Trinity College School - Record Yearbook (Port Hope, Ontario Canada)

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LITERARY

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Bruce Cockburn - Massey Hall Brian Pel It ' s raining outside. A damp blanket of mist envelops the surrounding countryside. The orchard below is a tapestry of autumnal hues. The green of the carpet beneath the feet, the golden treasure long since drifted down from branches now bare, both muted, heightened and intensified by the mist which hangs low over the ground, serve to create the mood of melancholy and in- trospection which is found in the songs of Bruce Cockburn. The evening had an unearthly quiet and mysterious air about it. An audience which was both sensitive and intelligent, (a rare occurrence in Toronto), had the courtesy to provide Cockburn with two hours of its undivided attention and contributed to making this an ex cellent concert. Cockburn ' s songs are simple both in style and in presentation. Melodies which are un- complicated combine with the airy and healthy quality of his voice and become immensely powerful. Cockburn ' s lyrics speak of love, country life and the direction of mankind in a style that is simple of language and metre. Lyrics and melodies are all tied together by Cockburn ' s mastery of the instruments he plays. Switching easily from guitar to piano, mandolin and dulcimer he constantly tunes his instruments and maintains a relaxed and informal air by his low-key, kidding-around introductions. The audience seemed content with the casu- al pace of events during the evening. I left the concert with a greater appreciation of Bruce Cockburn. He emerged not only as a musician of superb talent but as a modern day philosopher with a message of silence and calm Sun stoned in the east in our eyes let there be peace keep it open keep it open and help me keep mme open too

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The Touch of Dreams That feeling you get on summer holidays while alone in a beautiful spot”. A mindless, surf-soaked body lay upon a sandstone chesterfield. She had left the moonscaped shoreline behind. Where was she? She was everywhere, streaking through and past the cosmos at the speed of light, yet gaining a perspective of all She saw with the slow, intense scrutiny of a tortoise. Her power of magnification was such that elements responded by projecting cold tubes of light to infinity. Vibrant auras enveloped atoms; She reached out and - yes! touched them! Rocks that had been lifeless for eons were seen to live and die. Then, the soul of the sea, the ever-moving volatile sea, embraced Her. They surged together in ecstasy . . . Om! Here is Life and God and Eternity manifest on Earth! And all the while, a breathing forest sighed in the sky behind Her . . .