Monday, December 02, 2013

Mount Mansfield in Snow


11 comments:

  1. Gee, Mt. Mansfield is nearly as recognisable to me now as is Howard Dean!

    Here follows the evidently complete version of "The Internationale" that I remember from my youth. It seems to have been particularly associated with the Socialist Labor Party, which was too doctrinaire a Marxist party to ever gain a large following in the United States (but their newspaper published continuously for 117 years). When I have memorized it I may be the only person living who has--that's good fun! The words seem much more to resemble the French original than do either the traditional UK version or the Charles Kerr version (adopted with slight changes by the IWW) which is common in the USA.
    ---Alan
    ===========================

    THE INTERNATIONAL
    Marching Song of the Revolutionary Proletariat
    The Weekly People, April 26th, 1924.


    1.
    Stand up! Ye wretched ones who labor,
    Stand up! Ye galley-slaves of want.
    Man's reason thunders from its crater,
    'Tis th' eruption naught can daunt.
    Of the past let us cleanse the tables,
    Mass enslaved, fling back the call,
    Old Earth is changing her foundations,
    We have been nothing, now be all.

    (Chorus)
    'Tis the last call [cause] to battle!
    Close the ranks, each in place,
    The staunch old International
    Shall be the Human race.
    (Repeat Chorus)


    2.
    There are no saviors e'er will help us,
    Nor God, nor Caesar, nor Tribune,
    'Tis ours, O workers, must the blows be
    That shall win the common boon.
    From the thief to wring his stolen booty,
    From the its prison to free the soul.
    'Tis we ourselves must ply the bellows,
    'Tis we must beat the anvil's roll.
    (Chorus)

    3.
    The state is false, the law mockery,
    And exploitation bows us down;
    The rich man flaunts without a duty,
    And the poor man's rights are none.
    Long enough have we in swaddling languished,
    Lo, Equality's new law
    "Away with rights that know no duties,
    Away with duties shorn of rights."
    (Chorus)

    4.
    All hideous in their brutal lordship
    Stand king of mill and mine and rail.
    When have they e'er performed a service,
    Or at work done aught but quail?
    In the coffers of these robber barons,
    Blind the world's great wealth is thrown,
    In summ'ning them to restitution,
    The people seeks but what's its own.
    (Chorus)

    5.
    Toilers from shop and field united,
    The Party we of all who work;
    The earth belongs to those who labor,
    Hence! the idler and the shirk!
    Say, how many on our flesh have feasted?
    But if all this vampire flight
    Should vanish from the sky some morning,
    The sun will still shine on us as bright!
    (Chorus)

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    Replies
    1. Strong stuff. I particularly like Verse 4. I shouldn't sing it too loud if I were you, though, Alan - not in today's America.

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    2. Wow, those guys were having a really bad time. It's still there in our world overtly in some places and quietly in others. I understand the line "The earth belongs to those who labor" but is it true? I think we belong to the Earth, not so much the other way around.

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    3. The French original has a verse that is often omitted for reasons that should be obvious; here is a literal English translation:

      "The kings made us drunk with fumes,
      Peace among us, war to the tyrants!
      Let the armies go on strike,
      Stocks in the air, and break ranks.
      If they insist, these cannibals
      On making heroes of us,
      They will know soon that our bullets
      Are for our own generals."

      Now THAT is strong stuff, non? And I will be singing it only for my own enjoyment; it's a good tune. I also enjoy singing "The Bonnie Blue Flag," and that doesn't make me a traitor.

      Rumors of frost Wednesday night...

      --Alan

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  2. Pretty photo!

    Mum thinks Howard lives at least part time in (metro) D.C. nowadays. If that is so, he could just declare that apartment his permanent residence for campaign purposes. Oh, wouldn't it be *wonderful* to have a Dean campaign to work for again? I almost don't want to hope for such a gift. And, if he should win! What a wonderful world this would be...to coin a phrase.

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    Replies
    1. Dean/Sanders 2016
      A Team to Scream For

      What do you guys think? Should I re-establish my CafePress account and start making buttons and bumper stickers?

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    2. In our dreams, Cat!

      There is no way that a ticket could have two people from the same state, especially one as small and progressive as Vermont.

      But it sure does lift the heart to imagine it!

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  3. Alan, the funny thing about today's photo out front is that you can't see any grass anymore as it's snow covered. Temps this week may melt it off, but more will soon come…I hope! It's so beautiful here now, and the sledding has been excellent!

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  4. Demetrius is working crazy late hours. Hooray for the work, but boo for hardly having any time together.

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    Replies
    1. Boo that your Sweetie is working late hours, Renee. It's that way here sometimes, so I send you my best commiserations! ♥

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  5. Hmm...thought I updated my profile pic.

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