The Swan of Tuonela is a tone poem by Jean Sibelius. This legendary story is drawn from the Kalevala epic of Finnish mythology, where a mystical swan swims around Tuonela.




tuonela

she was flying

tonight

toward

the north

as clouds

in foment

swirled

from the

west

the cygnus

of

my heart

and

elder

bowed

and

swirled

in dervish daze

before

her may blown

majesty

and

in her

dark

spark

black

eyes

I see

the glow

of

eternity

as

spines

run cold

as when

of old

she

swam

the

river

broad

eternally

 

 

 

 

 





Poetry by Peter Humphreys The PoetBay support member heart!
Read 799 times
Written on 2007-05-19 at 02:51

Tags Swans  Legend  Myth 

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Mark J. Wood
I had to like this before I read it; as soon as I saw "Tuonela" and heard the beginning of the Finnish straining through (though not a strain to listen to that) and was immediately taken back to the late Seventies when I bought the 7 symphonies and some other pieces by the god of the fens. All old recordings with him himself there or conducting.

I think that I'll get number 5 out tonight and annoy the gorgon.

Mark.

Poem: like the music (and, like the music).
2007-05-21