The months of February and March are covered in this post, which fills in the time I've lost since September. Having stated that, let's discuss the cover itself. It will be devoted to the aria Song to the Moon from Antonín Dvořák's opera Rusalka (1901) and feature a canvas by Lucie Bilodeau titled Moonlight.
February - March, 2024 cover
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| Moonlight by Lucie Bilodeau |
With a libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil, who drew inspiration from writers like Hans Christian Andersen, Karol Jaromir Erben, Božena Němcová, and Friedrich de la Morte Fouqué, the opera Rusalka made its debut in 1901 in Prague. This is a tale about «a water creature» who falls in love with a person and refuses to kill him in order to end her own misery. The protagonist is a singing tree-climbing creature, not a mermaid because it has two legs (Pines, 2021). It's an opera set in rural settings that combines dances and Slavic history (Li, 2021). This work is incredibly well-liked and is performed in theatres all around the world; Song to the Moon is a beloved aria by the audience, whereby Rusalka implores the Moon to proclaim her love for a man (Green 2019).
| Czech | English |
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Měsíčku na nebi hlubokém, světlo tvé daleko vidí, po světě bloudíš širokém, díváš se v příbytky lidí. Měsíčku, postůj chvíli, řekni mi, řekni, kde je můj milý! Řekni mu, stříbrný měsíčku, mé že jej objímá rámě, aby si alespoň chviličku vzpomenul ve snění na mě. Zasvit' mu do daleka, zasviť mu, řekni mu, řekni, kdo tu naň čeká! O mně-li duše lidská sní, af se tou vzpomínkou vzbudí! Měsíčku, nezhasni, nezhasni! Měsíčku, nezhasni! | Moon high and deep in the sky Your light travels far, You travel around the wide world, and see into people’s homes. Moon, stand still a little while and tell me where is my dear. Tell him, silvery moon, that I am embracing him. For at last momentarily Let him recall dreaming of me. Illuminate him from far away and tell him, tell him who is waiting for him. If his human soul is really dreaming of me, may the memory awaken him! Moon, don’t disappear, don’t disappear! Moon, don’t disappear! |
Source: Mesícku na nebi hlubokém (Song to the Moon) from Rusalka by Antonín Dvořák, translated by Jaroslav Kvapil.
Reflexion
The Rusalka opera may initially appear to be a tale of real love that ends tragically, but this isn't because of the characters' love for one another; rather, it's a result of the circumstances surrounding them. Another way to interpret this story would be as a tale of deceit, superficiality, and cupidity. Song to the Moon could seem like a sincere proclamation, the most sincere attempt to convey a love message. The Moon emerges as a character, a messenger with the power to bend people's will, a mysterious yet rather fantastical being. The fundamental premises about those who dream of their ambitions and objectives are the source of the issue. Despite initially looking harmless, Rusalka's series of selfish requests for love in this aria set off a depressing tale that ends tragically. Might we have the courage to make wishes of the enigmatic and ever-present Moon?
In a system of social organization like ours, it would be difficult not to see the Moon as a good, a new market, an asset that could fill the coffers. In February, the IM-1 project—which sought to create a commercial lunar landing module—caused the shares of Intuitive Machines to almost treble. But following a semi-success landing, the stock price dropped. All made possible by Odysseus's "affordable" $130 million trip to the Moon's south pole.
Odie might function as a prototype for later lunar modules that can find molecules of water. Additionally, food items including fish, veggies, mushrooms, algae, and insects may be able to flourish thanks to these modules. They might also assist in constructing a shelter beneath the earth or inside a crater hundreds of metres above the surface to shield them from the effects of micrometeorites. Even better, since the Moon is already covered by UN conventions and international law that extends to space, it may end up serving as Mars' transit station.
Although the Moon has given us much thus far, in all honesty, it is a relief that the subatomic world remains mostly undiscovered and that 95% of the dark matter in space remains unknown. If we could go to other worlds or stars while maintaining our current social system and willingly self-immolating in the market, it would be disastrous for the entire universe. Low-cost commercial services are offered by missions such as Odie; its developers regard it as a straightforward commercial endeavour; their intentions for the Moon are innocent and admirable, but Rusalka is able to tell us the outcome of her wishes. Let's speak about some recent wishes in order to continue our discussion regarding wishes.
On the verge of a nuclear exchange, everyone whitewashes their image with noble intentions, but their ultimate purpose is to win and retain power -economic power, we have been defeated by actions made by both "good guys" and "bad guys". Images of people being taken from their homes to evil battlefields (literally dragged by their hair) can make us experience déjà vu. It appears that the majority of individuals who reside in meridians remote from the conflict believe that this reality differs significantly from their own. Nevertheless, we could overlook the chance that a "proxy" earthquake that takes place well below the surface could trigger a big tsunami.
The devastation caused by proxy wars, which have turned into a spectacle for many, has already been shown. Messages of "friendliness", "unity", and "brotherhood" will soon start to be reproduced in those meridians where nothing happens for everyone to see; discourses of seduction will be used to win adherents to one narrative over another.
Some people have already started to display their sharp claws on YouTube channels that have more than 500,000 subscribers; they claim with total inhibition that «Hispanic America must be ours». Considering these surprising assertions, we could deduce that four hundred years of colonisation were insufficient for these "influencers" who become brave, like bulls, and start claiming "their" lands that run the length of the continent from north to south. In order to advance what they refer to as "Hispanic brotherhood", they are constructing a discourse supported by a shared language and using a fairy tale as "the history". Their ignorance of Latin America is evident, and their incomprehension of Hispanics in the U.S. is even more pronounced. However, they won't be the only ones disseminating "friendly" discourses.
These seeds are merely meant to sow additional conflicts, that they elegantly call “proxy” wars in distant countries, and other people's deaths as a narrative of "brotherhood" and even "history". These bloody storytellers seduce unsuspecting people who are weary of the world's wealth distribution; they are wolves who prey on the stale rhetoric of underdevelopment, but they are even more despicable than the Emperor who languishes.
While the imitators of Hans Christian Andersen propagate their "friendly" narratives, the real owners of wealth consider settling on the Moon and other celestial bodies. While the Moon may fulfil everyone's deepest wishes, they should take a cue from Rusalka, who realised that greed, superficiality, and deceit brought her a disastrous end.
Our selfish mindset and utilitarian principles will cause Earthly behaviour to be repeated in space. Proxy conflicts may emerge as a result of underdevelopment and a false sense of "brotherhood", with the Global South serving as prey for ravenous wolves that seek power—economic power. How "lovely" the wishes that are being asked for now! Heaven forbid that they should advance too far.
References
- Green, A. (April 27, 2019). Song to the Moon Lyrics and Text Translation Liveabout dotcom. https://www.liveabout.com/song-to-the-moon-lyrics-and-text-translation-724031
- Lai, H. (May 24, 2021). The Best Performances “Song to the Moon” by Antonín Dvořák”. Interlude. https://interlude.hk/best-performances-song-to-the-moon-by-antonin-dvorak/
- Pines, R. (May 27,2021). Rusalka and her Journey. Lyrics Opera of Chicago. https://www.lyricopera.org/lyric-lately/rusalka-and-her-journey/
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