I dreamed that a coypu -- the semi-aquatic South American rodent pictured above -- was assembling a new zodiac, a new circle of 12 animals to which to assign portions of the sky. He did this by singing a song with one stanza for each of the animals that was being called to join the zodiac. I don't think the specific lyrics were clearly defined in the dream, but each stanza was four lines of tetrameter. The first three lines named and described the animal being called, and the fourth line was always "Now come and join the general dance!"
Although both very large and very small species were included, each of the new zodiac animals was roughly the same size, and much smaller than the coypu. They seemed to be miniature creatures, not fully material. They seemed slightly translucent and "fetal-looking," and they glowed slightly from within. The way they walked, with slow, exaggerated steps, made me think of them as "coltish."
The first animal called was, I believe, a black and yellow newt. When the coypu sang, "Now come and join the general dance," the newt came out and began prancing slowly in a circle around the coypu. When the second animal -- a giraffe, but no bigger than the newt -- was called, it held the newt's tail in its mouth and went along after it. One by one, more animals were called, each holding in its mouth the tail of the one before it. When the twelfth animal had joined the general dance, the newt took its tail, completing the circle.
That was the concept, anyway, although I don't think I actually saw the whole process in detail or heard every stanza of the song, and I don't think all the individual animals were clearly defined. Besides the newt and the giraffe, I remember seeing a water monitor, a goat, an eland, and an obscure mythological creature called a yale. That's only half the zodiac, but it's all I can remember. I also remember thinking it was good the coypu didn't call a chipmunk, because this sort of dance wouldn't be safe for it.
3 comments:
"Will you walk a little faster?" said a whiting to a snail,
"There's a porpoise close behind us, and he's treading on my tail.
See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!
They are waiting on the shingle—will you come and join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?
"You can really have no notion how delightful it will be
When they take us up and throw us, with the lobsters, out to sea!"
But the snail replied "Too far, too far!" and gave a look askance—
Said he thanked the whiting kindly, but he would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, would not join the dance.
Would not, could not, would not, could not, could not join the dance.
"What matters it how far we go?" his scaly friend replied,
"There is another shore, you know, upon the other side.
The further off from England the nearer is to France—
Then turn not pale, beloved snail, but come and join the dance.
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, will you join the dance?
Will you, won't you, will you, won't you, won't you join the dance?"
Music here
I had connected it more with the Christmas carol "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day," which ends, ". . . that man / May come unto the general dance."
The Mock Turtle's Song is a very good hit, too, though, since it has animals being called to join the dance.
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