Le Fonti Di Octopus Riportiamo le fonti poetiche inglesi del brano Octopus di Syd Barrett. Le interessanti ricerche sono state eseguite da Maurizio Curadi che ringraziamo. William Shakespeare, “Henry the VI” (1592) Act 1, Scene 1-3 – dragon’s wings, ghost, tower Mr. Nobody By Anonymous I know a funny little man, As quiet as a mouse, Who does the mischief that is done In everybody’s house! There’s no one ever sees his face, And yet we all agree That every plate we break was cracked By Mr. Nobody. ’Tis he who always tears out books, Who leaves the door ajar, He pulls the buttons from our shirts, And scatters pins afar; That squeaking door will always squeak, For prithee, don’t you see, We leave the oiling to be done By Mr. Nobody. The finger marks upon the door By none of us are made; We never leave the blinds unclosed, To let the curtains fade. The ink we never spill; the boots That lying round you see Are not our boots,—they all belong To Mr. Nobody. from: The Golden Book of Poetry (1947) Rilloby-Rill Grasshoppers four a-fiddling went, Heigh-ho! never be still! They earned but little towards their rent But all day long with their elbows bent They fiddled a tune called Rilloby-rilloby, Fiddled a tune called Rilloby-rill. Grasshoppers soon on Fairies came, Heigh-ho! never be still! Fairies asked with a manner of blame, "Where do you come from, what is your name? What do you want with your Rilloby-rilloby, What do you want with your Rilloby-rill?" "Madam, you see before you stand, Heigh-ho! never be still! The Old Original Favourite Grand Grasshopper's Green Herbarian Band, And the tune we play is Rilloby-rilloby, Madam, the tune is Rilloby-rill." Fairies hadn't a word to say, Heigh-ho! never be still! Fairies seldom are sweet by day, But the Grasshoppers merrily fiddled away, O but they played with a willoby-rilloby, O but they played with a willoby-will! Fairies slumber and sulk at noon, Heigh-ho! never be still! But at last the kind old motherly moon Brought them dew in a silver spoon, And they turned to ask for Rilloby-rilloby, One more round of Rilloby-rill. Ah! but nobody now replied, Heigh-ho! never be still! When day went down the music died, Grasshoppers four lay side by side, And there was an end of their Rilloby-rilloby, There was an end of their Rilloby-rill. by Henry Newbolt, Sir (1862-1938) from Poems: New and Old (1912) Isn’t it good to be lost in the wood – see Kenneth Grahame “Wind in the Willows” (1908) chapter 3 (The Wild Wood) Fairy Things by John Clare (1793-1864) Grey lichens, mid thy hills of creeping thyme, Grow like to fairy forests hung with rime; And fairy money-pots are often found That spring like little mushrooms out of ground, Some shaped like cups and some in slender trim Wineglasses like, that to the very rim Are filled with little mystic shining seed; We thought our fortunes promising indeed, Expecting by and by ere night to find Money ploughed up of more substantial kind. Acres of little yellow weeds, The wheat-field's constant blooms, That ripen into prickly seeds For fairy curry-combs, To comb and clean the little things That draw their nightly wain; And so they scrub the beetle's wings Till he can fly again. And flannel felt for the bed of the queen From the soft inside of the shell of the bean, Where the gypsies down in the lonely dells Had littered and left the plundered shells. from “Selected Poems”, James Reeves’ anthology (1954) There was an Old Man on the Border by Edward Lear, from A Book of Nonsense (1846) There was an old man on the Border, Who lived in the utmost disorder; He danced with the cat, and made tea in his hat, Which vexed all the folks on the Border. Huff the talbot and our cat Tib They took up sword and shield, Tib for the red rose, Huff for the white, To fight upon Bosworth field. from: Mother Goose - Nursery Rhyme William Shakespeare, “Henry the VI” Act 1, Scene 1 – Lord Talbot "Now for a frolic, now for a leap! Now for a madcap galloping chase! I'll make a commotion in every place!" from ‘The Wind In A Frolic’ in “Forest Minstrel and Other Poems” by William Howitt (1792 –1879) The winds they did blow, The leaves they did wag, Along came a beggar-boy, And put me in his bag. from: The Squirrel (traditional folk song) OCTOPUS Trip to heave and ho, up down, to and fro' you have no word trip, trip to a dream dragon hide your wings in a ghost tower sails cackling at every plate we break cracked by scattered needles the little minute gong coughs and clears his throat madam you see before you stand hey ho, never be still the old original favorite grand grasshoppers green Herbarian band and the tune they play is "In Us Confide" so trip to heave and ho, up down, to and fro' you have no word….. Please leave us here close our eyes to the octopus ride! Isn't it good to be lost in the wood isn't it bad so quiet there, in the wood meant even less to me than I thought with a honey plough of yellow prickly seeds clover honey pots and mystic shining feed... Well, the madcap laughed at the man on the border hey ho, huff the Talbot "Cheat" he cried shouting kangaroo it's true in their tree they cried Please leave us here close our eyes to the octopus ride! (Sit up, touching hips to a madcap galloping chase…) The madcap laughed at the man on the border hey ho, huff the Talbot the winds they blew and the leaves did wag they'll never put me in their bag the seas will reach and always seep so high you go, so low you creep the wind it blows in tropical heat the drones they throng on mossy seats the squeaking door will always squeak two up, two down we'll never meet so merrily trip forgo my side Please leave us here close our eyes to the octopus ride! La Redazione