2112

(Rush)



"I lie awake, staring out at the bleakness
of Megadon. City and sky become one, merging
into a single plane, a vast sea of unbroken
grey. The Twin Moons, just two pale orbs as
they trace their way across the steely sky.
I used to think I had a pretty good life here,
just plugging into my machine for the day,
then watching Templevision or reading a Temple
Paper in the evening. My friend Jon always
said it was nicer here than under the atmospheric
domes of the Outer Planets. We have had peace
since 2062, when the surviving planets were
banded together under the Red Star of the Solar
Federation. The less fortunate gave us a few new
moons. I believed what I was told. I thought it
was a good life, I thought I was happy.
Then I found something that changed it all..."

Anonymous, 2112

I. Overture

"And the meek shall inherit the earth."

II. Temples of Syrinx

... "The massive grey walls of the Temples
rise from the heart of every Federation city.
I have always been awed by them, to think that
every single facet of every life is regulated
and directed from within! Our books, our music,
our work and play are all looked after by the
benevolent wisdom of the priests..."

We've taken care of everything
The words you hear the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes.

It's one for all and all for one
We work together common sons
Never need to wonder how or why.

We are the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers
Fill the hallowed halls
We are the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life
Are held within our walls

Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the Brotherhood of Man
Oh what a nice contented world!
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand.

We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers
Fill the hallowed halls
We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life
Are held within our walls

III. Discovery

... "Behind my beloved waterfall, in the
little room that was hidden beneath the cave,
I found it. I brushed away the dust of the years,
and picked it up, holding it reverently in my
hands. I had no idea what it might be, but it
was beautiful”...

... "I learned to lay my fingers across the wires,
and to turn the keys to make them sound differently.
As I struck the wires with my other hand, I produced
my first harmonious sounds, and soon my own music!
How different it could be from the music
of the Temples!

I can't wait to tell the priests about it! ..."

What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It's got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing are that I found?

See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Sounds that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently like rain.

I can't wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The Priests praise my name on this night.

IV. Presentation

... "In the sudden silence as I finished playing,
I looked up to a circle of grim, expressionless faces.
Father Brown rose to his feet, and his somnolent voice
echoed throughout the silent Temple Hall.”...

... "Instead of the grateful joy that I expected,
they were words of quiet rejection! Instead of praise,
sullen dismissal. I watched in shock and horror as Father
Brown ground my precious instrument to splinters
beneath his feet..."

I know it's most unusual
To come before you so
But I've found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.

Yes, we know it's nothing new
It's just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
The world is doing fine

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan.

I can't believe you're saying
These things just can't be true
Our world could use this beauty
Just think what we might do.

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.

Don't annoy us further
We have our work to do.
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan.

V. Oracle: The Dream

... "I guess it was a dream, but even now it all
seems so vivid to me. Clearly yet I see the
beckoning hand of the oracle as he stood at the
summit of the staircase”...

... "I see still the incredible beauty of the
sculptured cities and the pure spirit of man revealed
in the lives and works of this world. I was overwhelmed
by both wonder and understanding as I saw a completely
different way to life, a way that had been crushed
by the Federation long ago. I saw now how meaningless
life had become with the loss of all these things...”

I wandered home though the silent streets
And fell into a fitful sleep
Escape to realms beyond the night
Dream can't you show me the light?

I stand atop a spiral stair
An oracle confronts me there
He leads me on light years away
Through astral nights, galactic days

I see the works of gifted hands
That grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes

They left the planet long ago
The elder race still learn and grow
Their power grows with purpose strong
To claim the home where they belong
Home, to tear the Temples down...
Home, to change.

VI. Soliloquy

... "I have not left this cave for days now, it has
become my last refuge in my total despair. I have only
the music of the waterfall to comfort me now. I can
no longer live under the control of the Federation,
but there is no other place to go. My last hope is
that with my death I may pass into the world of my
dream, and know peace at last."

The sleep is still in my eyes
The dream is still in my head
I heave a sigh and sadly smile
And lie a while in bed
I wish that it might come to pass
Not fade like all my dreams

Just think of what my life might be
In a world like I have seen
I don't think I can carry on
Carry on this cold and empty life
Oh...no.

My spirits are low in the depths of despair
My lifeblood spills over.

VII. The Grand Finale

Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
Attention all Planets of the Solar Federation
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.
We have assumed control.


(Imagem: do argentino Juan Gimenez. Via Sci-fi-rama)

cygnus x-1 book II

(Rush)

I. Prelude
When our weary world was young
The struggle of the ancients first began.
The gods of Love and Reason
Sought alone to rule the fate of Man.

They battled through the ages,
But still neither force would yield.
The people were divided,
Every soul a battlefield.

II. Apollo Bringer of Wisdom
"I bring truth and understanding,
I bring wit and wisdom fair,
Precious gifts beyond compare.
We can build a world of wonder,
I can make you all aware.
I will find you food and shelter,
Show you fire to keep you warm
Through the endless winter storm.
You can live in grace and comfort
In the world that you transform."

The people were delighted
Coming forth to claim their prize
They ran to build their cities
And converse among the wise.
But one day the streets fell silent,
Yet they knew not what was wrong.
The urge to build these fine things
Seemed not to be so strong.
The wise men were consulted,
And the Bridge of Death was crossed
In quest of Dionysus,
To find out what they had lost.

III. Dionysus Bringer of Love
"I bring love to give you solace
In the darkness of the night,
In the Heart's eternal light.
You need only trust your feelings;
Only love can steer you right.
I bring laughter, I bring music,
I bring joy and I bring tears.
I will soothe your primal fears.
Throw off those chains of reason
And your prison disappears."

The cities were abandoned,
And the forests echoed song.
They danced and lived as brothers;
They knew love could not be wrong.
Food and wine they had aplenty
And they slept beneath the stars.
The people were contented
And the Gods watched from afar.
But the winter fell upon them
And it caught them unprepared,
Bringing wolves and cold starvation,
And the hearts of men despaired.

IV. Armageddon The Battle of Heart and Mind
The Universe divided
As the Heart and Mind collided,
With the people left unguided
For so many troubled years.
In a cloud of doubts and fears,
Their world was torn asunder into hollow Hemispheres.

Some fought themselves, some fought each other.
Most just followed one another,
Lost and aimless like their brothers,
For their hearts were so unclear,
And the truth could not appear.
Their spirits were divided into blinded Hemispheres.

Some who did not fight
Brought tales of old to light.
My Rocinante' sailed by night
On her final flight.
To the heart of Cygnus' fearsome force
We set our course.
Spiralled through that timeless space
To this immortal place.
V. Cygnus Bringer of Balance
I have memory and awareness,
But I have no shape or form.
As a disembodied spirit,
I am dead and yet unborn.
I have passed into Olympus
As was told in tales of old,
To the city of Immortals,
Marble white and purest gold.

I see the gods in battle rage on high
Thunderbolts across the sky.
I cannot move, I cannot hide,
I feel a silent scream begin inside.

Then all at once the chaos ceased.
A stillness fell, a sudden peace.
The warriors felt my silent cry
And stayed their struggle, mystified.

Apollo was atonished;
Dionysus thought me mad.
But they heard my story further,
And they wondered, and were sad.

Looking down from Olympus
On a world of doubt and fear,
Its surface splintered
Into sorry Hemispheres.

They sat a while in silence,
Then they turned at last to me.
"We will call you Cygnus,
The god of Balance you shall be."

VI. The Sphere A Kind of Dream
We can walk our road together
If our goals are all the same.
We can run alone and free
If we pursue a different aim.
Let the truth of love be lighted,
Let the love of truth shine clear.
Sensibility, armed with sense and liberty,
With the Heart and Mind united in a single perfect Sphere.

(letra via google, no primeiro link que encontrei. Imagem AQUI)

cygnus x-1 book I

(Rush)



Book One - The Voyage Prologue


In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1

Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...

1

Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die

All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force

Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized --- at the core
Or through the Astral Door ---
To soar...

2

I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way

On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery

The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the Black Hole ---
Gains control...

3

Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending

Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....

To be continued

("Neil Peart, baterista e letrita, sempre se mostrou fã de longos épicos de fantasia medieval e espacial. Cygnus X-1 começa no disco "Farewell to kings", com os preparativos para uma viagem espacial; e termina no álbum seguinte, um ano depois, com a viagem propriamente dita, que chega a um final poesia-pura. Ao todo são 28 minutos de Rush". Texto e links Via "Tente outra vez")