Spanish . . .

(from Don Juan by George Gordon Lord Byron)


. . . "My boy!" said he, "amidst this motley crew
Of Georgians, Russians, Nubians, and what not,
All ragamuffins differing but in hue,
With whom it is our luck to cast our lot,
The only gentlemen seem I and you;
So let us be acquainted, as we ought:
If I could yield you any consolation,
'T would give me pleasure. — Pray, what is your nation?"

When Juan answer'd — "Spanish!" he replied,
"I thought, in fact, you could not be a Greek;
Those servile dogs are not so proudly eyed:
Fortune has play'd you here a pretty freak,
But that's her way with all men, till they're tried;
But never mind, — she'll turn, perhaps, next week;
She has served me also much the same as you,
Except that I have found it nothing new."

"Pray, sir," said Juan, "if I may presume,
What brought you here?" — "Oh! nothing very rare —
Six Tartars and a drag-chain." — "To this doom
But what conducted, if the question's fair,
Is that which I would learn." — "I served for some
Months with the Russian army here and there,
And taking lately, by Suwarrow's bidding,
A town, was ta'en myself instead of Widdin.". . . 

"Have you no friends?" — "I had — but, by God's blessing,
Have not been troubled with them lately. Now
I have answer'd all your questions without pressing,
And you an equal courtesy should show.'
"Alas!" said Juan, "'t were a tale distressing,
And long besides." — "Oh! if 't is really so,
You're right on both accounts to hold your tongue;
A sad tale saddens doubly, when't is long.


"But droop not: Fortune at your time of life,
Although a female moderately fickle,
Will hardly leave you (as she's not your wife)
For any length of days in such a pickle.
To strive, too, with our fate were such a strife
As if the corn-sheaf should oppose the sickle:
Men are the sport of circumstances, when
The circumstances seem the sport of men.". . .

What do you think?

Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html  or at
http://www.ohomusic.com 


OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak.  Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com 


My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser:  http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

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Music. . .

There's music in the sighing of a reed;
There's music in the gushing of a rill;
There's music in all things, if men had ears:
Their earth is but an echo of the spheres.
~Lord Byron

Music is the poetry of the air.
~Jean Paul Richter

Music is the mediator between the spiritual and the sensual life.
~Ludwig van Beethoven

Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn.
~Charlie Parker

He who hears music, feels his solitude peopled at once.
~Robert Browning

Music, when soft voices die
Vibrates in the memory -
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without.
~Confucius

When you hear music, after it's over, it's gone, in the air. You can never capture it again.
~Eric Dolphy

Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is the best...
~Frank Zappa

Speaking of music, some folks in Baltimore will be hearing compositions by Baltimore Composers Forum members Garth Baxter, Rose Bridges, Jin-Hwa Choi, Ian Hockett, Ljiljana Jovanovic, WIlliam Milner, Vivian A. Rudow, Ariyo Shahry (and me-Ray Jozwiak) performed by Andrea Ceccomori a with pianist Elitza Harbova this Saturday at An Die Musik.

See the following links if you'd like to hear more about the concert/and a solo performance of the piece.
http://www.baltimorecomposersforum.com/concerts.html
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/#section2A
http://www.ourstage.com/tracks/TMYIXDMKNAGQ-always-you

(Hear my music at http://www.rayjozwiak.com)