LÜTZEN! THE MUSICAL - 4. THE STRINGS OF POWER

 THE STRINGS OF POWER

(Die Fäden in der Hand)

sung by Albrecht von Wallenstein

Here in Friedland life is lively, bright, and grand;

see the wealth of the realm,

how it blesses all this land...

Our golden future puts all Friedland up in light;

preserving the status quo

is our duty and our right... 

So please think of this as the occasion

for a little more subordination...

Look at these gentlemen,

how devoted they're to me!

Yes they're always at my service,

I decide, they think they're free...

Even though lots of rage

and resentment overflow,

I hold the strings of power in my hand!!

Great unrest still haunts our hinterlands for sure,

they are restless, defiant...

ah, but oh so immature!

With quick action of these threats we'll soon be free,

all remains as it is

and so will it ever be...

We can't see the future that lies ahead,

therefore we must follow His Lordship's plans instead!

Should they boldly protest

and demand that they be free,

I just snap my fingers once, and

all their hearts belong to me!

Should they wildly protest,

all that fussing makes me cold!

I hold the strings of power in my hand!!

If I lift a fingertip, a favour is bestowed;

just a flick of the wrist, and another favour's owed...

Lean but slightly left to make the Liberals elated;

then flip right, et voilà! Tories feel intoxicated...

Make or break a promise, I don't care!

The one hanging on the line is left with nothing!

Let them shout, let them roar,

let them pounce to right and left,

when I wish them to be silent,

they're as if of life bereft!

Is our course clear at last?

Violence makes everyone bend,

I hold the strings of power in my hand...

'Tis an ancient noble art

to preserve one's influence

with a mind for consequence;

ne'er outdated...

One is never planless having power in their thrall,

nor thoughtlessly let them all

just be strangulated...

Who holds power every hour 

in hands thoughtful and discrete 

can pull anybody's strings just

as they please, control complete...

Rationality's key

in this art old as the land,

I hold the strings of power in my hand!

(Chorus of courtiers)

Come and sing, come and dance

as this courtly life demands!

If he says we should be laughing,

we are cheerful and we're grand!

Merrily we await,

we will do whate'er he tells...

He holds the strings of power in his hand!!

He is bright, he is strong,

he's always been a righteous man...

With charisma binds the people,

we're under his spell, he can...

What he says is the law,

he's seducer of the world,

he holds the strings of power in his hand!!

He holds the reins of power in his hand!!

He holds dominion in his hand!!

BE PREPARED HISTORICAL FILKS

BE PREPARED (FOR THE RISE OF THE REICH)

Disclaimer: This filk does not display any of the author's ideas about the historical events portrayed.
This filk is merely an affectionate parody of the villain song "Be Prepared", as well as a critique of the regime portrayed and a tribute to history.

ADOLF H.: I know that all your apprehension
can't the slightest concept understand.
Though you're obnoxious, pay attention!
I will share something I now have planned.
It's clear you don't have the experience,
of how this is done not a clue...
A most grand entrée, with my clearance...
And quite soon we'll be through with our coup!

So prepare for the chance of our lifetime!
So prepare for sensational rise!
A future of glory...
This is no mere story...

OFFICER I: And where do we fit in?

ADOLF H.: Soon, you'll be admitting
great prizes, awarded.
I'll have you rewarded,
at least a little more than you were!
When our influence to the skies has flared...
Be prepared!

OFFICER I: So be prepared... But prepared for what?
ADOLF H.: For Chancellor von Papen's demise.
OFFICER II: And why? Is he ill?
ADOLF H.: Oh yes, soon he'll be ill enough to leave his post...
OFFICER I: Great idea! Who needs a chancellor?
Monarchy, monarchy, na-na-na-na-naaaa-na!
ADOLF H.: Idiots! There will be a chancellor...
OFFICER II: But you said...
ADOLF H.: I will be chancellor!
Follow me, and you will never starve again!

OFFICERS OF THE PARTY: Come one, come all, soon, we're united,
with a new reign that calls for a feast!
ADOLF H.: So what? Quid pro quo, you're expected
to take duties at which you fail least.
The first prize is right for the taking,
if you my instructions obey...
For without my wit's undertaking,
all of you would be lost and astray!
So prepare for the coup of the century,
be prepared for the end of the game!
Such a careful planning,
such great actors spanning...
Our ruler's a zero,
and never a hero!
This will soon be over,
the tables turned over,
the right ruler shall soon be revered!
I stand highest, all else must be cleared!
Be prepared!
OFFICERS OF THE PARTY: I stand highest, all else must be cleared!
Be prepared!



BE PREPARED... FOR WALLENSTEIN

WALLENSTEIN: I know that all your apprehension
can't the slightest concept understand.
Though you're obnoxious, pay attention!
I will share something I now have planned.
It's clear you don't have the experience,
of how this is done not a clue...
A royal entrée, with my clearance...
And quite soon we'll be through with our coup!

So prepare for the chance of our lifetime!
So prepare for sensational rise!
A future of glory...
This is no mere story...

PICCOLOMINI: And where do we fit in?

WALLENSTEIN: Soon, you'll be admitting
great prizes, awarded.
I'll have you rewarded,
at least a little more than you were!
When our influence to the skies has flared...
Be prepared!

PICCOLOMINI: So be prepared... But prepared for what?
WALLENSTEIN: For the death of the Kaiser!
TEREZKA: And why? Is he ill?
WALLENSTEIN: Oh yes, soon he'll be as ill as the King of Sweden was...
PICCOLOMINI: Great idea! Who needs a kaiser?
No liege lord, no liege lord, na-na-na-na-naaaa-na!
WALLENSTEIN: Idiots! There will be a kaiser...
TEREZKA: But you said...
WALLENSTEIN: I will be the next Kaiser!
Follow me, and you will be greatly rewarded!

OFFICERS: Come one, come all, soon, we're united,
with a new reign that calls for a feast!
WALLENSTEIN: So what? Quid pro quo, you're expected
to take duties at which you fail least.
The first prize is right for the taking,
if you my instructions obey...
For without my wit's undertaking,
all of you would be lost and astray!
So prepare for the coup of the century,
be prepared for the end of the game!
Such a careful planning,
such great actors spanning...
Our ruler's a zero,
and never a hero!
This will soon be over,
the tables turned over,
the right ruler shall soon be revered!
I stand highest, all else must be cleared!
Be prepared!
OFFICERS: I stand highest, all else must be cleared!
Be prepared!

THE RINGSTETTEN SAGA VIII: THE LEIPZIG-FRIEDLAND WINTER

Previously on the Ringstetten Saga:

The late king's lifeless body is discovered, bloodstained and covered in gunshot and stab wounds, amidst a heap of slain Croatians. Liselotte finds an unconscious and freezing Gerhard, whom she takes to the surgeon and tends to herself. A nice draught of brandy (both to quench his thirst and ease his pain) down the lieutenant's throat almost brings him back from a state of near-death, but he will have to rest in bed all winter long, speaking and moving as little as possible, if he wants to survive: the bullet is lodged so deeply in his chest that it can't be taken out. The Leipzig Christmas wedding which Liselotte and he had dreamt of will have to be cancelled: they will marry in spring in the Swedish camp, if the wounded lieutenant survives.

Alois, however, has not been found, dead or alive. For one good reason: he strayed in the fog as well, was struck in the nape of his neck with a sword and suffers from amnesia, and thus he has joined Wallenstein's army as he was swept in the Friedlander's pell-mell retreat. After a brief stay in Leipzig before its fall, the amnesiac sergeant has followed the Wallenstein entourage eastward, into Friedland (the Wallensteins' shire, located in between Saxony and Bohemia). He has learned to know Isabella and Thekla von Wallenstein, His Lordship's wife and child (promoted to heiress after her brother's death), the former a blond and elegant Viennese noblewoman, the latter a raven-haired and reserved damsel who has lived in the shade of her father and brother... and is nowadays disturbed by her many suitors. Once in Friedland, Wallenstein has had the local gallows prepared for executing four colonels and nine subaltern officers for cowardice, as scapegoats for the Lützen-Leipzig debacle. Alois, now raised to the rank of generalissimo's aide-de-camp's orderly (pretty high, isn't it?), has become aware that disobedient peasants and servants, officers, privates, and vassals, are bound to wear a hemp necklace at the pettiest offence (even stealing fruit, or not wearing the Wallensteinian colours, which are scarlet and black). 
The Schloss Friedland chapel and those closest to it have got no bells, whose knell provokes His Lordship, but eunuchs calling from the church towers... Though very few people there are deeply religious. To start with, the Wallensteins and their associates are freethinkers.
However, Friedland is a peaceful shire with public schools in the smallest villages, manufactures (early modern industries), and medical care for the meanest subjects. The currency is a golden coin made in Friedland itself with Wallenstein's profile on it. Everything seems to betray that Wallenstein will take all this to imperial scale once he has dethroned the Kaiser: he is convinced that his reign will be remembered for its goodness and emphasis on welfare. Think of that, of an Enlightened despot born a century ahead of his times!

 In a glass case in a parish church (in Weissenfels, Saxony), the hero of freedom is mourned for by officers, privates, and a heartbroken Queen Eleanor (perchance the saddest of them all).
Eleanor (Desperate): Oh, Gustavus! Darling! Without you, I'm so alone! I wither, helpless, on my own!

With the enbalmed form of her late spouse and with his wounded steed, she invites Hedwig and Liselotte to follow the funeral procession to the royal palace in Nyköping. The blond girl, trying in vain to comfort her queen, declines such a tempting offer: she will follow the Swedish ranks, sure that her beloved Alois is still alive somewhere and that they are destined to meet each other again.
Liselotte declines as well, worried about Gerhard's state of health and having already decided to tend to his wounds. And also because she feels at home on the war front, not being that fond of courtly life.

Gerhard and other few Protestant survivors from the Battle of Lützen spend the winter in Leipzig's famous Auerbach Tavern. Our young lieutenant shares a room with his sister and fiancée, before moving into the estate of Breitenfeld for a quicker recovery (and less scuffles with university students). 
There he mostly spends the days sleeping until the week before Christmas Eve, when he starts reading books and making lace, that both girls sell at the local Christmas Market in Leipzig for profit. He draws the inspiration from the ice crystals on his windowpane, and he also notices that, having drunk too much brandy, his lace patterns resemble his first "cobwebs" of yore... let that be a temperance lesson!

The December celebrations of this trio are modest and cozy (that typically Germanic Gemütlichkeit!): Liselotte and Gerhard receive each a wedding ring and a medal of Gustavus Adolphus for their respective chain necklaces, while the convalescent lieutenant makes wonderful and special lace patterns, laden with love, for their dresses. After New Year, the lace made in that inn room is especially produced upon request of well-to-do Leipzig bourgeois for their tables and decoration.

At Schloss Friedland, the celebrations are far more lavish and baroque, crossing the limits of decency. Alois happens to have made friends with Thekla, though merely like siblings... but they must keep the distances, for His Lordship, drunk on success as he is, is rather protective of his wife's faithfulness and of his daughter's innocence. Thekla is courted by many suitors, three of which are actually a fifth column sent by the Kaiser from Vienna to watch the Duke of Friedland and inform the central government of his moves (though the would-be in-laws are unaware of the youths' agenda). Alois gets promoted to generalissimo's aide-de-camp's ensign, having to share entourage with Ladies Neubrunn and Brandeiss. He also gets to admire Wallenstein, and to learn of the duke's plans to team up with the Swedish regency for overthrowing the German Empire with a meticulously planned coup d'état!

Winter changes into spring once more, and both armies take to the field. But Sweden has lost power since the King's untimely death: the Regent reveals himself as a much worse leader, and Banér, now free once more, has started to drink to drown his sorrows after his beloved liege lord's death at Lützen. Thus, a long and bloody losing streak ensues. Gerhard and Liselotte marry in the woods in spring, while more officers defect to Wallenstein's army following each lost confrontation...

GOTT MIT UNS! OR SWEDES INTO THE FRAY

Alright, I am in the middle of my first Germanophone story: Der Löwe aus Mitternacht (The Lion from the Land of the Midnight Sun).
It's a play about the Austro-Swedish phase of the Thirty Years' War, divided into a prelude and two acts.
What about some snippets, translated by myself?
FROM THE DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Albrecht von Wallenstein: wealthy landowner, Duke of Friedland, Generalissimo of the Imperial Army. Married with two children. A true aesthete and freethinker, who loves science and whose greatest passion is astrology. He is afraid of loud noises, and he also suffers from heart issues caused by his lifestyle. He is quite moody: anyone who contradicts him must be executed, as known to his many allies and servants at Friedland... and to his many enemies at the Imperial Court. He actually plans to dethrone the Kaiser and take over the whole Empire...
Jean 't Serclaes, Count of Tilly: Leader of the Catholic League. A completely chaste and temperate veteran, who remains undefeated to this day. This septuagenarian, raised by Jesuits, is still single and childless due to his vow of chastity. He feels better in camp that at court. Coldhearted towards his enemies, and stays calm in the direst straits.
FROM ACT ONE
SCENE II. THE LANDING
The Swedes have landed on the white chalk cliffs of Pomerania. After many days, they have finally reached the German coastline. The King lands first, followed by the Queen, until the meanest private: everyone can be seen.
Gustavus: Thank God that we haven't suffered any casualties. That must be a good omen!
He kneels and sings so wonderfully: "Do not despair, my little band, though enemies throughout the land are seeking to destroy you!"
Officers: Long live the Golden King! Long live the Hero King!
Privates: Long live the Lion from the Land of the Midnight Sun!
Eleanor: Long live the one dearest to my heart!
Everyone: Long live the chosen Deliverer!

INGLORIOUS CHAPTER TITLES

So I am making up this historical fic without a title (so far).
It takes place throughout Northern Europe in the 17th century and features themes such as love, war, power, freedom, neoteny, vampirism (I AM NOT KIDDING. There is a neotenic female character and a bunch of real vampires!!)...
The plot is the following: it is the life of Elfrieda, born a child of performers but adopted and raised (a foundling) by aristocrats. She is purple-haired and odd-eyed, with long, pointy ears. And neotenic, meaning she stays a teenager in appearance and health throughout her life. So, she finds a place as a court entertainer, then accompanies the electoress's daughter to Sweden upon her marriage to Gustavus Adolphus. Aside from Elfrieda, there is Karlis, one of her nephews, a university student turned lieutenant. He is obviously described as the epitome of male Nordic cuteness. And the backdrop is the war front... there is a huge cast, magical events, etcetera...
It is my tribute to (and also my slight parody of) Victorian door-stoppers like Les Miserables, Moby Dick, and War and Peace.

Here are a few of the best chapter titles:

• Entertainers in Early Modern Times
• Kaiser Ferdinand at his Court in the Viennese Hofburg, and Lord Wallenstein at his Court in Schloss Friedland
• One Eye of a Different Colour
• The Difference between Beauty and Cuteness
• An Old Walloon and a Young Friedlander
• An Ascetic and an Aesthete
• A Redoubtable Alliance, Dissolved due to Irreconcilable Differences
• The Breitenfeld Debacle: the Catholic View
• The Breitenfeld Landslide: the Protestant View
• Elfrieda's First Confession to Karlis
• Wallenstein in his Tower in Schloss Friedland, by Midnight
• A Thorough Description of the Lech-Danube Confluence
• Crossing the Lech Proves Crossing the Rubicon
• The Kaiser's Left-Hand Man Rises Beyond his Expectations
• A Thorough Description of the Plains of Lützen
• The Fatal Sixth of November
• Mary Eleanor of Hohenzollern Vs. the Council of Regents
• The Flight from Gripsholm
• A Digression on the Viability of Resurrection
• Karlis Makes a Difficult Decision
• Fräulein von W*********n becomes Frau Schulze, therefore Losing her Disgraceful Surname
• A Young Clergywoman, with the Mind of a Philosopher, visits Versailles