![]() If what the witches say is true, then everything I’ve done has been for the benefit of Banquo’s children-dishonoring myself, murdering gracious Duncan, destroying my peace of mind, all for them. My crown and scepter will be taken from me by someone from outside my family. The witches put a crown on my head and a scepter in my hand, but then said that I would never pass them on. Then, like prophets, they said his descendants would form a line of kings. When the witches first said I would be king, Banquo scolded them, and told them to speak with him. In his presence, my guardian spirit is intimidated, just as they say Mark Antony’s spirit was intimidated by Octavius Caesar. ![]() He’s a risk-taker, and yet in addition to his unbreakable courage, he also has the wisdom to act with care and forethought. I’m deeply afraid of Banquo-he has a natural nobility about him that makes him a threat to me. If my position isn’t safe, then being king is worthless. If ’t be so, For Banquo’s issue have I filed my mind For them the gracious Duncan have I murdered Put rancors in the vessel of my peace Only for them and mine eternal jewel Given to the common enemy of man, To make them kings, the seed of Banquo kings! Rather than so, come fate into the list, And champion me to th’ utterance. Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown And put a barren scepter in my grip, Thence to be wrenched with an unlineal hand, No son of mine succeeding. Then, prophetlike, They hailed him father to a line of kings. He chid the sisters When first they put the name of king upon me And bade them speak to him. There is none but he Whose being I do fear, and under him My genius is rebuked, as it is said Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. ‘Tis much he dares, And to that dauntless temper of his mind He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valor To act in safety. Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared. That's how I have always understood this poem.To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. This acceptance the impossible and the imperfect make it possible for you to create something. She writes: "The words die like flies on the paper." The poet is finally able to write the poem when she accepts the impossibility of the idea. ![]() The poem holds one of my favourite verses: "Som dybet løfter vandet / op til en kilde / løfter døden de levende / op for at drikke." Translated it is something like: "Like the depths lift the water / up to a source / death lifts the living / up to drink." The poem is written in Haiku-Stanza and describes how writing about death is impossible (leading the poet to writer's block), while the words themselves become an obstacle to the idea. I have used a translation I have found online by John Irons that I'm grateful for. This poem, "Poem on Death (Digt om Døden)," makes me wish that everyone could understand it in its original form. She approaches it with the freshness of a child and opens it up. ![]() It makes me feel curious towards the otherwise tricky Danish language that is my mother tongue. Inger Christensen's work is truly beautiful. This is truly a rare listening experience I'm thrilled to share. Included with these older tracks are three new, original songs from Agnes, including a collaboration with the Danish poet Inger Christensen's work, "Poem on Death." I suggest you hit the play button and listen to the songs and read Agnes Obel's descriptions. Each one of the tracks produces stories in my head." Some of the music I've included here is on mixtapes we made when we were just friends as teenagers. Agnes Obel says that she "collected all the songs together with my partner, Alex Brüel Flagstad and we just spent time listening to records, trying to see what would fit together. My first listen to this album was transporting. Somehow she has managed to stitch it altogether. For her Late Night Tale, Agnes Obel has chosen music from a wide variety of artists - from the soul of Nina Simone to the wit and wisdom of The Kinks' Ray Davies, the lush strings of Henry Mancini, the quirkiness of Can and the ethereal Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Choir. Nils Frahm, The Flaming Lips, Jon Hopkins and others have put their own records together for the series in the past. It's part of a series of artist-curated albums called Late Night Tales. This is an unusual, beautiful and dark album curated by - and at times performed by - the Danish musician Agnes Obel.
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