Lazar Ardov Debates with Jonathan Swift in Manner of Anatole France

Translated to English by Asya Ardova

Listen to the soundtrack ARDOV Lazar. Universe composed by Lazar Ardov and performed by Asya Ardova on the page ardSOUND of ardisonata.net.

 

 

Once Jonathan Swift wrote in his “Gulliver’s Travels” how wonderful it was in the society of horses and what discomfort he felt among people. 

 

The description is really witty, however, if Swift were our contemporary, the list of human vices would have grown many times more, for evil has been immensely evolving, being even promoted nowadays. Actually, evil and vices do not exist where there is no people. Nevertheless, the more vices you describe, the more royalties you get. Besides, Swift was just a man, who was not too cosher about ladies. 

 

Only the matter of fact is, that if you imagine there is a chance of living a bit longer among the horses, you would have found out even more vices peculiar to the horse society. Meanwhile, there would be discovered a mare of satirical sarcastic mind manifesting the theory of some perfectly moralistic world of insects, for example.

 

Once I came across the satire, or, maybe, scientific theory — sometimes it’s hard to differ these genres. The main idea was that the humankind is the part of some celestial experiment set by the God himself.

 

Indeed! Initial conditions are proposed, the whole construction’s base is erected. Do start the process of perfection!!!

 

One day the God will see, that the experiment was conceived for success, but everything failed… He will summon up archangels and say: “Guys, gentlemen, we have to begin from the beginning, like in that sketch about October Revolution.” You, Gabriel, take care of laboratory equipment! You, Raphael, check the quality of initial material — nobody, but you are responsible for this problem!.. 

And you, privy councilor archangel Michael, control the questions of secrecy and security services, for there is a man, I forgot his name, — Putzifer, or, I remembered — Lucifer — rubbing elbows somewhere nearby…

 

                      Congratulations on the new series of scientific investigations!!!

    

 

Lazar ARDOV and His English Improvisation from Dante

Dante descends to the second circle of the Inferno. Here he watches the execution of the voluptuaries, who are tortured by uninterrupted, severe blizzard, whirling along the dark sulky space. Dante recognizes Francesca da Rimini amongst the martyrs. She tells her story to the author of “La Divina Commedia” (the Fifth Song). The photos: Statue of Dante in front of the Santa Croce in Florence, Assisi at the sunset, mountains on the way to Vesuvio in Italy.  

 

The love, that ordered loving hearts to love

     Attracted me imperiously to him

     And this captivity’s unbreakable forever.

…………………………………………………………...

“He suffers with the greatest torment,

Who does remember joyful days

In his misfortune, as your guide confirms.

But if you want to know from origin

The history of this ill-fated passion

I’ll tell it through the torrent of the tears.

Once in a leisure hour we both were a-reading

The pretty book about enarmoured Lancelot

We were alone and utterly light-hearted.      

Our glances often met above the book

And we were turning pale with trepidation

But later the narration conquered us.

No sooner when we read, how he had kissed

The smiling lips of his so worshipped lady

He, that is tied with me in torture,

Kissed on my mouth with trembling of the love.

The book of Lancelot had become our Galeot!

And nobody had read that page to end.”  

The ghost was telling this suffering with anguish,

The other spectre sobbed, and their torment

Covered my brow with drops of cold death sweat,

And I fell on my back as a lifeless corps.

 Imitating Byron, or "Both Night and Love" by Asya Ardova

 

How sweet this hour in branches’ shade,   

When nightingale sings in fade,

When vows of love are warmed by flame,

When rustling wind and splashing wave

Are shedding music full of crave…

 Photo of the rider, bridling his horse in Naples

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Avant-garde and the law of ever-existing energy

Idle poetical hours of Asya Lazar Ardova

 

Imagine such an anti-utopia, when all the music instruments were taken away from this planet. Where would sounds hide then? Where should be music extracted from? Attendants of the “Stray Dog” knew where interesting sounds hide, when music is banished. Those crazy avant-garde artists Sasha Chyorny, Osip Mandeshtam, Mikhail Kuzmin, Nikolai Yevreinov and, of course, Boris Pronin — founder of the cabaret “Stray Dog”.

I, Asya Lazar ARDOVA, share their life pitch and perform Vs. Knyazev’s “Stray Dog” hymn and Mayakovsky’s lines in English.

 

There’s the cellar in next yard —

Doggie’s halt is hidden,

Every stray dog takes its part,

Others are forbidden.

That’s the honour, that’s the pride —

Getting to this cellar inside!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revolutionary spirit of young Mayakovsky is also nourished with music:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enough with the cheap ideas,

Do rub the old from heart,

The streets are our hands here,

While squares are palettes to start!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Cezanne. Pierrot and Harlequin.