Writing - setting

[rimturse]

I'm studying (and yes singing) old Danish songs, because I suddenly realised that they are excellent examples of how to write mood and setting.

Here's a snippet from a lullaby (my translation does not do it any justice):

The sun is so red, mother,
and the forest turns so dark.
Now the sun is dead, mother,
and the day has passed away.

And another one (young girl longing for love). In this case my translation sucks big time, but you get the idea (I hope):

A spring has arrived so mild and quiet
with dreamy fragrance of field and meadow.
The cool spring plays on a silver harp
and full of sweetness is the song of the bird.

And a song about winter:

It is white out here.
Kyndelmisse* ties its knot
exceedingly sharp and hard.
White below, white above
powdered thick stand the trees in the forest
and in my orchard.

*Candalarum misa



What about you? Do you get the same inspiration from songs or poems?

Comments

[kmkibble75.livejournal.com]

Not so much poems, but songs inspire, or maybe more precisely, encourage a lot of what happens in my stories. Their mood sets up the images in my mind, or makes the action move at the pace I desire. Music, both with words and without, is unbelievably important the Teh Writing.