Michael Basinski - Ode to Daphne

This post is a continuation of Michael Basinski's section. 

***

Ode Daphne 

The traditional Daphne Apollo myth relates an amorous vignette where the god Apollo becomes attracted to the water nymph Daphne and advances towards her, an advance she rejects by taking flight. Summoning her water god father for assistance to avoid Apollo’s pursuit, she metamorphs into a laurel tree.

Loosely derived from this Daphne Apollo myth “Ode Daphne” presents an euphonious and cacophonous poetry in which Apollo is a patriarchic lecher and Daphne, at first frightened, transfigures into a tree being of feminine power and general resistance. 

“Ode Daphne” should be actualized as a form of lyric spoken music for solo or multiple voice or choral manifestation. In addition, the poetry offers lyrics for music. There are seven distinct sections in the poetry for seven distinct musics. The musical elements may be realized by one or more and up to seven composers. 

Both verbal and musical arrangers/creators/composers have liberty to score as any presentation demands. Actualize with improvisation as desire requests. 

The Suggestions

All sections of the “Ode Daphne” must be presented. The duration of each section is variable. 

Section one. Scenario: the luscious water nymph Daphne about her waterous splashing attracts the weirdo Apollow. She rejects the asshole’s advances. He, a right-wing American fascist, gives chase, and he pursues her variously through field, meadow, and forest until she summons the cosmos for help.  

This section is a form of 45 rpm composition circa 1965 with percussive exerts. There is a gradual increase in the tempo through the field, meadow, and forest.

Mood: flight.

Section two. Scenario: Daphne summons the gods with her thunderous Wa that ends section one. The gods listen. They realize there is crime in progress and within their godly imaginations begin to facilitate a response. 

This section is a period of silence. The audience listens along with the gods. There are improvisational things to be heard, slight.

Mood: attention.

Sections three and four are similar.

Section three. Scenario: Daphne is heard and herself shatters. These are her vowels.

This section could be performed by a voice or voices. Any composition should allow the vocalization to dominate. Vary tempo and perform all or some of the noise forms, and do create patterns, repeats, and refrains.  equals improvise. Find a path through the patterns. If there is a form of chorus find many paths and harmonize if imagination suggests such.

Mood: melodic.

Section four. Scenario: These are her consonants.

Vary the slow tempo and perform each neologism as a unit. Present the bold syllables of each neologism in a percussive fashion. 

Mood: impact.

Section five. Scenario: Daphne begins to reassemble into a new being.

This section has a very slow, deliberate tempo, which becomes a methodical reading or presentation of each syllable, sound, part of the neologism in the act of becoming a formed recognizable word.  

Mood: rapt.

Section six. Scenario: As Daphne begins to tree, she ponders what tree to become: ♫ I asked my mother what tree shall I be? Each line is an interrogative sentence form and ends with interrogative intonation, excepting the last two lines, which are declarative revealing Daphne’s emphatic decision to become a laurel.

This section is actualized with each question phrase recited in a chanty and singsongy or spoken tempo. Each line has its own rhythm and the rhythms between lines clash. Actualize all lines and repeat lines at whim. 

Mood: quizzical. 

Section 7. Scenario: Daphne transforms into an unending immovable, magical laurel tree, and as such she reads the entrails of past, present, and future time. 

This section of knitted fragments should be actualized as a form of spoken music at a speaking peaking pace and with musical magic.

Mood: burgeoning power.

1

 

Whoopee Daphne boody of pools, pulls water unstill still bodies booty rivers, Waikiki Daphne streams, canals, tea were where water watar bodies of watur, boil, wwwater nymph, wwwater Daphne, timpani: HER waterbody, HER body key of water, HER water, HER waterways, she’s colorless, she’s transparent, odorless, liquid, she sound she seas, sound lakes, river sound Yangtze Daphne, rain basis of fjord fluids floods of all living organisms, oceans of cool shell pools sound pools she sells sea shells down by the sea shore sea horse

Apollo is an asshole

Apollo is an asshole

Apollo is an asshole

She sells sea shells down by the sea shore 

Shallow Apo ego allego

Apollo is an asshole

Hollow Apollo, Hollow Apollo 

♫Hello, hello, hello, how low [Present in the fashion of the line in Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit.]

Watering Waterwoman Waterish Waterjet Waterlog Waterloo Waterwoman Waterski Waterwoman Waterway

HER waterbed/ Waterbus / Waterdog / Waterers / Waterhen

Yippee she lakes, leaks, ponds well pools z glee Daphne and puddles Daphne jubilee swamp, her body boobs rivers Zambesi Daphne streams canals where water moves it weaves moves, moving pools, swimming pool, drool pool, pools to pool a pool, shot pool shoot pool, everybody in the pool, no pool like an old pool reservoir, shoot pool shot pool, waterUr, navigable unimaginable Cape Canaveral pool, The Shape of Water, water, waterways, poul water pull pull tide

Apollow is a hole

Apollow is a hole

Apollow is a hole

Apollo is an asshole

Apollo is an asshole

Apollo is an asshole

HER bathwater / deepwater / eyeswater / firewater / headwater /  

HER waterbeds / waterbird / waterfall / waterfowl / waterhen

Apollow is an A!hole

Apollow is an A!hole

Apollow is an A!hole

Apo Ahole

Apo Ahole

Apo Ahole 

meltwater / rainwater / saltwater / seawater / toothwater

waterings / waterjets / waterlead / waterline / waterloo ooo

Apo Ahole

Apo Ahole

Apo Ahole 

Timpani Timpani: OOO OCEAN OF OOOCEANS ocean of OOOoceans, OOO seas, and OOO lakes, but it includes smaller pools of water such as ponds, pools, wetlands wetland pools, rare pools rarely, poodles, puddlespools water fountain, fool water covers 90 percent of the woorld surface, fall soon, pool, spoon water pool at moon noon nymph pool play pooouuul poolpool

Apollow ego swollen ego 

yellow narrow disco stinko

Apollow ego swollen ego 

yellow narrow disco stinko

Apollo is an asshole

Apollo is an asshole

Apollo is a hole

Apollo is a hole

Dewater watered water, waters watery, watery watery water, watery waters

Waterier Waterily

Waterier Waterily

Aho

Aho

Aho

Aho

bathwater /  deepwater / eyeswater /  firewater / headwater /  

waterbeds / waterbird / waterfall / waterfowl / waterhen / 

hydrologist, hydrologie, hydrological, hydromancy, hydrophilous, hydrophobia hydrotherapist, hydrotherapeutic,

hydrotropism, hypnotism, mositureism, liquidizationism, ism, ism, is

psycho / machismo / Apollow / a pillow

wirdo / libido / down low  /Apollo

HER bathwater / deepwater / eyeswater /  firewater / headwater /  

HER waterbeds / waterbird / waterfall / waterfowl / waterhen / 

meltwater / rainwater / saltwater / seawater / toadwater

waterings / waterjets / waterlead / waterline / waterloo 

HER bathwater / Her deepwater / Her eyeswater / firewater / headwater /  

HER waterbeds /waterbird / Her waterfall / Her waterfowl / waterhen / 

cutwater / dewaters / eyewater / seawater / waterage

wateriest / watershed / waterside / waterweed / waterworm 

HER water water waterzoo

water water waterzoo

water water waterzoo

water water waterzoo

Watermelon

WA!!!

 

2

 

3

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fre  a  sat  wa  ter  er  spin  fre  a  w  t  e  r  u  a  r  hy  eff

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4

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5

annntifloooabhydrapoolicsatmool

atervapoorpourmoloamolobalneotheeatoifiillillotdisathiiingoooo

bletonismeeillorofwaterdivinninnineninedededehydraaacessovinwaubrayaaarayssliquescence

proofantoattabsooefffloressowsowsformuuunnterooresrhab

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elhyshydrodipsomaniaaanaaabnorlovemalofdrinkingwater

apocealesversurfacatersrographerenceulatinbutioneritiesoftersmoistosphereorm  

hydrowomaniaexcessovewatcursecurelecanoorm 

odivinainvolvexaminatioofabasinlecanoscopaforofvolstaring 

rheotropismtendencertailivingingsinstrumentstimulusofof 

atersympesiosympiezocurr 

turbiinstruormeasuturofothfluieasureturaterorotherluidsaturbidi 

the polli agency eran abno ear of watsurace watersauce wordsauce

limnology limnologist limnologic limnological drainage 

humiditynhydrophobiaan abnormal ear ov wateree wattree watrees eeeeeeeeeeeeeeees

6

Pignut Pignut Hickory Pin Blanc Oak Pignut?

Enano Pino Pinobete Pinot Noir Pinus?

Pinus Pinus Pinus Banksiana Pinus?

Pinus Pinus Clausa? 

Pinus Pinus  Pinus Rhinoceros Pinus?

Pinus Contorta Pinus Pinus? 

Glabra Pinus Pungens Perfume?

Pitch Pine Plane Tree?

Platanus Platypus?  

Polecat Wood Pond Cypress?

Holly Del Mar Pine Delta Post Oak Opp?

Fir Palm Clam Cedar?  

Devil's Walking Stick?  

Willow Oak Dog Banana?

Dogberry Doug Fir Downy Serviceberry?

Drum Post Oak Boat?

Drum Soap Duck Oak Willow Holy Holly?

Dune Holly Dwarf? 

Abies Abies Amabilis Anubis Abies Balsamea? 

Abies Abies Bracteata Abies Fraseri? 

Abies Lasiocarpa Carp Abies Magnifica? 

Abies Procera Acer? 

Acer Negundo Acer Pensyl Cumber?

Acer Rubrum Burn Acer Acer Saccharum?

Ague Agnis Tree Larch?

Spruce White Spruce Chinkapin Alligator?

Almond Willow Leaf Willow Willow Billow Billow?

Alnus Incana Alnus Rubra?

Alnus Fir Larch Fir?

Armchair Arborea Eldorado Poe?

Basswood Beech Elm Green Alder? 

Hackberry Holly Hornbeam Larch Ash Plumplum? 

Sycamore Walnut Apache Pine?

Spinosa Soft Pine Ash Leave Maple Ash?   

Aspen Tamarisk Cedar Pine Pine Soft Scrub?

Alder Hemlock Myrtle Fir Yew Pussy Willow?

Palo Blanco Panicled Dogwood?

Paper Birch Papershell Pinyon?

Parry Pinyon Pawpaw Pawpawpaw Apple?

Peach Oak Peach Willow Pecan?

Pepperwood Persea Pick Spruce Pot Port Cedar Possum?

Locust Oak Pottawattami Plum?

Pottawattami Plum Prickle Cone Pine Pickle?

Princess Pine Prickly Princess Pine?

Punk Oak Naked Namboca Nettletree Locust? 

Nogal Nootka  False Cypress? 

Northern Pin Oak Nut Pine? 

Nuzu Ndu Nyssa Sylvatica?

Walnut Fir Hemlock Larch Persimmon?

Red Oak Red Pine Redbud Spruce?

White Pine Enebro?

Eucalyptus Globulus Speckled Alder Spruce? 

Evergreen Laurel LaurelLaurel Laurel

LuarelLaurel Laurel

 

7 

I Kalmia Latifolia latifoliate I root laurally Latifah really laurel root Yggdrasil Dodona whose leaves rootish laurel unending deep secured form formed rooting echo garlands of sacred wordcrowns were went into a laurel word crown crow (crow sounds) memory crows (crow sounds) a prophetic trance because I smoke of burning echo laurel leaves to tell this future read ever further past laureal laurel and ever farther forever solid my unmovable present I Laurus Nobilis I unmovable Umbellularia Californica Prunus Laurocerasus immovable I perennial rivet riveted heartwood Banyan would I would remembrance verbs which elongated stem or elephant trunk arm support branch and leaves leaving leafing out left of the human species evolved unmovable power left with leaves as conifurrrs love-passion will in this form feminine some usages of use the May woman be narrower femininity month a mouth including only wood usable words as sounds or nouns worderlines wonderous a specified height secure tree high taxonomic Nariphon independent evolved as a way to tower above others all other to compete for sunlight and win to be forever all memories invocations mem-mem-mem memories Mim Mim Mim wisdim Mimir tend to be long-lived form some reaching several reading reach a thousand years old in wilder in a winter solid of quiet leaves immovable with leaves deafinitions I refuse to and immobile unmoving unmovinger unmovingable being beyond and before nothing left taller palms tree ferns bananas and bamboos it is estimated oak that there are just I elm passion and power form intense just o all laurel is for was would begin beyond not to be moved immortal