Imagine a party in a house made of glass, and the glass is cracking all over the ceiling, the walls, the columns... but no indeed they're not in denial, but are just ignorant of the oncoming danger.
There's music and songs about love; prostitutes walking around trying to find their clients.
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| Rebec Player by hondacd175 |
This stanza reminds me of a similar part in Notre Dame de Paris and here's a clip from the musical of the same title. This song, from the voice of the bard, is about what happens at night, what "vices are still clinging to the walls" of a city about to shatter. Enjoy Les Portes de Paris.
Seville had been an important place in the western literary world. Flowers of arts have been blooming in Andalusia thanks to the richness of Seville. Just to name a few titles that nobody can say they're unfamiliar with: The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, The Barber of Seville...this list can go on and on. Artists of different generations created stories set in Seville. It's sort of life in today's entertainment world: in movies, novel, musicals, everything happens in New York City, even in comic books, all the superheros and bad guys saves, or destroys NYC, or the big apples in an alternate universe, you get the drill.
In short, Seville had been, in a way, the center of universe, and it enjoyed it. All the desires and beauty of many a superficial kind of pleasure brews the poison of war underneath it all.
After taken back from the Muslim control, indeed the Christians turned Seville into a cultural and economical centre which lasted for centuries. It also became a, what can I say, religious enter. Feasts of At this point Byron, or Childe Harold is giving a predicament about the changing fate of nations and how easily something glorious can be taken away. (sadly he's right.)
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| Corpus Christi in 19th Century Seville, Spain. |
During 1801-1808, Manual de Godoy, Prince of Peace had his second term as Spain's prime minister. If you'd been reading this blog up to this point, you can pretty much blame this guy for all the bloody scenes I've made you imagine previously. At a young age Manual de Godoy became the royal family's favourite, although for reasons I cannot possibly comprehend, and gained political power. Then comes disasters after disasters that he brought upon the people of Spain, and yet, he still got to be prime minister fot the second time after all those shitty things he's done for his country. Just to name a few: he's the one who decided to invade Portugal with France; he's the one who made Spain split with England, causing thousands' death.
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| Portrait of Manual de Godoy by Goya |
At the age of 17, Godoy was nothing less of a "rockstar" in today's sense. He was accomplished in, wait for it, chanting and playing guitar! Queen Maria Luisa of Parmar loved it, and so Charles IV, honouring his wife's wishes, loved the boy too, so much so that he gave him the office of "Cadete supernumerario".
To some extent I'm sure Harold sees a glimpse of himself in Godoy's "legacy": his youthful stupidity, his mistresses, his chanting and dreams to become a knight, his ruining everything his father had built.
There's a certain connection, I'm assured of it, between Harold and Manuel, as our hero seeks redemption on the road.
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