Quotes on Singers, Poets and Musicians

 Quotes on Singers, Poets and Musicians

"On Gor, the singer, or poet, is regarded as a craftsman who makes strong sayings, much like a potmaker makes a good pot or a saddle-maker makes a worthy saddle.  He has his role to play in the social structure, celebrating battles and histories, singing of heroes and cities, but also he is expected to sing of living, and of love and joy, not merely of arms and glory; and, too, it is his function to remind the Goreans from time to time of loneliness and death, lest they should forget that they are men."

(Outlaw of Gor, pages 103-104)

"In spite of some reservations the Poet, or Singer, was loved on Gor.  It had not occurred to him that he owed misery and torment to his profession, and on the whole, the Caste of Poets was thought to be a most happy band of men. "A handful of bread for a song," was a common Gorean invitation extended to members of the caste, and it might occur on the lips of a peasant or a Ubar, and the poet took great pride that he would sing the same song in both the hut of the peasant and the halls of the Ubar, though it won for him only a crust of bread in one place and a cap of gold in the other, gold often squandered on a beautiful woman who might leave him nothing but his songs."

(Outlaw of Gor, page 104)

"The Caste of Poets is not so bad," I said to Linna.

"Of course not," she said, "but they are outlawed in Tharna."

(Outlaw of Gor, page 105)

 

"Lastly it might be mentioned, thinking it is of some interest, musicians on Gor are never enslaved; they may, of course, be exiled, tortured, slain and such; it is said, perhaps truly, that he who makes music must, like the tarn and the Vosk gull, be free."

(Nomads of Gor, page 154)

"In most cities it is regarded, incidentally, as a criminal offense to enslave one of the caste of players. A similar decree, in most cities, stands against the enslavement of of one who is of the caste of musicians." 

(Beasts of Gor, page 44)

There is a saying on Gor, "No musician can be a stranger." The saying is sometimes, too, applied to the caste of players. The saying is somewhat difficult to translate into English, for in Gorean, the same word is commonly used for "stranger" and "enemy". When one understands that, of course, it is easier to understand the saying in its full meaning.

(Players of Gor, page 294)