Music and The Birth of a Soul

Almost hundred years ago, great Russian poet, Sofia Parnok, wrote this little poem, which she entitled "A Song" (Pesnia).

Дремлет старая сосна
И шумит со сна.
Я, к шершавому стволу
Прислонясь, стою.
— Сосенка-ровесница,
Передай мне силу!
Я не девять месяцев, —
Сорок лет носила,
Сорок лет вынашивала,
Сорок лет выпрашивала,
Вымолила, выпросила,
Выносила
Душу.

Here is my translation:

An old pine rustles in her sleep.
I lean against the trunk and think.
“My peer, my sister. Give me your strength.
I carried it not for nine months.
I carried it for forty years.
For forty years, I suffered,
For forty years, I begged.
And it paid. My pleading paid.
My carrying paid. My pain paid.
I did bring forth… my soul.

On some level, any good song has only one subject: the birth of a soul. A sudden emotional explosion, a revelation. Something clicks, there is a burst of light, and some sort of harmony is achieved. Harmony between you and the world. And that's what soul is all about.

There is so much music out there. Some songs capture you by the voice, or cadence, or intensity, or strange rhyme. But good ones always bare a soul and show both strength and vulnerability. Which is another definition of a soul, if you wish.

Below is the song that somehow triggered all these thoughts in me. Only good songs can do that!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR-ksqTgdY4&feature=emb_logo