Cleopatras Song - Between The Starlight And The Sea

Cleopatra’s Song - Between the Starlight and the Sea

I fell in love with H. Rider Haggard a couple years ago after reading “King Solomon’s Mines.” That book is credited with starting the genre later popularized by “The Lost World” but without (or at least much less of) the racism and sexism/misogyny that pervades Sir Conan Doyle’s work.

I recently read Haggard’s book “Cleopatra” and while it was a bit tough to get into, it ended strong and also contained lyrics to an incredibly beautiful song. That song has now become a staple for me when practicing voice, and I love to sing it when the opportunity arises. Here are the words:

“Night on the sea, and night upon the sky, And music in our hearts, we floated there, Lulled by the low sea voices, thou and I, And the wind’s kisses in my cloudy hair: And thou didst gaze on me and call me fair - Enfolded by the starry robe of night - And then thy singing thrilled upon the air, Voice of the heart’s desire and Love’s delight.

‘Adrift, with starlit skies above, With starlit seas below, We move with all the suns that move, With all the seas that flow; For bond or free, Earth, Sky, and Sea, Wheel with one circling will, And thy heart drifteth on to me, And only time stands still.

Between two shores of Death we drift, Behind are things forgot: Before the tide is driving swift To lands beholden not. Above, the sky is far and cold; Below, the moaning sea Sweeps o’er the loves that were of old, But, oh, Love! kiss thou me.

Ah, lonely are the ocean ways, And dangerous the deep, And frail the fairy barque that strays Above the seas asleep! Ah, toil no more at sail nor oar, We drift, or bond or free; On yon far shore the breakers roar, But, oh, Love! kiss thou me.’

“And ever as thou sangest I drew near, Then sudden silence heard our hearts that beat, For now there was an end to doubt and fear, Now passion filled my soul and led my feet; Then silent didst thou rise they love to meet, Who, sinking on thy breast, knew naught but thee, And in the happy night I kissed thee Sweet; Ah, Sweet! between the starlight and the sea.”

I don’t usually take pictures of meals I make, because usually they aren’t exactly what most would call “photogenic” lol. This one though, inspired by the single lonely corn tortilla in my fridge, seemed worth remembering.

I fried the tortilla in grated cheese, then layered on some frozen corn, chopped up black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and more cheese. Then served it with a wedge of lime and some hot salsa and plain yogurt for topping, and chips for dipping. Washed it down with some mango kombucha mixed with mango juice.

Some of my cooking experiments don’t really pan out, but this one was delicious yum!Definitely would make this again.

The little green side dish is lunch for my pet rat, Wagner :) He’s getting pretty old now, but he’s still always eager to eat so I like to feed him yummy healthy treats when I can!

Nom nom nom

Been reading a lot of chapter books with my son, often during meal times now since the chai tea incident after which my laptop no longer turns on. That was a blessing in disguise!

The is a recent favorite - “The Wild Robot” by Peter Brown. The story is about a cute robot named Roz who gets stuck on an island and makes friend with animals by being kind and helpful. It’s sooo cute, and there are lots of opportunities to do funny voices which I love.

Also, the book deals with a lot of great themes like parenting and diversity, and there is a darker dystopian setting in the background to give it some adult appeal without ruining the lighthearted and upbeat nature of the story.

Overall, a super fun read and both my son and I enjoyed it immensely! I’m excited to have found out there’s a sequel, so that’s something to look forward to, and a great idea for a Christmas present to us both in a few months :)

Hello Tumblr! Nice to meet you

Hi Tumblr, my name is Kaywin :) 

My last name starts with A, which is why my blog title is ‘kaywina’.

I joined because I’d rather not support FB and IG, but still want a place to share my thoughts, adventures, pictures, and other silly stuff with the world, even if it means just posting into the void like this introduction.

If you’re reading this and want to know a bit about me, well - 

I like to spend a lot of time outdoors, as much as possible really. I love cycling, skiing, skateboarding, swimming, and other sports.

I spend quite a bit of time poking around in the creeks and down by the river near where I live, playing my harmonica and singing to the birds and the squirrels. I think they like it!

I also like to read and write, and play games when I have the time. Mostly I like to play Nintendo and retro games. I like games that are cute and colorful best. I’ve been drawing and painting quite a bit recently, but I’m really terrible at it. Maybe I’ll share some of that in the future though... I have a young son whom I adore, and we have [edit - had :( …] a pet rat named Wagner. We live in a cozy little apartment on the West Coast of British Columbia, Canada. I think that’s about it for now! Nice to meet you, and looking forward to sharing more. All the best, -Kay

I’m a co-parent so only had part of the day with my son for Halloween, but we made the best of it with a fun spooky scavenger hunt! The gummy worms are all gone now nom nom nom

Nailed it lol