Pink Floyd sing the I Ching: Hexagram 24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pacX-FTc6Vk
It is a pleasure to listen to the I Ching set to music. This is an original song from The Piper at the Break of Dawn, the ground-breaking first album of Pink Floyd. One has to wonder just how much the I Ching influenced the 60’s…..
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VZQorlta_0[/youtube]
All movement is accomplished in six stages,
and the seventh brings return.
The seven is the number of the young light.
It forms when darkness is increased by one.
Change return success.
Going and coming without error.
Action brings good fortune…
Sunset.
The time is with the month of winter solstice,
when the change is due to come.
Thunder in the Earth, the course of Heaven.
Things cannot be destroyed once and for all.
Change return success.
Going and coming without error.
Action brings good fortune…
Sunset.
Sunrise.
All movement is accomplished in six stages,
and the seventh brings return.
The seven is the number of the young light.
It forms when darkness is increased by one.
Change return success.
Going and coming without error.
Action brings good fortune…
Sunset.
Sunrise.
24. Fu – Return (The Turning Point)
— —
— — above K’un The Receptive, Earth
— —
— —
— — below Chên The Arousing, Thunder
—–
The Judgement
Return. Success.
Going out and coming in without error.
Friends come without blame.
To and fro goes the way.
On the seventh day comes return.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
The Image
Thunder within the earth:
The image of the Turning Point.
Thus the kings of antiquity closed the passes
At the time of solstice.
Merchants and strangers did not go about,
And the ruler
Did not travel through the provinces.
Chapter 24 is the title of a song from Pink Floyd’s 1967 LP The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.
It was written by Syd Barrett and its lyrics are inspired by text from chapter 24 of the ancient Chinese tome I Ching (The Book of Changes).
The translation Barrett referenced is not known, but phrases from the lyric can be found in the Wilhelm and Baynes translation of 1950, and the Legge translation of 1899. The former is more poetic, but the latter has greater detail. Chapter 24 explains the significance of the Fû (“returning”) hexagram.
“A movement is accomplished in six stages…” – The lyric’s opening line appears to be taken from the I Ching’s instructions for performing a divination, which is accomplished in six stages, one for each row of the hexagram, and is used to select a hexagram and its corresponding chapter.
Pink Floyd were an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their psychedelic and progressive rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially successful, as well as one of the most critically successful and influential rock music groups of all time. They have sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 74.5 million certified units in the United States.
The band originally consisted of university students Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Richard Wright and the late Syd Barrett. Founded in 1965, they first became popular playing in London’s underground music scene in the late 1960s. Under Barrett’s leadership they released two charting singles, “Arnold Layne” and “See Emily Play”, and a successful début album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967). Guitarist and vocalist David Gilmour joined Pink Floyd several months prior to Barrett’s departure from the group due to the latter’s deteriorating mental health in 1968. Following the loss of their principal songwriter, Pink Floyd bassist and vocalist Roger Waters became the band’s lyricist and conceptual leader, with Gilmour assuming lead guitar and sharing lead vocals. With this lineup Pink Floyd achieved worldwide critical and commercial success with The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall.
The Piper at the Break of Dawn
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn is the debut album by the English rock band Pink Floyd, and the only one made under founding member Syd Barrett’s leadership. The album contains whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles and fairy tales, along with psychedelic instrumental songs. The album was initially released in 1967 by Columbia/EMI in the United Kingdom and Tower/Capitol in the United States. Special limited editions were issued to mark its thirtieth and fortieth anniversaries in 1997 and 2007, respectively.