I am Taliesin

I am Taliesin

by

I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
Published on November 13th, 2009, 1:08 pm
Rift: Arts

Today I watched a small documentary, and one of the historical figures was Welsh poet and prophet Taliesin. Thought it was worth a share:

"Primary chief bard am I to Elphin,
And my original country is the region of the summer stars;
Idno and Heinin called me Merddin,
At length every king will call me Taliesin.

5. I was with my Lord in the highest sphere,
On the fall of Lucifer into the depth of hell
I have borne a banner before Alexander;
I know the names of the stars from north to the south;
I have been on the Galaxy at the throne of the Distributor;

10. I was in Canaan when Absalom was slain;
I conveyed Awen [the Divine Spirit] to the level of the vale of Hebron
I was in the court of Dôn before the birth of Gwydion.
I was instructor to Eli and Enoch;
I have been winged by the genius of the splendid crozier;

15. I have been loquacious prior to being gifted with speech;
I was at the place of the crucifixion of the merciful son of God;
I have been three periods in the prison of Arianrhod;
I have been the chief director of the work of the tower of Nimrod;
I am a wonder whose origin is not known.

20. I have been in Asia with Noah in the Ark,
I have witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah;
I have been in India when Rome was built;
I am now come here to the remnant of Troia.
I have been with my Lord in the manger of the ass;

25. I strenghtened Moses through the waters of Jordan;
I have been in the firmament with Mary Magdalene;
I have obtained the muse from the Cauldron of Caridwen;
I have been bard of the harp to Lleon of Lochlin.
I have been on the White Hill, in the court of Cynvelyn,

30. For a year and a day in stocks and fetters,
I have suffered hunger for the Son of the Virgin,
I have been fostered in the land of the Deity,
I have been teacher to all intelligences,
I am able to instruct the whole universe.

35. I shall be until the day of doom on the face of the earth;
And it is not known if my body is flesh or fish.
Then I was for nine months
In the womb of the hag Caridwen;
I was originally little Gwion,
And at length I am Taliesin."

I have Deep Purple's Album- The Book of Taliesyn although what 'Kentucky Woman', "We can work it out' and 'River Deep, Mountain High' have to do with 14th century Welsh poems always eluded me. This is the only track than mentions Taliesyn

Listen, Learn, Read On
(Blackmore/Lord/Evans)

In ages past when spells were cast
In a time of men and steel
Where a man was taught no special thing
It was all done by feel

So listen, so learn, so read on
You gotta turn the page, read the book of Taliesyn
Hear the song of lovely Joan
Her sound so sweet and clear
In the courtroom of the King
Among dukedom and the peers

So listen, so learn, so read on
You gotta turn the page, read the book of Taliesyn
Now hear ye the words of Taliesyn
On the foaming beach of the ocean, in the day of trouble
I shall be of more service to thee than three hundred salmon...

The hare he bounds across the page
Past castles white and fair
To dreaming chessmen on their boards
Where the fool's mate is a snare

So listen, so learn, so read on
You gotta turn the page, read the book of Taliesyn
So listen, so learn, so read on
You gotta turn the page, read the book of Taliesyn
Three times I have been born, I know through meditation...

The bird he flies the distance
From pages two to six
Past minstrels in their boxes
To the waters of the snakes

So listen, so learn, so read on
You gotta turn the page, read the book of Taliesyn
Don't take the pictures lightly
Listen to their sound
For from their coloured feeling
Experience is found

So listen, so learn, so read on
You gotta turn the page, read the book of Taliesyn
All the sciences of the world are collected in my breast
For I know what has been, what is now
And what hereafter will occur...

That wasn't my favourite track on the album though, this was:

I think marijuana is required for complete understanding.