Cold hearted orb that rules the night,
Removes the colours from our sight,
Red is gray and yellow white,
But we decide which is right.
And which is an illusion?
Pinprick holes in a colourless sky,
Let insipid figures of light pass by,
The mighty light of ten thousand suns,
Challenges infinity and is soon gone.
Night time, to some a brief interlude,
To others the fear of solitude.
Brave Helios wake up your steads,
Bring the warmth the countryside needs.
– Graeme Edge, The Moody Blues
Postscript:
This is from the opening track, The Day Begins, of the concept album Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues. The poem is recited in the middle of this track by Mike Pinder, and was written by Graeme Edge, the drummer.
It’s interesting; the meter and reading it out loud to myself reminded me of Heinlein’s “Almighty Ruler of the All”, and of course the Navy Hymn, “Eternal Father, Strong to Save”. It’s not the subject matter, clearly, but just the way they read. I’m sure there’s a term for it.
Also, I’ve labelled it aubade, which is a love poem or song welcoming or lamenting the arrival of the dawn. You can read other poems we’ve run in that category. As you can see, I love the term and the way it sounds – just like I do repetend, or dactyl.
Anyway, enough said. Here’s a link to The Moody Blues song itself.
Tagged: aubade, Graeme Edge, imagery, rhyme, rhythm, song lyrics, The Moody Blues