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Xanadu - Box 7
July 24, 2021
To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honeydew
And drink the milk of paradise
I had heard the whispered tales of immortality The deepest mystery From an ancient book I took a clue I scaled the frozen mountain tops of eastern lands unknown Time and man alone Searching for the lost Xanadu Xanadu
To stand within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kublai Khan To taste anew the fruits of life The last immortal man To find the sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice For I will dine on honeydew And drink the milk of paradise
A thousand years have come and gone But time has passed me by Stars stopped in the sky Frozen in an everlasting view Waiting for the world to end, weary of the night Praying for the light Prison of the lost, Xanadu Xanadu
Held within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan To taste my bitter triumph As a mad immortal man Nevermore shall I return Escape these caves of ice For I have dined on honeydew And I drunk the milk of paradise Oh, paradise
I had heard the whispered tales of immortality The deepest mystery From an ancient book I took a clue I scaled the frozen mountain tops of eastern lands unknown Time and man alone Searching for the lost Xanadu Xanadu
To stand within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kublai Khan To taste anew the fruits of life The last immortal man To find the sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice For I will dine on honeydew And drink the milk of paradise
A thousand years have come and gone But time has passed me by Stars stopped in the sky Frozen in an everlasting view Waiting for the world to end, weary of the night Praying for the light Prison of the lost, Xanadu Xanadu
Held within the Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan To taste my bitter triumph As a mad immortal man Nevermore shall I return Escape these caves of ice For I have dined on honeydew And I drunk the milk of paradise Oh, paradise
-Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, Neil Peart
Box gifted to Emilia
I've known Emilia for a long time, as I worked with her father, Steve, for many years at Zabar's. Steve was an old soul, an avid reader and we often talked of books. His vocabulary was astounding - he knew arcane words I had never heard of before. As I was reading, especially Faulkner in those days, I'd write down words I'd never encountered: spavined, apotheosis, susturration, expiation - Steve knew them all and explained their meanings. Steve was a great man, the embodiment of a true New Yorker. Gone too soon.