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Re:


hmmmm,

that's really interesting, the connection between Lewis's dryad and
the "death of a tree" aspect in "falling..."

i like it. you know, we could start a whole body of literary criticism
based entirely on c.s. lewis's world-view and writings. (actually, he
has a book of literary criticism- called "an experiment in criticism")
can you see it now: "i really see Yoda as an Aslan- figure in this
movie," or "the ewoks really have strong elements of a reepicheep
complex..."

seriously, i think it's a strong connection.

i read the song like this:


 
> I'll awake to find your love 
> falling like leaves to the ground 
> I'll awake to find your love 
> falling like leaves 
 
the opening connects love to the idea of autumn, and of the "death" a
tree goes through in autumn, as signified by the leaves falling (hence
the title.)
the interesting thing here is the fact that the singer is waking up in
autumn, typically a time of falling asleep, hibernation, etc.
the other interesting thing is that love is somehow coming out of the
"death" of the tree itself. the question i have is who is the agent
(the person comminting the action) in the falling- who causes the
leaves to fall? it is that person from whom the love comes. is it the
tree? the wind? the designer of the tree? the world? or does the tree
act as a symbol of another human being?

> you will look to find me down 
> upon my knees without a sound 
> you will look to find me down 
> upon my knees 

now the singer is "acting" like a leaf- down upon her (his) knees (a
kind of "falling) without a sound (ever heard a leaf fall?) and the
other party in the song is (or will be ) looking at her (him)

what do people do on thier knees?

pray.
propose marraige.
beg forgiveness.
swear loyalty to a king.
any others?


> then we can fling wide the gates 
> let go the last of our hate 
> then we can sigh like the cool clear wind 
> up high 
> through the sky above 
> then we can say we're in love 

"the gates" could be the gates of heaven, or the gates of an old
manor, or the gates around the singer's heart, or the gates of a
paradise, like Eden or Dante's earthly paradise at the top of mount
Purgatory.
there is definitnetly a paradise theme here though- flinging wide the
gates, and being freed from hate, which (according to the song) frees
them to love.

the garden of eden story has two trees (the tree of *life* no less,
and a tree of *death*, in the form of sin), a "gate" (the angel with a
sword), and not a little hate in it.


> then we can rest mortal eyes 
> laugh as we run out of temporal breath 
> then we can move 
> we can sing 
> we can tremble like birds 
> through the sky above 
> then we can say we're in love 


ok- they were sighing in the last verse- now they're letting go of
"temporal breath". isn't that a kind of death?

after this, they can  "move," "sing," "tremble," and "love." (these
are all, by the way acts of both romantic love and of worship.)

(this reminds me of the song "wonder of birds" by the inncoence
mission.)

so, i think the song is "about" ressurection. they die (like the
leaves) but this death (the temporal one) releases them into life,
which has strong overtones of paradise. it could be either the process
of ressurection (what the evangelicals call "sanctification") or an
actual ressurection. it works both ways.

there's a Bible verse: unless a seed die and is buried in the ground...
 which reminds me of the tree's life-cycle, closely tied into the
image of spiritual rebirth. 

it's the circle of life, simba...

that's my two (or more like 25) cents.

john.



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