LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT SPEAKING THE TEXT
This Post concentrates upon how to experience, imagine and learn the most from Goethe's text of his Fairy Tale The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily.
Studying one sentence closely and speaking it can, from that experience, reveal all manner of things.
In one sentence in the previous Post the Man with the Lamp and the Green Snake come to the rescue of the unconscious Prince and the distraught Lily. Goethe writes the following for the Man with the Lamp to speak:
"Whether I can help, I know not; an individual helps not, but he who combines himself with many at the proper hour."
The content of this sentence is like a riddle. Being consciously creative in speaking the sounds of the words Goethe wrote for the Man with the Lamp can start to unlock the riddle. As given in the previous Post The Man with the Lamp and the Green Snake find themselves coming to the rescue of the unconscious Prince.
In the above sentence the Man with the Lamp describes the value of joining with others in community endeavours, in contrast to an individual carrying out action on their own. The context in which this Fairy Tale was written was the time of the French Revolution and much unrest across what is now Europe. The Fairy Tale is a story written to encourage individuals work together, rather than alone, to rebuild (broken) communities.
A way of developing the imaginary nature of speaking the sentence is to "become" the Man with the Lamp. Imagine how he saw the Prince's hawk in the sky beckoning him to go to an unknown location on the earth.
Take the individual phrases in the sentence one by one. Imagine from our experience of being this character what was happening for him. When he says Whether I can help, I know not; for example: a real hesitation and doubt in his voice and gesture when speaking this phrase. The complete opposite of being assertive. A person questioning something with humility. The I is not coming from a distorted ego. The e vowel sound in help, together with a quiet gentle set of encompassing consonantal sounds of h, l, and p all contribute to leave the listener feeling that the speaker, the Man with the Lamp, is questioningly unsure.
Then the phrase an individual helps not necessitates a similar hesitancy in the pronouncing of the word individual. To affirm the intended purpose and meaning of the phrase and sentence as a whole that one individual is much less effective than an individual acting together with others. Placing of the sound of the word not needs particular care. It should not be experienced as negative or damning but simply as a quiet matter of fact.
In complete contrast, however, the phrase but he who combines himself with many is likely to be, intended by Goethe? to be upbeat, positive, hopeful, almost joyous, certainly excitement by the prospect and potential from individuals working together in unison with each other.
The key word in this phrase - combines - with its parallel enclosing movement and gesture creating the image of a bringing together of many. The first syllable com can be compared to the power and sound of a trumpet heralding a change, something new, a joy, a wonder. The force, power coming from full use of the vowel O being held firmly and resolutely by the two consonants c and m.
The word that follows, himself, best stands alone supporting there being a new, better way of working. The two syllables help the creating of this gesture and corresponding sounds. The two consonants m and f when used consciously from an image of a changed new character leave no doubt in what is meant and to be experienced.
Then finally the closing phrase of the sentence with many at the proper hour creates both as an image and whole essence of the story the value and necessity of combining and working with others, of all kinds, at the right time. Here you have diversity, respect and intuitively knowing when the time is right - the phrase "The Time is at Hand." being declared three separate times during the story.
Finally, envisage how to speak and move with the words in the phrase with many at the proper hour. To do so it essential to remain in the character of the Man with the Lamp - a wise man - in touch with universal truths and having the presence of mind and courage to declare them, most importantly, at the right time.
Sounds coming from speaking images from the words many and proper need to leave a picture in the listener for the former word of there being an active number of people. In the case of the latter word proper an uprightness, a feeling of safety and correctness using the short length of the sound of p.
Experiment with these ways of approaching and making the potential speech sounds from these twenty two words and the riddle of one sentence may well start to unfold - reveal itself.
In future Posts further ingredients of flow, rhythm and movement in creative speech will be added.
