Tuesday, April 19, 2005

Ophelia

from "Desolation Row"
by Bob Dylan

Now Ophelia, she's 'neath the window
For her I feel so afraid
On her twenty-second birthday
She already is an old maid
To her, death is quite romantic
She wears an iron vest
Her profession is her religion
Her sin is her lifelessness
And though her eyes are fixed upon
Noah's great rainbow
She spends her time peeking
Into Desolation Row


from "Hamlet"
by W. Shakespeare

LAERTES:
And in the morn and liquid dew of youth
Contagious blastments are most imminent.
Be wary, then; best safety lies in fear:
Youth to itself rebels, though none else near.

OPHELIA:
I shall the effect of this good lesson keep
As watchman to my heart. But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads
And recks not his own rede.

2 Comments:

Blogger fred burgess! said...

I picked up an eight-week old, black lab puppy a week ago and named her Ophelia. Hence, the post.

There is a theme though, I think, between the two passages.

1:12 PM  
Blogger fred burgess! said...

Also, I'm pretty sure Shakespeare made up the word "blastment."

1:21 PM  

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