Monday, 20 March 2023

Lyrics for a Revised National Hymn: THE MAPLE LEAF ad infinitum

 


PARODY-LYRICS

ORIGINAL SONG: "The Maple Leaf Forever", by Alexander Muir, 1867
PARODY COMPOSED: Giorgio Coniglio, September 2013
PHOTOS: from GoogleImages, several derived from the wonderful blogsite TorontoThenandNow


HISTORICAL UNDERPINNINGS:
  The original song proposed Canada’s national symbol, and acted for decades as the unofficial anthem of (English) Canada; it was officially replaced in 1980 by “O Canada”. The old tree which had presumably inspired the original lyrics was destroyed by a storm in July 2013.
   As pointed out in the blog "City in the Trees", the version we sang long ago in school evoked a Canada that extended from Cape Race in the east to the Pacific. In fact, at the time Muir created the song, Newfoundland and British Columbia were separate colonies, and the new country had only 4 provinces.  
   Research into the song's historic underpinnings, as portrayed here, as well as personal experience, evolved into the nostalgic piece "Canadian School Reunion" - see my prior post highlighting this parody-song.





"Maple Cottage" Leslieville,
(now part of Toronto)
Muir's residence
  















1867: A fragile line
















FURTHER SONGS ON THE SAME THEME: For other nostalgic takes on Canada's national hymns, you can view (and sing along with) ...
 Canadian Reunion (December 2013) 
 Flight of the Loonie  (January 2015)
 Something to Groan About  (June 2018) 





THE MAPLE LEAF ad Infinitum


(to the tune of Alexander Muir's "Maple Leaf Forever")


In days less pure, the clan named Muir brought young Alex to these shores;
He breathed old T.O.’s Orangeman’s air, worked with skill his teaching chores.
He honored shamrock, thistle, rose, tall trees, and roots with Britain;
And second-prized our Founding Year a songsmith’s competition.

No copyright, no fleur-de-lys; of insight only traces -
His “Maple Leaf” excluded half our country’s founding races.

On days of pomp, when bands would romp from Lakes to FroBay and Sea to Sea,
The trick was to pick “God Save the Queen” from “My Country ‘Tis of Thee”.
The music-sheets for these two treats seemed equal when you scanned them;
We’d need decide in love and pride the True North’s national anthem.

Untwine the Line at Forty-Nine, les Ricains might endeavour;
Could we that fragile Line define with “Maple Leaf Forever”?


Robert Stanley Weir
 lyricist




Calixa Lavallee
 composer





















St-Jean-Baptiste in Canada East resounded with LavallĂ©e’s score;
R.Weir took on the daunting task - Theme O-Canada's breadth restore.
The over-zealed paroles part-spared, the English not so prominent,
Still women and newcomers griped, “It’s sexist and male-dominant.”

As reg'ments touted "Leaf" their tune, did Anglo journals shout and rant, 
But decades passed and "O Canada" did Muir's time-worn chant supplant.
In time for our Centennial, new flag and hymn to savour, 
Still stuck with macho lyrics and a pinch of maple flavour ! 

Last year, Muir's ancient fabled tree was felled by stormy weather;
Still sometimes heard but seldom hymned - "The Maple Leaf Forever".














Wednesday, 15 March 2023

Cerebral Structure and Function: BRAINCHECK









Authors' Note: 

   Korbinian Brodmann (1868–1918) was a German neurologist famous for his definition of 52 cerebral cortical areas based on their histological (tissue-architecture) characteristics. Functional correlates were defined for many of these areas, and the primary and subsidiary areas of visual interpretation are often described by their Brodmann numbers. 
   The primary visual cortex, straddling the calcarine (Latin: spur) sulcus (fissure or slit), is located on the inner surface of each cerebral hemisphere, well protected from injury.


DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: 
To resume daily titillations on our blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2022, there are over 1000 entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.)

Friday, 10 March 2023

Grandpa Greg's Advanced Grammar: NEOLOGISMS (classic)

 






Authors' Note: Readers might also enjoy the authors' verses dealing with the epicurean hippy, the prosthetic hipster, the Congolese hippodromehip replacement, and the hippocampus.



OVERLAPPING THEMES:



Authors' Note: The disparaging term gobbledegook was first used in 1944 by a Texas politician named Maverick (scion of the original staunchly independent thinker). Its meaning — pompous, overinflated language — gave rise a few year later to the equivalent bafflegab. These expressions, employing repetition of sounds, have a musical and amusing quality, as do their venerable synonyms --hogwashpoppycockbalderdashbunkum and tommyrot. (Only their close cousin claptrap (alternately clap-trap) -- would qualify as a reduplication).




f you liked this blog-post, you might want to refer to our entire collection concerning author Giorgio Coniglio's Personal Neologisms. Click HERE.



DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: 
To resume daily titillations on our blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2022, there are over 1000 entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.)


Sunday, 5 March 2023

URBAN CONCERNS

 






Authors' NoteThis verse drew inspiration from the poem "Cuore di Legno" (Heart of Wood) by poet Primo Levi. In the poem, the narrator, an aged horse chestnut growing on a busy urban street, complains of, among other insults, being peed on by neighborhood dogs. 






sunset reflected briefly 
8:30 p.m., May 2023
building to east of downtown








Authors' Note

groundling: the author's nickname for people who live on the ground floor, such as, up 'til now, his immediate family members
lift: Canadians, like their American neighbours, usually term this device an 'elevator'; to fit the tight space here, we borrowed the British synonym; however, it is noted that we retained our customary spelling of story (rather than the British storey)
helluva: common undefined slang that has been used in 40 verses on OEDILF to date (2023); presumably a distortion of hell of a ...

Another true personal story, apart from taking liberties with the floor numbers. The author currently inhabits a rental unit across the building from the suite being gloriously renovated/demolished by 'Carl the contractor'. This situation accords with advice by a relative to 'try out the lifestyle change' to ease the transition from house to 'bungalow in the sky'.




Authors' Note: We are fortunate to have moved into an apartment building just across the street from a public conservatory whose warm, humid, glass-roofed galleries offer the visitor views and dreams of escape to tropical floral environments. Visits are especially reinvigorating on dark and depressing winter days, and admission is free!
You might also enjoy reviewing photo-enhanced poetry posts related to poinsettiaskoired-eared slidersOntario cactuses, and Leda and the Swan at the same destination.


 













DIRECTION FOR WEB-TRAVELLERS: 
To resume daily titillations on our blog 'Daily Illustrated Nonsense', click HERE. Once you arrive, you can select your time frame of interest from the calendar-based listings in the righthand margin, and check the daily offerings for any month in the years 2020 to the present. (As of September 2022, there are over 1000 entries available on the Daily blog, and most of these are also presented here on 'Edifying Nonsense' in topic-based collections.)