Listen to the Music of the Night ~ This Month's EHAG Emporium Creation

Listen to the Music of the Night

Night-time sharpens, heightens each sensation ...Darkness stirs and wakes imagination ...Silently the senses abandon their defenses... 

The story of the Phantom of the Opera is retold in these earrings, as beautiful singer Christine  becomes the obsession of the Phantom, a mysterious, disfigured musical genius.  He came to her as per her father's dying promise, and becomes her Angel of Music.

Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor ...
Grasp it, sense it - tremulous and tender ...
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,
turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light -
and listen to the music of the night ...

But then he leads her to his secret lair, from which he wishes she will never leave.

Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before!
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!
And you'll live as you've never lived before ...

After Christine pulls away the Phantom's mask and reveals his disfigurement, he leads her back to the theater, but he loves her still.  

Softly, deftly, music shall surround you ...
Feel it, hear it, closing in around you ...
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
in this darkness which you know you cannot fight -
the darkness of the music of the night.

When he overhears her and realizes she does not love him back, he vows revenge and brings the opera house chandelier crashing down on the stage.

Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world!
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Let your soul
Take you where you long to be!
Only then can you belong to me ...

Months later, Christine is on the rooftop with her new love.  She drops the rose the Phantom gave her into the snow below. 

The Phantom sees this and hears their conversation.  Broken-hearted, he again captures Christine and give her a ring. 

Christine tells the Phantom that she cannot love him, not because of his disfigured face but because of his disfigured soul.  She kisses him passionately.

Floating, falling, sweet intoxication!
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation!
Let the dream begin,
let your darker side give in to the power of
the music that I write - the power of the music of the night ...

The Phantom, for the first time, experiences love and compassion.  He releases Christine and her fiance, covers himself, and disappears.

You alone can make my song take flight -
help me make the music of the night ...

The earrings drops approximately 3-1/4" (8.25 cm) beneath sterling silver leverbacks.  They are wire wrapped with sterling silver, onto sterling silver chain.  The charms float mysteriously among beads of deep amethyst, black onyx, and Swarovski crystals.

They are handmade and unique.  They can be found here.

Blooming Saguaro Cactus on a (Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

My saguaro cacti can be found here and here. 

Te prickly variety can be found in the Sonoran Desert in the U.S. state of Arizona, the Mexican state of Sonora, a small part of Baja California in the San Felipe Desert and an extremely small area of California, U.S.

The Two Teenage Flying Pigs

by Cornerstoregoddess

Once upon a time there were two teenage flying pigs.  When June came and school was out for the summer, and their parents suggested they get summer jobs and start being more independent, they packed their PlayStation and their Wii and left their parents' sturdy boring brick home to see the wide wonderful exciting world. 

All that summer they roamed the woods, playing paintball games and having fun.  None were happier or more carefree than the two teenage flying pigs.  They made friends everywhere they went, crashed on new acquaintances' couches, and played video games with their new friends.  But as summer days grew shorter and fall approached, all their new friends were heading back to school and preparing for the year ahead.  The two teenage flying pigs wanted nothing to do with all that, and continued to roam the woods.

There were no more couches to crash on or free meals, and the teenage pigs finally realized that they needed a real home.  Unwilling to return to their parents' home, they agreed that they needed to get jobs, perhaps being phone psychics,  or they would be left out in the cold rain with no roof over their heads. They talked about what they should do, but, as usual could not agree on a plan.  The youngest teenage pig said he would build a house of straw and run his business there.  It would take no time at all, and then he'd be free to watch DVDs and eat cheetohs between calls.  

 His brother, who was by no means a wise and responsible flying pig himself, told his younger brother, "A house of straw will blow right over in the wind."  But the younger pig had made up his mind, and headed to a nearby farm to "borrow" some straw.  His house was done in a day.  When his parents came by to visit, his father shook his head and warned that such a house would never withstand the rain and wind and snow.  Moreover, it would not protect him from a wolf attack.  The young pig, as usual, blew off his father's warning, borrowed some cash to see him until his next payday, and went back to his DVDs.

The older brother, only slightly more sensible than his sibling, headed to a construction site to "borrow" some wood.  His job was harder than that of his brother.  It took several days to nail together a ramshackle shack, but at last he was done and ready to spend the winter watching DVDs and eating ramen and making psychic predictions.  

His parents came to visit and again the father warned his offspring that such a house, while it might protect him from light winds and drizzle, was not strong enough to withstand the winter, or a dreaded wolf attack.  The older pig brother, however, ignored his father's warning, borrowed some cash to see him until his next payday, and went back to his Grand Theft Auto 3.

 The days went by.  Father and Mother Pig returned home and spent their weekends adding weatherstripping to their brick house, insulating their attic, and securing their hot water heater to the wall.  They lamented the fact that their sons were not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but secretly they enjoyed the quiet and neatness that had descended on their home.  They cooked healthy vegetarian meals, watched classic films at night, and explored California cabernets.

The days went by and the older brother visited his younger brother.  They were happy to see each other and relaxed on the couch to play some video games when a storm started brewing.  The winds kicked up and the rain fell down... right through the roof.  Then the walls blew away and the brothers and their cheetohs were soaked and soggy.  "Quick!" said the older brother.  "Grab the PlayStation and let's go to my place."

Through the wind and rain they ran until they came to the wooden house.  They hurried in the door, set up the PlayStation, and picked up where they left off.  Outside the wind howled and the rains pounded but they were safe inside with their ramen and games.  

Until they heard a knock on the door.

"Dude!  It's open!" shouted the older brother.

And who should walk in the door but a great big wolf.  He said, "You've gotta help me!  There's a crazy lady out there doing aerial shooting of wolves and the forest isn't safe anymore!"

"I guess you can crash with us," said the older pig brother.  "But you'll have to help out with dishes and food and stuff."

"No problem," said the wolf.  "Just hang on while I get my old lady and my kids."

He left and soon he returned with his mate and four pups, all of whom leapt on the couch.   Soon they were all playing with the Wii and tossing ramen into each others' mouths.  But when the pigs were ready to turn in for the night, the wolves were still partying.  There was no place to sleep, and the noise level was louder than a rock concert on a summer night.

What's more, the wolves were (you should pardon the expression) real pigs, and there were bunny carcasses all over the floor.  Finally the pigs had had it.  They packed their ramen and cheetohs and Wii (leaving the PlayStation for the wolf pups) and flew home to their parents, where they (if not their parents) lived happily ever after.

The wolves lived happily ever after, too.  Because, if you're a wolf, you really don't need a house of brick.  (But a PlayStation helps.)

Pigs and wolves can be found  here and here.

The Elephant

by Ogden Nash

Elephants are useful friends,
Equipped with handles at both ends, 

They have a wrinkled moth proof hide,
Their teeth are upside down, outside, 

If you think the elephant preposterous,
You’ve probably never seen a rhinosterous.

Elephants (and rhinosterouses) here and here.

Penguins

by Jack Prelutsky

Penguins cautiously reside
on our planet's underside,
where they're careful not to cough,
lest they trip and tumble off.

Penguins can be found here and here.

Hippo Musings

from Cornerstoregoddess

However can a hippo run?
His hide alone weighs half a ton.

Hippos here and here.

Sauruses and Saureses

Long Gone

by Jack Prelutsky

Don't waste your time in looking for
the long extinct tyrannosaur,
because this ancient dinosaur
just can't be found here anymore.

That also goes for stegosaurus,
allosaurus, brontosaurus,
and any other saur or saurus.
They all lived here long before us.

You can find non-extinct dinosaurs here and here.

Red, White, and Blue Flowers on a (Nearly) Wordless Wednesday

Glass flowers can be found here.

The Buddha Story Contined ~ The Marriage Contest

In earlier posts, we have learned the story of the  Birthday of the Buddha, followed by A Fortunate Birth, and then the story of The Young Prince. 

Here, then, is the story of The Marriage Contest.

As the Prince grew older, his kindness made him well-loved by everyone who knew him. But his father worried that the young prince was too gentle and sensitive.  In order to be a great king, his King Shuddhodana reasoned, he needed to be strong and powerful.

 

The Prince Siddhartha, it seemed, preferred sitting along in the garden to learning how to rule a kingdom.  His father fretted that his son would leave the palace to follow a life like that of the holy man Asita.  And if he did that, he would never be a great king.

So, once again, King Shuddhodana sent for his trusted advisers, asking them what to do.  One pointed out that the Prince sat and dreamed of other worlds because he was not attached to anything in this world.  The solution, said the adviser, would be for the Prince to find a wife and have children.  This would quickly cure him of his dreaming, and he would be forced to learn how to rule the kingdom.

The King was intrigued by this idea.  He arranged a sumptuous banquet and invited the young women from all the noble families.  At the end of the evening, the Prince would give gifts to each of the guests while the advisers watched closely, hoping to see which of the young women Siddhartha favored.

The women, who were really still girls, were embarrassed.  Each grew even shyer when it was her turn to accept the Prince's gift.  Finally only one girl was left ~ Yasodhara, the daughter of a neighboring King.  Yasodhara was not shy, and when she approached, for the first time,  Siddhartha looked into her eyes.  Yasodhara was very beautiful and the Prince was attracted to her.  When Yasodhara asked where her gift was, the Prince realized he had given away all the gifts on the table.  Instead, he took the ring from his own finger and gave it to her.

This was all the advisers needs for encouragement.  They ran to the King and announced that Yasodhara was the prefect bride for his son.  But when her father met with the King, though he acknowledged that Prince Siddhartha was a fine young man, he was not willing to give his daughter up so easily.  Other young Princes wished to marry her, as well: young men skilled in riding and archery and other sports.  Yasodhara's father sad that, if  Siddhartha wished to marry Yasodhara, he would have to compete against the others.

And so a contest was arranged, with Yasodhara as the prize.  King Shuddhodana was worried. The Prince, after all, had never shown an interest in any games.  How could he ever win a competition?  But the prince assured his father that he would do whatever was necessary to win Yasodhara as his bride.  The first event was archery, and all the others did well.  Devadatra, Siddhartha's cousin, was one of the suitors, and his arrow not only hit the bull's eye; it went clear through the target.  As the crowd cheered,  even Yasodhara worried. How could Siddhartha beat that shot?  Would she be forced to marry Devadatra?

Siddhartha, however, was confident.  He set the target at the greatest distance.  When he pulled the arrow back on his bow, he was so strong that the bow snapped in half and he had to request a stronger bow.  The advisers conferred, finally offering an old bow in the palace that belonged to one of the greatest warriors.  Since his death, no one had been strong enough to string it, much less shoot it.

Siddhartha immediately agreed to use the historic bow.  He bent it and strung it easily, to everyone's amazement.   When he shot the arrow, it made a sound so loud it was heard in faraway villages, and the arrow hit the target so hard and fast that it didn't even slow down but, instead, continued until it was out of sight.

The crowd went wild.  But other contests remained.  Next was a contest of swordsmanship.  Each of the suitors chose a tree, and then slashed through it with his sword.  Each chose a bigger tree.  Each succeeded.  Finally it was Siddhartha's turn and he chose a tree with two trunks growing side-by-side.  When he cut through, he was so strong and his sword was so sharp, the tree didn't even fall.  It remained standing.  At first Yasodhara worried that Siddhartha had failed.  But a breeze swept through and blew over the trunks.  Again the crowd went wild, insisting that Siddhartha had won.  But a final contest remained: horsemanship.

There was a horse so wild it had never been ridden before.  Each suitor tried to mount the horse but none could remain on the horse's back for more than a few seconds.  One, in fact, was nearly trampled by the horse after he was thrown.   The crowd began to shout, urging the King to stop the contest before someone was killed.  But Siddhartha was not afraid. for he believed that gentleness was more powerful than brute strength.  Slowly he reached out and touched a tuft of hair on the horse's forehead.  Then speaking in a quiet voice, he calmed the horse, who began to lick Siddhartha's hand.  Still whispering,  Siddhartha climbed on the horse's back, paraded before the cheering crowd, and bowed to Yasodhara.

Siddhartha won the contest, not only through power and strength, but through gentleness and kindness.  And in winning the contest, he won the hand of Princess Yasodhara.

Buddha jewelry here.

The Buddha story in greater depth here.

To be continued...

Thoughts for Summer Solstice

~ by e.e. cummings ~

 

 i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday;this is the birth
day of life and love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any-lifted from the no
of all nothing-human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

earrings and ring

last green leaves before autumn


other photos