The questions children ask
Don’t listen to everything you hear
Bogs and fens
The Devil’s Questions (Niles No. 1 A)*
If you don’t answer my questions well,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
I’ll take you off, and I live in hell,
And you the weavering bonty.
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Oh, what is whiter far than milk?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And what is softer far than silk?
And you the weavering bonty.
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Oh, snow is whiter far than milk
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And down is softer far than silk,
And me the weavering bonty.
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Oh, what is louder than a horn?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And what is sharper than a thorn?
And you the weavering bonty.
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Oh, thunder’s louder than a horn,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And death is sharper than a thorn,
And me the weavering bonty.
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Oh, what is higher than a tree?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And what is deeper than the sea?
And you the weavering bonty.
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Oh, heaven’s higher than a tree,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And hell is deeper than the sea,
And me the weavering bonty.
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Oh, what red fruit September grows?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And what thing round the whole world goes?
And you the weavering bonty.
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The apple in September grows,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And air around the whole world goes,
And me the weavering bonty.
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Oh, what is wicked man’s repay?
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And what is worse than woman’s way?
And you the weavering bonty.
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Now, hell is wicked man’s repay,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
And a she-devil’s worse than woman’s way,
And me the weavering bonty.
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Oh, you have answered my questions well,
Sing ninety-nine and ninety,
But, I’ll take you off, ’cause I live in hell,
And you the weavering bonty.
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Polar Ardor
A short animation about polar life and love created by Camille Wainer (camillewainer.com) in collaboration with composer Sanford Bender (sanfordbender.com).
Inspired by the paper cut style of early animator Lotte Reiniger, Polar Ardor incorporates the additive techniques of woodblock stamping and Chine-collé printmaking to recreate a delicate landscape threatened by division and deterioration.The whimsical music of composer/architect Sanford Bender accompanies each stage of the polar bear’s journey through a varied composition using only two symbolic forms (the heart and the puzzle piece). Simply and subtly, Polar Ardor offers an optimistic message about the importance of collaboration and compassion in the face of an uncertain future.
“The Mermaid” (Child No. 289) from the Ballad Book by John Jacob Niles
Oh the stormy winds do blow,
with the landlubbers down below,
And the sailor-men a-climbing to the top,
To haul in the riggin’-o.
T’was Sunday night, our sails were set
We hardly cleared the land-o,
When we spied a mermaid a-swimming by,
A comb and a glass in her hand-o.
The captain plumbed with a lead and a line,
He plumbed for to reach the sand-o,
While the winds and the waves did toss and roar,
We knew we’d never see land-o.
Then three times ’round went our gallant ship,
And three times more went she,
And the mate and the cabin boy said goodbye,
As we sank in the salt, salt sea.
She Runs Through My Mind Like an Apparition
Listen to my recent musical composition entitled, ” She Runs Through My Mind Like an Apparition” for guitar, concertina, and mandolin. My boxwood engraving of a vine covered oak is evocative of the haunted James River floodplain in Virginia. The musical composition is reminiscent of stories sung in ballads that migrated from Europe and Africa to the southern regions of North America. The diverse musical instruments express the fleeting polyphonic thoughts that run through my mind, forever changing in time. I fondly acknowledge my son, Adam Bender for assisting me with graphic layout and production. Sandy Bender