1.
Said the father to the daughter,
“Will you dance for me?
The day grows old
and so must we.
Sacred daylight curls back
a world for you alone
With ever light to shine
So roam, and laugh, and love...
...Will you dance for me?”
2.
Said the daughter to the father,
“Tell me more, dear friend;
What is this world before me
whose end the sacred daylight does not know?
I am afraid.
The light shows eyes their face
And place their soul away
And I shall dance for others
But first, I’d dance for you.”
3.
Now the father to himself
sighed, and wept;
the weary heart crept on and on
the rain’s soft fall clicked ‘tick, tick, tick...’
The clock regained its youth
And, his spirit by his side,
They danced.
They leapt, oh!
How she held him so!
How he held her...
4. (the daughter)
And now I see the sacred daylight
leads the dance below
The pulse ticks on--
The clock has froze!
And all I see! All, I know!
The colors whip and whirl
The shadows prance and pout
And all about, we join the dance.
And I shall dance for all
And I shall dance for you...
First I shall dance with everyone,
and last I’ll dance with you.
5.
The clock, with hands unfrozen, ticks
The dancers flip and fade
The sacred light departs...
Said the daughter to the father,
“Now I’ll dance with you.”
Said the daughter to the father,
“Where goes the sacred light?”
Now the father to himself
sighed, and wept;
his weary heart crept on until
the rain’s soft fall clicked--
once.
twice.
His spirit by his side...
The sacred light departs.
Now the daughter to herself
wept, and stood there still
“Father,” said she to he
“I’ve forgotten how to dance.
For all the world you’ve shown me
and all the world I’ve seen
the sacred light departs and
my partners leave my side.
I’ve forgotten all the words
the things in daylight I did see.
Would, dear father, sing the song again
And will you dance with me?”
-----
Said the father to the daughter,
“The clock’s unfrozen hands
click the ‘tick, tick, tick’ of rhythm
That hearts all understand
As the dance the world remembers
but was never taught.”
Said the daughter to the father,
“Tell me more, my love
for the frozen hands will cease
And the rain’s soft fall will stand
And the night will steal the day--do tell!
What is this world before me
whose end the sacred daylight does not know?
I am afraid.”
Said the father to his daughter,
“Listen, love, to me:
Fear not.
Fear not the world within
nor the other world without,
the sacred light, not thievish night,
nor rain, nor clocks, nor hearts of chance.
As night steals daylight’s tick, tick, ticks
Sure, sacred day will steal them back again
So roam this world, and laugh, and love....
And dance!
|