The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.

The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.
Music: David Bedford with extracts from Tielman Susato's Basse Danse 'La Mourisque'.
Lyrics: Extracts from the Poem By Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Part 1.

The Mariner tells how the ship sailed southward
with a good wind and fair weather.

The ship driven by a storm toward the South Pole.

The land of ice, and of fearful sounds
where no living thing was to be seen.

Till a great sea bird, called the Albatross,
came through the snow-fog,
and was received with great joy and hospitality.

The ancient Mariner inhospitably killeth
the pious bird of good omen.

The fair breeze continues;
the ship enters the Pacific Ocean, and sails northward.

The ship hath been suddenly becalmed.

And the Albatross begins to be avenged.

The ancient Mariner beholdeth a sign in the element afar off.

It seemeth him but the skeleton of a ship.

And its ribs are seen as bars on the face of the setting Sun.

The Spectre-Woman and her Death-mate,
and no other on board the skeleton ship.

Death and Life-in-Death have diced for the ship's crew,
and she (the latter) winneth the ancient Mariner.

No twilight within the courts of the Sun.

At the rising of the Moon,

One after another,

His shipmates drop down dead.

Part 2.

In his loneliness and fixedness he yearneth
towards the journeying Moon,
and the stars that still sojourn, yet still move onward;
and every where the blue sky belongs to them,
and is their appointed rest, and their native country
and their own natural homes,
which they enter unannounced,
as lords that are certainly expected
and yet there is a silent joy at their arrival.

The spell begins to break.

The ancient Mariner is refreshed with rain.

The bodies of the ship's crew are inspired,
and the ship moves on;

He heareth sounds and seeth strange sights
and commotions in the sky and the element.

The Mariner hath been cast into a trance;
for the power causeth the vessel to drive northward
faster than human life could endure.

The curse is finally expiated.

And the Mariner beholdeth his native country.

And ever and anon through out his future life
an agony constraineth him to travel from land to land;

And to teach, by his own example,
love and reverence to all things.

The full text of the poem can be found here.

The Rio Grande.
Traditional Sea Shanty.

We're homeward bound across the blue sea.
Going home.
We're homeward bound across the blue sea,
And we're bound for the old country.
Then away, love, away.
Going home.
We're homeward bound this very day,
And we're bound for the old country.

The sails are unfurled and the anchor's aweigh.
Going home.
She heels to the breeze as she gathers her way,
And we're bound for the old country.
Then away, love, away.
Going home.
We're homeward bound this very day,
And we're bound for the old country.

We're homeward bound across the blue sea.
Going home.
We're homeward bound across the blue sea,
And we're bound for the old country.
Then away, love, away.
Going home.
We're homeward bound this very day,
And we're bound for the old country.

Nurses Song With Elephants.

Nurse's Song With Elephants.
Music: David Bedford.
Lyrics: Nurses Song, Poem by William Blake.

When voices of children are heard on the green,
And whisperings are in the dale,
The days of my youth rise fresh in my mind,
My face turns green and pale.

Then come home, my children, the sun is gone down,
And the dews of night arise;
Your spring and your day are wasted in play,
And your winter and night in disguise.

Star Clusters, Nebulae & Places In Devon/The Song Of The White Horse.

Star Clusters, Nebulae & Places in Devon
Music: David Bedford.
Lyrics: The text for Choir 1 taken from various astonomical catalogues, the text for Choir 2 from Devon maps and signposts.

Choir 1.

The Great Nebula in Andromeda
The Whirlpool Nebula in Canes Venatici
Spiral Nebula in Triangulum
Globular Star Cluster in Hydra
The Great Lagoon Nebula in Sagittarius
Star Cluster in Cassiopeia
Star Cluster in Perseus
Bode's Nebula in Ursa Mayor

The Owl Nebula in Ursa Mayor
Nebula in Eridanus
The Crab Nebula in Taurus
Star Cluster in Auriga
Globular Star Cluster in Serpens
Ring Nebula in Hydra
Great Star Cluster in Hercules

The Horseshoe Nebula in Sagittarius
The Veil Nebula in Cygnus
The Horsehead Nebula in Orion
The Coalsack in Cygnus
Globular Star Cluster in Pegasus
The Keyhole Nebula in Eta Carina
The Great Nebula in Orion

Choir 2.

Cullompton
Bovey Tracey (pronounced "Buvvy" Tracey)
Starcross
Ipplepen
Dunchideock
Little Hempston
Cheriton Bishop

Sticklepath
Dunnabridge Pound
Lustleigh Cleave
Newton Poppleford
Torcross
Chivelstone
Mary Tavy

Rippon Tor
Drizzlecombe
Hope's Nose
Cater's Beam
Hangingstone Hill
Penn Moor
Black Ridge

Murchington
Belstone Corner
Hollow Moor
Black Dog
Yes Tor
North Radworthy
High Willhays

The Song Of The White Horse.
Music: David Bedford.
Lyrics: Words selected from "The Ballad of the White Horse" By G.K. Chesterton.

1. Before the gods that made the gods had seen their sunrise pass
The White Horse of the White Horse Vale was cut out the grass.
Before the gods that made the gods had drunk at dawn their fill,
The White Horse of the White Horse Vale was old upon the hill.
Age beyond age on British land, aeons on aeons gone.
Was peace and war in western hills and the White Horse looked on.
For the White Horse knew England, when there was none to know,
He saw the first oar break or bend, he saw heav'n fall and the world end,
Oh god how long ago. For the end of the world was long ago and
All we dwell today, as children of some second birth
Like a strange people left on earth after a judgement day.

2. There was not English armour left, nor any English thing
When Alfred came to Athelney to be an English king;
For earthquake swallowing earthquake uprent the Wessex tree,
The whirlpool of the pagan sway had swirled his sires as sticks away
When a flood smites the sea. And the great kings of Wessex,
Wearied and sank in gore and e'en their ghosts in that great stress
Grow greyer and greyer, less and less, with the lords that died in Lyonesse,
And the king than comes no more, and naught was left King Alfred
But shameful tears of rage.
He was broken to his knee, and he read writ with an iron pen
That God had wearied of Wessex men, and giv'n their country field and fen
To the devils of the sea.

3. By the yawning tree in the twilight the king unbound his sword;
Severed the harp of all his goods and there in the cool and soundless woods
Sounded a single chord, then laughed and watched the finches flash,
The sullen flies in swarm, and went unarmed over the hills with a harp upon his arm.
Until he came to the White Horse Vale, and saw across the plains
In the twilight high and far and fell like the fiery terraces of hell
The campfires of the Danes, the fires of the great army that was made of iron men,
And as he went by White Horse Down the Great White Horse was grey
For it was ill scoured of the weed, and lichen and thorns could crawl and shed
Since the Foes of house and creed had swept old works away.

4. King Guthrum was a dread king like death out of the north,
Shrines without name or number he rent and rolled as lumber;
From Chester to the Humber he drove his foemen forth.
Sheer o'er the great chalk uplands and the Hill of the Horse went he,
Till high on Hampshire beacons he saw the southern sea.
High on the heights of Wessex he saw the southern brine;
And turned him to a conquered land, and where the north woods stand,
And the road parts on either hand, there came to him a sign.
King Guthrum was a war-chief, a wise man in the field,
And though he prospered well and knew how Alfred's folk were sad and few,
Not less with care he drew long lines for pike and shield.

5. Then Alfred, King of England bade blow the horns of war,
And fling the golden dragon out with crackle and acclaim and shout.
Scrolled and aflame and far and under the golden dragon
Went Wessex all along past the sharp point of the ways,
Out from the black wood into the blaze of sun and steel and song,
And when they came to the open land, they wheeled, deployed and stood.
Midmost were Marcus and the King and Eldred on the right hand wing,
And leftwards Colan darkling in the last shade of the wood.
The saddles rode and swayed, and a stir of horses' manes where
Guthrum and a few rode high on horses seized in victory.
But Ogier went on foot to die in the old way of the Danes.

6. Vainly the sword of Colan and the axe of Alfred plied,
The Danes poured in like a brainless plague and knew not when they died.
Prince Colan slew a score of them and was stricken to his knee
King Alfred slew a score and seven and was borne back on a tree
Back to the black gates of the woods, back up the single way,
Back by the place of the parting ways the knights were whirled away,
And when they came to the parting way doom's heaviest hammer fell,
For the King was beaten, blind, at bay down the line with his array,
But Colan swept the other way where he smote great strokes and fell.
The woods over Ethandune stand as sharp and thick as spears
By night and forest harms, far sundered were the friends in arms.

7. Barriers go backwards, banners rend, great shields groan like a gong.
Horses like horns of nightmare neigh horribly and long.
Horses ramp high and rock and boil and break their golden reins,
And slide on carnage clamorously down where the blood doth lie,
Where Ogier went on foot to die in the old way of the Danes.
"The high tide", King Alfred cried, "the high tide and the turn;
"As a tide turns on the tall grey seas, see how they waver in the trees,
"How stray their spears, how knock their knees, how wild their watch-fires burn,
"The Mother of God goes over them, walking on wind and flame,
"And the storm cloud shifts from city and dale and the White Horse stamps in the White Horse Vale".

Postlude
And it fell in the days of Alfred, in the days of his repose,
That as old customs in his sight were a straight road to steady light,
He bade them keep the White Horse white as the first plume of the snows,
And right to the red torchlight to the trouble of morning grey,
They stripped the White Horse of his grass, as they strip it to this day.

These lyrics are taken from the CD sleeve notes. They do not seem to match the original poem in certain places. One example being on the fourth line of the first verse, which says, "The White Horse of the White Horse Vale was old upon the hill" but the original line is "The White Horse of the White Horse Vale was hoary on the hill". The full poem may be found here.

The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner Live.

The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner.
Music: By David Bedford, 'Hanging Johnny', a traditional Sea Shanty and extracts from Tielman Susato's Basse Danse 'La Mourisque'.
Lyrics: 'The Rio Grande' and 'Hanging Johnny', traditional Sea Shantys and Extracts from the poem 'The Rime Of The Ancient Mariner' By Samuel Taylor Coleridge .

The wedding guest sat on a stone,
He cannot choose but hear,
And thus spake on that ancient man,
The bright-eyed Mariner.

The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,
Hey ho and away we go,
The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared,
Hey ho and away we go.

The sun came up upon the left,
Hey ho and away we go,
Out of the sea came he,
Hey ho and away we go.

And he shone bright, and on the right
Hey ho and away we go,
Went down into the sea,
Hey ho and away we go.

Higher and higher each day,
Hey ho and away we go,
Till over the mast at noon,
Hey ho and away we go.

Well they call me hanging Johnny,
Away-I-Oh
But I never hanged nobody,
So hang boys hang.

They say I hanged my mother,
Away-I-Oh
My sister and my brother,
So hang boys hang.

They say I hang for money,
Away-I-Oh
But hanging is not funny,
So hang boys hang,

A rope, a beam, a ladder,
Away-I-Oh
Well hang you all together,
So hang boys hang.

We'll hang it all together,
Away-I-Oh
We'll hang for better weather,
So hang boys hang,
Hang.

Well they call me hanging Johnny,
Away-I-Oh
But I never hanged nobody,
So hang boys hang.

Beyond the shadow of the ship,
He watched the water-snakes,
They moved in tracks of shining white,
And when they reared, the elfish light,
Fell off in hoary flakes.

Within the shadow of the ship,
He watched their rich attire,
Blue, glossy green, and velvet black,
They coiled and swam; and every track,
Was a flash of golden fire.

O happy living things! no tongue,
Their beauty might declare,
A spring of love gushed from my heart,
And I blessed them unaware.

We blessed them unaware.
We blessed them unaware.
We blessed them unaware.
We blessed them unaware.

He blessed them unaware.

[The Rio Grande lyrics]

Farewell, but this I tell,
To thee, thou Wedding-Guest!
He prayeth well, who loveth well,
Both man and bird and beast.

He prayeth best, who loveth best,
All things both great and small;
For the dear God who loveth us
He made and loveth all.

The ship was cheered, the harbour cleared, [*8]

I am reasonably sure the lyrics are accurate up to this point. Unfortunately I had great difficulty discerning the lyrics for last three minuets of the piece. So what follows is a very inaccurate, best guess with missing passages. If you can help fill in the missing passages and provide corrections please contact me. I would be most grateful.

The sails are furled and your journey's done,
?
The sails are furled and your journey's done,
?
To your own country at last you come,
?
To your own country at last you come,
?

[MISSING PASSAGE]

We're homeward bound across the blue sea.
Going home.
We're homeward bound across the blue sea,
And we're bound for the old country.
Then away, love, away.
Going home.
We're homeward bound this very day,
And we're bound for the old country.