Spontaneous Phaedrus and Phriends Musical Monday Moments

With their hearts set on becoming troubadours, Phaedrus and Phriends (i.e. PibE+2) got together one warm July evening to wander the streets, with nary more than a guitar, a ukulele, healthy sets of lungs, a heavy volume of timeless poetry from an English Literature 12 class, and too much time on their hands.

The following are second takes (i.e. fresh off the improv boat) of the quirky songs that arose from randomly selected poems. We hope you enjoy them.

How Do I Love Thee? by Elizabeth Barrett Browning


How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
I love thee to the level of everyday's
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
I love thee with a passion put to use
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
With my lost saints, --- I love thee with the breath,
Smiles, tears, of all my life! --- and, if God choose,
I shall but love thee better after death.

Macbeth Act IV Scene I


One Hard Look by Robert Graves


Small gnats that fly
In hot July
And lodge in sleeping ears,
Can rouse therein
A trumpet's din
With Day-of-Judgement fears.

Small mice at night
Can wake more fright
Than lions at midday.
An urchin small
Torments us all
Who tread his prickly way.

A straw will crack
The camel's back,
To die we need but sip,
So little sand
As fills the hand
Can stop a steaming ship.

One smile relieves
A heart that grieves
Though deadly sad it be,
And one hard look
Can close the book
That lovers love to see--