Natalie Merchant (born 26 October 1963) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In this song she imagines many Ophelias living varied lives throughout history, even though the song really has nothing to do with Shakespeare’s heroine other than the sadness the name evokes.
All of those women are portrayed in various times, with very dissimilar lives. Yet, despite their differences all have a piece of hopeless Ophelia inside, but no one is weak. They had the courage to question the patriarchal status quo and were often punished for doing so.
They are not simply good or bad girls, but a series non-traditional types of woman, who may be misunderstood by society or driven mad by social limitations,
They are a nun, a socialite, a demi-goddess, a Marilyn Monroe type, a circus performer , a dark rebel girl, a gangster’s mistress, a feminist, and so on
In the end all these powerful portraits appear to be delusions from a mental patient (who may be the truest Ophelia).
Ophelia was a bride of God
A novice Carmelite
In sister cells the cloister bells
Tolled on her wedding night
Ophelia was a rebel girl
A blue stocking suffragette
Who remedied society
Between her cigarettes
Ophelia was a sweetheart
To the nation over night
Curvaceous thighs
Vivacious eyes
Love was at first sight…
Ophelia was a demigoddess
In pre war Babylon
So statuesque a silhouette
In black satin evening gowns
Ophelia was the mistress to a
Vegas gambling man
Signora Ophelia Maraschina
Mafia courtesan
Ophelia was a circus queen
The female cannonball
Projected through five flaming hoops
To wild and shocked applause…
Ophelia was a cyclone, tempest
A god damned hurricane
Your common sense
Your best defense
Lay wasted and in vain
Ophelia’d know your every woe
And pain you’d ever had
She’d sympathize
And dry your eyes
And help you to forget…
Ophelia’s mind went wandering
You’d wonder where she’d gone
Through secret doors
Down corridors
She’d wander them alone
All alone…
Natalie Merchant (nata il 26 ottobre 1963) è una cantautrice e musicista americana. In questa canzone immagina molte Ofelie che hanno vissuto vite diverse nel corso della storia, anche se la canzone non ha nulla a che fare con l’eroina di Shakespeare se non la tristezza che evocata dal nome.
Tutte quelle donne sono ritratte in epoche diverse, con vite diverse. Ma, nonostante le loro differenze, tutte hanno dentro un pezzo della povera Ofelia, ma nessuna è debole. Hanno osato mettere in discussione lo status quo patriarcale e sono state spesso punite per averlo fatto.
Non sono semplicemente ragazze buone o cattive, ma una serie di tipi di donne non tradizionali, che possono essere fraintese dalla società o fatte impazzire dai limiti sociali.
Sono una suora, una donna mondana, una semidea, un tipo alla Marilyn Monroe, un’artista circense, un’oscura ragazza ribelle, l’amante di un gangster, una femminista e così via
Alla fine tutti questi ritratti potenti parrebbero sembrano essere i deliri di una malata di mente (che potrebbe essere l’Ofelia più vera).
Ofelia era una sposa di Dio
una novizia carmelitana.
Nelle celle delle consorelle le campane del chiostro
rintoccarono nella sua prima notte di nozze
Ofelia era una ragazza ribelle
una suffragetta intellettuale
che curava la società
tra le sue sigarette
Ofelia era la fidanzata
di una nazione durante la notte
Cosce sinuose
occhi vivaci
L’amore fu a prima vista…
Ofelia era una semidea
nella Babilonia prebellica
Una statuaria silhouette
in abiti da sera di raso nero
Ofelia era l’amante di
un giocatore d’azzardo di Las Vegas
la Signora Ofelia Maraschina
cortigiana mafiosa
Ofelia era una regina del circo
La donna cannone
proiettata attraverso cinque cerchi di fuoco
tra applausi frenetici e impressionati…
Ofelia era un ciclone, una tempesta
un maledetto uragano
Il tuo buon senso
e la tua migliore difesa
erano sprecati e inutili.
Ofelia conoscerebbe ogni tua pena
E ogni dolore che tu abbia mai avuto
lei comprenderebbe
e ti asciugherebbe gli occhi
e ti aiuterebbe a dimenticare…
La mente di Ofelia se ne andò vagando
e potresti chiederti chiederesti dove se n’era andata
attraverso porte segrete
lungo corridoi
che lei vagava da sola
tutta sola…
(trad: L.Z.)
Reblogged this on OPENED HERE >> https:/BOOKS.ESLARN-NET.DE.
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Thanks a lot for reblogging 🙏🌹🙏
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Always a great pleasure! Thank you as well for writing! xx Michael
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🙏🌹🙏
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Struggente.
Colpisce e fa riflettere.
GRAZIE Luisa!
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Grazie, di cuore
Mi fa un immenso piacere sapere che piace anche a te 🎶
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Splendido brano, grazie Luisa. Buon pomeriggio 🌹❤
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Grazie e buon pomeriggio a te, Dani 🎶❣️🎶
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I love the.lyrics and was unfamiliar with the song
Marvelous discovery. Thanks, Luisa. 🎼🎶🎶🎹🎸
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I found this song amazing and I’m glad you like it too.❤️🎶❤️🎶❤️
I discovered it a few years ago while preparing a lesson on Hamlet
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Splendido Lu, c’è da pensare…
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Vero, Paola… Non conformarsi a volte può essere molto arduo, o, peggio ancora, deleterio
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Già
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I’m impressed with the breadth of your class prep. Bet you’re a great Teacher
🤓👍😍
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Now I am retired and even the third-age university I was teaching at has stopped since the beginning of the pandemic❤️❤️❤️
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Bello!
Conoscevo la Merchant, mi piace tanto, ha una voce potente ma delicata al tempo stesso.
Grazie Luisa
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Grazie a te, Carlo. La Merchant è un’artista stupenda 🎶🎶🎶
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Verissimo 🙂
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Tutte abbiamo dentro un pezzo di Ofelia. Analisi profonda e vera, Luisa. Post meraviglioso 💖
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Grazie Didì. Sono felice che anche tu abbia amato questa canzone, che io trovo meravigliosa
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Mi ha lasciato un filo di tristezza. Trovo il testo potente e, sì, meraviglioso.
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Sì , lo trovo anch’io molto significativo❣️
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Wow, that’s absolutely brilliant! I’ve never heard of this song before so thank you Luisa for writing about it and sharing it, especially that you included the video. Ophelia’s name could be replaced to “woman” I guess or maybe the “Divine Feminine” is more suitable as it reveals Her many aspects. Love and light, Deborah.
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You are right: Ophelia can be any woman who dares to question the most absurd rules of society and to challenge them
Thank you for your beautiful words ❣️🙏❣️🙏❣️
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That is such a beautiful interpretation of Ophelia!
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I think so, too. Thank you for your lovely feedback 🙏🙏🙏
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You’re welcome!
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🙏🌻🙏
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That track is beautiful.
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So glad you like it 🙏🎶🙏
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Che bel brano molto significativo e riflessivo!!! La cantante che non conoscevo naturalmente, mi è piaciuta molto la sua tonalità decisa ma al tempo stesso molto delicata. Buona serata cara 😘
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Grazie per questo caro apprezzamento, Giusy
Anch’io ho trovato la cantante e il brano molto belli 🙏🎶🙏🎶🙏
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Bellissimo e consolante sapere che la parte di Ofelia che è in noi ,non è stata ignorata! Grazie Luisa per questa bella traduzione ❤ 🙂
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Grazie, Vitty/Ofelia come me e tutte le altre donne
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Bellissimo post Luisa!
Credo che tutte le Ofelia nominate siano un riflesso reale, come reale è la “pazzia”…che molte donne vivono tutti i giorni.
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Grazie per aver lasciato questa preziosa riflessione 🙏😘🙏
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Rebellion. Hmmm. It may be time for another massive revolt?
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Great comment! Thank you very much for raising the question!
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Ha! The only problem with rebellions is that many times somebody worse comes into power… 😡
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I totally agree with you: history has often shown that the results might be worse than the system people wanted to demolish 💙💙💙
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Daughter #2 is doing a project on freedom of press in Latin America. Frightening. The case of Cuba in particular… (And others) Oh well.
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A very interesting project 💙💙💙
I think that if one studies things really in depth one can discover even more atrocious realities
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Or subtle: like sending the political police to the home of every independent journalist when there is an event likely to be covered by said journalist. “Ah. No. You can’t go out today.” So there will be no independent coverage of the event. Et voilà.
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😢😢😢
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Authentic. SAdly.
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🌺🌺🌺
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What a beautiful song, thank youf or sharing. I wrote under the pseudonym of Ophelia0707 for many years before using my own name. In a lot of ways, I’ve always felt connected to the character her beautiful wandering mind. Thank you for sharing this.
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Thanks to you for this wonderful contribution. 🙏🌹🙏
We are all a bit of Ophelia
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Agreed. It’s perhaps that brilliant bit we can’t quite describe. Glad to be reminded of her.
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🙏💙🙏💙🙏💙🙏💙🙏💙🙏
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[…] Ophelia 🎶 […]
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[…] Merchant provided the song Ophelia (see here) with a ”companion film” directed by Mark Seliger and Fred Woodward . It is a conceptual short […]
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👌👌👌🎼🎼🎵🎶🎶🎶🗣️💑
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Thank you for your lovely feedback🙏🙏🙏
I’m glad that you enjoyed this song
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splendido testo che come hai scritto parla di donne e del loro modo di uscire dagli stereotipi in cui per secoli si è voluto imprigionare il femminile.
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Grazie, Gian Paolo 🙏🙏🙏
Mi fa davvero piacere ricevere questo tuo apprezzamento
🙏🌺🙏🌺🙏
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meritati. Notte
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Your re logging post is impressive 💪
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💙💙💙
Thank you very much
💙💙💙
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