The ANCIENT MARINER musical :
embellishments and literary allusions
by Lee Johnson
I chose to make some changes for the sake of expanding the cast of the original poem. For example, I made the Wedding Guest – who has to listen to the tale of the journey of the Ancient Mariner – a woman. I also gave her a name (Laodicean, from the Bible – Revelations 3:15-16, in which people from the church of Laodicea are admonished for being “neither cold nor hot, . . . neither one nor the other, but just lukewarm” in their devotion).
So, to extend the analogy, the Wedding Guest represents everyone who will hear the symbolic story of the Ancient Mariner – including the warning that ‘we are all one’, and, ‘he who harms even the most insignificant part of the whole, also harms the sum of all parts — and ultimately destroys himself’.
What we take from this, is that most of us are “laodiceans”, that is, lukewarm in our attitude towards the crimes against Nature, lukewarm about impending ecological catastrophes which may ensure as a result of that attitude, and the failure to take action.
The embellishments include many literary allusions relevant to the original poem as well as my modern interpretation. For example, in the main theme song, “ONE”, there is a line:
“One, we are One, we are One, we are dust in a gyre
Sea, we are Sky, we are Soil, we are Fire… “
In modern usage, gyre is “a system of oceanic currents”, which is totally relevant — but my reference came from a poem by WB Yeats called The Second Coming.
Yeats was also aware that gyre is a geometric term. The gyre starts at its origin and moves progressively wider in a spiral, while time adds another dimension, creating the form of the vortex or funnel. Once the gyre reaches its point of maximum expansion, it then begins to narrow until it reaches its end-point, which is also the origin of the new gyre. This relates in turn to Joseph Campbell’s iconic work The Hero with a Thousand Faces which traces the journey of the archetypal hero found in mythologies of every nation and culture of the world.
This has been universally used in Hollywood: The hero starts in the ordinary world, and receives a call to enter an unusual world of strange powers and events (a call to adventure). If the hero accepts the call to enter this strange world, the hero must face tasks and trials. He or she may have to face these trials alone, or they may have assistance. At its most intense, the hero must survive a severe challenge, often with help earned along the journey. If the hero survives, the hero may achieve a great gift which often results in the discovery of important self-knowledge. The hero must then decide whether to return with this gift, often facing challenges on the return journey. If the hero is successful in returning, the gift may be used to improve the world.
So, in my line of the Ancient Mariner lyric, “One, we are One, we are dust in a gyre”, my message is that we are all specks of dust in this gigantic system of Nature, on journeys of discovery, and each of us has the responsibility to overcome obstacles and return with the gift of enlightenment and knowledge, and — like the Ancient Mariner — tell our tale to all we meet.
In this way, we will hopefully educate and enlighten many people to turn the tide and learn to respect all forms of life in the Universe.
In some small way, I wanted this musical to be a catalyst for the coming of insight and enlightenment which enables the harmonious co-existence of all living things.
Bottom line: I want to illustrate that a lot of thought has gone into the lyrics, and that hopefully this will satisfy those members of the audience who are better educated and more discerning. At the same time, the songs were co-composed by Robert Schroder who is a leading writer of hit songs and advertising jingles, so we have attempted to establish very strong and memorable melodies.
The Ancient Mariner Musical Blog 