Finally!

BARITONE
Oh friends, not these tones!
Let us raise our voices in more
pleasing and more joyful sounds!

ODE TO JOY (Friedrich Schiller)

BARITONE, QUARTET, AND CHORUS
Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

May he who has had the fortune
To gain a true friend
And he who has won a noble wife
Join in our jubilation!

Yes, even if he calls but one soul
His own in all the world.
But he who has failed in this
Must steal away alone and in tears.

All the world's creatures
Draw joy from nature's breast;
Both the good and the evil
Follow her rose-strewn path.

She gave us kisses and wine
And a friend loyal unto death;
She gave lust for life to the lowliest,
And the Cherub stands before God.

TENOR SOLO AND CHORUS
Joyously, as his suns speed
Through Heaven's glorious order,
Hasten, Brothers, on your way,
Exulting as a knight in victory.

CHORUS

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of the gods,
Daughter of Elysium,
We enter fire imbibed,
Heavenly, thy sanctuary.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Can you sense the Creator, world?
Seek him above the starry canopy.
Above the stars He must dwell.

Joy, daughter of Elysium
Thy magic reunites those
Whom stern custom has parted;
All men will become brothers
Under thy gentle wing.

Be embraced, Millions!
This kiss for all the world!
Brothers!, above the starry canopy
A loving father must dwell.

Joy, beautiful spark of Gods!,
Daughter of Elysium,
Joy, beatiful spark of Gods!.


I have finally finished The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky. WOOT! I'm going to go a little different on my analysis of this than what most folks do. I'm going to look at the justice system of the story. I was surprised at how the 19th century Russian court system worked. In the initial inquiry the prosecutor told Dmitri that he did not have to answer any of his questions. The courtroom scenes weren't that different from our courts.

Another thing I noticed was the judgment of the ladies. This is something I've railed against for years. He stated that the ladies believed that Dmitri was in fact guilty but they hoped he would be acquitted. Now isn't that typical women go after the "bad boys" knowing full well what they are about and then have the unmitigated gall to be shocked when they turn out to be what they knew they were.

Also there was line in the book which I would have to think inspired Spiderman or maybe it was just a coincidence. I can't find it now but its basically "With great power comes great responsibility."

Onward and upward, next on the docket is Ignorance by Milan Kundera as chosen by Sarah Shelton (Keith momentarily faints). The future agenda is as follows:

1) The Red Queen by Margaret Drabble chosen by Brody
2) Foe by JM Coetzee chosen by Amanda K.
3)Atonement by Ia McEwan chosen by Justin
4) King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard chosen by Dana on virtue of her having 82.3% of the comments on this blog
5) The Book of Evidence by John Banville chosen by Matthew

*note: King Solomon's Mines may leap to the front seeing as how I own the e-book version.