Konungadöttrarna

I had wanted to paint something based on the song for a long time:

The King's Daughters
Acrylic on canvas
23 February 2010
Konungadöttrarna | The King's Daughters
artist: Gjallarhorn (Finland)
Swedish with translation

Där kommo två jungfrur på konungens gård
-Två rosor och adeliga blomma
de voro bortrövda alltsen dom var små
-Från Engeland äre vi komne
Two Maidens came walking across the Kings yard
-Two roses, two noble flowers
they were stolen away as they were young
-From Engeland we have come
Och jungfruna inför drottningen står
och höves här allt de små tjänstemör i år.
The Maidens stood before the queen
Is there a need here for maidservants this year?

Här haver jag en förgyllande väv
säg, kunnen I väva den väven ned
Here I have a gildering web
Say now, can you weave this carpet to an end?

Den äldsta hon satte sig i vävestolen ned
den yngsta hon trädde i skaft å i sked
The elder she sat down to loom the web
the younger she threaded with weaver's reed

Det första slag hon på väven vov
där vov hon i himmel, där vov hon i jord
On the first touch on gildering web
she wove in the sky and the earth

Det andra slag hon på väven vov
där vov hon in solen å klara mån
On the second touch on the gildering web
she wove in the sun and the moon

Det tredje slag hon på väven vov
där vov hon syster där vov hon in bror
On the third touch on the gildering web
she wove in her sister and brother

Det fjärde slag hon på väven vov
där vov hon I fader där vov hon in morOn the fourth touch on the gildering web
she wove in their father and mother

Å dronningen framfö dem på golvet stå
å fagrare väv jag väl aldrig såg
The Queen came standing before the web
A carpet this fair I have never seen

Den äldsta skall taga mina nycklar i band
den yngsta skall taga min son allt till manThe older shall be keeper of my keys
the younger shall have my son to wed

Å icke är det seden uti vårt land
att syster skall taga sin broder till man
Oh, it is not the custom in our kingdom
that a sister should wed with her brother

Å det vart glädje I konungen gård
-Två rosor och adeliga blomma
när moder och döttrar de kändes åt
-från trollberget äre vi komne
And there was a joy in the King's hall
-Two roses, two noble flowers
when mother and daughters were rejoined at last
-From the trolls' mountains we have come

A tale from my financial diary

On 18 February I met an old street performer uncle in Bukit Batok interchange playing an interesting tune. I stopped by and asked him what tune it was that he was playing. He replayed it and it turned out to be a familiar song being played badly. We bade each other happy new year and I put some into his box to not feel so awkward.

Entry:
2.00 / street performer / Þ (= donations)

Apologetics Fail

The oft-quoted excerpt from an interview between Christopher Hitchens (atheist) and Marilyn Sewell (retired Unitarian minister)

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I’m a liberal Christian, and I don’t take the stories from the scripture literally. I don’t believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make and distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don’t believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you’re really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

And because Sewell threw off too much ballast, it could only happen that the many Christians that linked to this excerpt didn't take sides with her.

[source]

Pashley

Just to prove to myself that I can still do it:

Modelled in 3ds MAX 2009 based on a classic bike model from Pashley, Hand Building British Bicycles since 1926.

It's quite a satisfying finish. I shall gloat on it for a moment, and then go on and find a use for it or do something else.