The band currently consists of guitarist and composer John Prassas, vocalist Lori Lewis, and bassist Chriss Quinn
When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be
Aesma Daeva Lyrics
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Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high piled books, in charact'ry,
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love! -- then on the shore
Of (this) wide world I stand alone, and think
Till Love and Fame (and) nothingness (to) sink.
[Lyrics by John Keats (1795-1821)]
The lyrics of Aesma Daeva's song "When I Have Fears That I May Cease to Be" are actually a direct quote from a poem by John Keats. The poem depicts Keats' fear of dying before he has had a chance to fully express himself through his writing. The opening line, "When I have fears that I may cease to be," references Keats' own mortality and the worry that he may not have enough time to fully develop his literary talents. The next line, "Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain," emphasizes the urgency and importance Keats feels in getting his ideas down on paper before it's too late.
The third and fourth lines, "Before high piled books, in charact'ry, / Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain," compare the written word to a harvest, with books serving as storehouses for knowledge and ideas. Keats is determined to leave behind a substantial, fruitful body of work, but fears that time will run out before he's able to do so.
In the second stanza, Keats contemplates the beauty of nature and the fleeting nature of life. He sees "huge cloudy symbols of a high romance" in the night sky, but worries that he may never be able to fully appreciate or comprehend them. He laments the possibility that he may never again experience the joys of love or the magic of life. The final line, "Till Love and Fame (and) nothingness (to) sink," suggests that Keats will continue to contemplate these fears until he ultimately fades away, leaving behind only the legacy of his work.
Line by Line Meaning
When I have fears that I may cease to be
I worry that I will die before I can express all my thoughts.
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before I can write down all my ideas and inspiration.
Before high piled books, in charact'ry,
Before all my writing is collected and preserved like a library of knowledge.
Hold like rich garners the full-ripen'd grain;
Just like a barn full of harvested crops, my writing will be abundant and mature.
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
When I see the sky and its bright stars at night,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
I see patterns in the clouds that inspire me to create stories of love.
And think that I may never live to trace
But I fear that I may never have the chance to actually write them down.
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
To capture their essence and their beauty with my writing.
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour!
And when I think of how short life can be,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
I fear that I may never see the person I love again,
Never have relish in the faery power
Or experience the enchanting feelings of love.
Of unreflecting love! -- then on the shore
Of love without deep thought or hesitation! I am left alone on this wide world,
Of (this) wide world I stand alone, and think
Contemplating my existence,
Till Love and Fame (and) nothingness (to) sink.
Both love and fame will fade away and I will be forgotten.
Contributed by John H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@aegrimonis
truly beautiful... captivating, to say the least.
@TheBlacaman
la guitarra tiene un dejo de tristeza
@istenmeyentuy001
for god sake... where is Rebecca Cords?? Why didint she continue singing? She was a pure talented singer.