafe to hear while sipping my espresso Haydn's Andante Cantabile!

It is beautiful Bar. The first two lines, for some unknown reason, but undoubtedly related to how I think of you, brought to mind the carnival like atmosphere of the autos de fe of the Inquisition in the streets of Lisbon. You quickly brought me from hazy centuries past to a sharp second in which everything, past and future resides.

I could see harlequins and musicians and the carnival... yes, a carnival. Lovely Bar... simply lovely.

A gorgeous piece that I don't have anything to add to what Prince said. But: what is "slode"?

Without further delay (and with apologies for this) thanks a lot Prince, Hack, Sophie, Morpheus for your kind comments and appreciation.
Prince: Elgar's cello concerto's is introduced with an exquisite legato which to my ears has something of a detached, sad acceptance, and comfort... you could find bits of it on you tubes..
Morpheus: error corrected, thanks for bringing my attention to it, as well as for your spontaneous reaction...
Hack: autos da fe for ever painful... and so "justified" by the holy church! "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" John (15:6)