Other interests and accomplishments were wide-ranging—he was a chess master, mountain climber, poet, painter, astrologer, drug experimenter, and social critic. He is perhaps best known today for his occult writings, especially The Book of the Law, the central sacred text of Thelema. Crowley was also an influential member in several occult organizations, including the Golden Dawn, the A∴A∴, and Ordo Templi Orientis.
Crowley gained much notoriety during his lifetime, and was famously dubbed "The Wickedest Man In the World."
La Gitana
Aleister Crowley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The sorceress enchanting and the paladin entranced
In the starlight as we wove us in a web of silk and steel
Immemorial as the marble in the halls of Boabdil
In the pleasaunce of the roses with the fountains and the yews
Where the snowy Sierra soothed us with the breezes and the dews!
In the starlight as we trembled from a laugh to a caress
And the god came warm upon us in our pagan allegresse
Through the silence and the softness all the tension of the steel?
For your hair was full of roses, and my flesh was full of thorns
And the midnight came upon us worth a million crazy morns
Ah! my Gipsy, my Gitana, my Saliya! were you fain
For the dance to turn to earnest?? O the sunny land of Spain!
My Gitana, my Saliya! more delicious than a dove!
With your hair aflame with roses and your lips alight with love!
Shall I see you, shall I kiss you once again? I wander far
From the sunny land of summer to the icy Polar Star
I shall find you, I shall have you! I am coming back again
From the filth and fog to seek you in the sunny land of Spain
I shall find you, my Gitana, my Saliya! as of old
With your hair aflame with roses and your body gay with gold
I shall find you, I shall have you, in the summer and the south
With our passion in your body and our love upon your mouth?
With our wonder and our worship be the world aflame anew!
My Gitana, my Saliya! I am coming back to you!
Aleister Crowley's "La Gitana" tells the story of a passionate encounter between a man and a woman in the gardens of Granada. The verses evoke the pleasure of being with a lover in a sensuous place, surrounded by roses, fountains, and the snowy peaks of the Sierra Nevada.
The song describes a mutual seduction between the "sorceress" and the "paladin", two archetypal figures of fantasy literature. The imagery also refers to the romance of Andalusian culture, with its Moorish palaces and gardens.
However, the tone of the lyrics is ambiguous, and the question arises: was the dance too seductive? Was there tension or conflict between the lovers? The lyrics suggest that the passion of the moment might have turned dangerous, as the dancer feels the "tension of the steel" in the silence and softness of the night.
The chorus expresses the longing of the singer to find his Gitana again, to kiss her and make love to her in the sunny land of Spain. The song is an ode to desire and romanticism, set in a landscape of enchantment and mystery.
Line by Line Meaning
Your hair was full of roses in the dewfall as we danced
As we danced, your hair was adorned with roses glistening with the dew
The sorceress enchanting and the paladin entranced
You, the enchanting sorceress, held me entranced like a paladin
In the starlight as we wove us in a web of silk and steel
We entwined ourselves in a passionate embrace, like a strong web made of silk and steel, under the starry night sky
Immemorial as the marble in the halls of Boabdil
Our love was timeless and eternal, like the marble in the halls of Boabdil
In the pleasaunce of the roses with the fountains and the yews
We found pleasure among the roses, fountains, and yews
Where the snowy Sierra soothed us with the breezes and the dews!
The snowy Sierra mountains brought us relief and solace as the breezes and dews cooled us off
In the starlight as we trembled from a laugh to a caress
We quivered with excitement from laughter to gentle caresses under the starry sky
And the god came warm upon us in our pagan allegresse
As we celebrated our joyous, pagan love, a divine force took hold of us
Was the Baile de la Bona too seductive? Did you feel
Did the seduction of the Baile de la Bona dance overwhelm you? Did you feel...
Through the silence and the softness all the tension of the steel?
...the underlying intensity and raw passion beneath the calm and tenderness?
For your hair was full of roses, and my flesh was full of thorns
Though your hair was adorned with sweet-scented roses, my body was full of the pain and hardship of our love
And the midnight came upon us worth a million crazy morns
As we lost ourselves in our passion, the darkness of the night was filled with the ecstasy of a million passionate mornings
Ah! my Gipsy, my Gitana, my Saliya! were you fain
Oh my beloved gypsy woman, were you eager and willing...
For the dance to turn to earnest?? O the sunny land of Spain!
...for the dance to turn into something more serious and committed? The sunny land of Spain was where it all began
My Gitana, my Saliya! more delicious than a dove!
My beloved gypsy woman, you are more desirable and succulent than a dove
With your hair aflame with roses and your lips alight with love!
Your hair, ablaze with roses, and your lips, illuminated with love, ignite my passion
Shall I see you, shall I kiss you once again? I wander far
As I wander far from you, will I ever see you again, will I kiss you one more time?
From the sunny land of summer to the icy Polar Star
From the sunny summer land to the frigid, faraway north star
I shall find you, I shall have you! I am coming back again
I will search for you and claim you as mine, I will return again
From the filth and fog to seek you in the sunny land of Spain
I will leave the grime and mist behind to find you in the sunny land of Spain
I shall find you, my Gitana, my Saliya! as of old
I will find you, my beloved gypsy woman, just as I did before
With your hair aflame with roses and your body gay with gold
Once again, your hair will be adorned with roses, and your body will shine with its golden lustre
I shall find you, I shall have you, in the summer and the south
I will find you and claim you in the heat of summer, in the southern lands
With our passion in your body and our love upon your mouth?
Will our passion consume your body, and our love sweeten your lips?
With our wonder and our worship be the world aflame anew!
Will our awe-inspiring love bring about a rebirth of passion in the world?
My Gitana, my Saliya! I am coming back to you!
My beloved gypsy woman, I am returning to you
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ARNAU OLIVERES KU, ISAAC GARCIA SANCHEZ, JESUS MARIA SAHUN CASTET, JORDI FERRER SAVALL, JORDI MARFA VIVES, MARCEL PIE BARBA, SANTIAGO EIZAGUIRRE ANGLADA, XAVIER REQUEJO COLOMER, YACINE BELAHCENE BENET
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Demigod Ubermensch
Your hair was full of roses in the dewfall as we danced,
The sorceress enchanting and the paladin entranced,
In the starlight as we wove us in a web of silk and steel
Immemorial as the marble in the halls of Boabdil,
In the pleasuance of the roses with the fountains and the yews
Where the snowy Sierra soothed us with the breezes and the dews!
In the starlight as we trembled from a laugh to a caress,
And the God came warm upon us in our pagan allegresse.
Was the Baile de la Bona too seductive? Did you feel
Through the silence and the softness all the tension of the steel?
For your hair was full of roses, and my flesh was full of thorns,
And the midnight came upon us worth a million crazy morns.
Ah! my Gipsy, my Gitana, my Saliya! were you fain
For the dance to turn to earnest? - O the sunny land of Spain!
My Gitana, my Saliya! more delicious than a dove!
With your hair aflame with roses and your lips alight with love!
Shall I see you, shall I kiss you once again? I wander far
From the sunny land of summer to the icy Polar Star.
I shall find you, I shall have you! I am coming back again
From the filth and fog to seek you in the sunny land of Spain.
I shall find you, my Gitana, my Saliya! as of old
With your hair aflame with roses and your body gay with gold.
I shall find you, I shall have you, in the summer and the south
With our passion in your body and our love upon your mouth -
With our wonder and our worship be the world aflame anew!
My Gitana, my Saliya! I am coming back to you!
Demigod Ubermensch
Your hair was full of roses in the dewfall as we danced,
The sorceress enchanting and the paladin entranced,
In the starlight as we wove us in a web of silk and steel
Immemorial as the marble in the halls of Boabdil,
In the pleasuance of the roses with the fountains and the yews
Where the snowy Sierra soothed us with the breezes and the dews!
In the starlight as we trembled from a laugh to a caress,
And the God came warm upon us in our pagan allegresse.
Was the Baile de la Bona too seductive? Did you feel
Through the silence and the softness all the tension of the steel?
For your hair was full of roses, and my flesh was full of thorns,
And the midnight came upon us worth a million crazy morns.
Ah! my Gipsy, my Gitana, my Saliya! were you fain
For the dance to turn to earnest? - O the sunny land of Spain!
My Gitana, my Saliya! more delicious than a dove!
With your hair aflame with roses and your lips alight with love!
Shall I see you, shall I kiss you once again? I wander far
From the sunny land of summer to the icy Polar Star.
I shall find you, I shall have you! I am coming back again
From the filth and fog to seek you in the sunny land of Spain.
I shall find you, my Gitana, my Saliya! as of old
With your hair aflame with roses and your body gay with gold.
I shall find you, I shall have you, in the summer and the south
With our passion in your body and our love upon your mouth -
With our wonder and our worship be the world aflame anew!
My Gitana, my Saliya! I am coming back to you!
Damocles Loraine
Thanks. He was as good a poet as he claimed!
Katana H
I can't even tell what he's saying in most of these, but I love his voice so much!
arThorsson
This is really freaking KOOL! 93's! \,,/
Jode Ville
I wish by now......I could let it go. But I can not.
dennis martin
Damn, thats how you write a poem!
dennis martin
That's how you write a damn poem!
Dralcoive
Love 1:49 - 1:51
obelisksound
beloved i adore
htsand
@ChillyDrags loved that! thanks!