H.P.Lovecraft: The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath

OUKRANOS

And all the cats went back into the wood.
The traveller knew those garden lands so well
bordering the Cerenarian sea;
followed the river Oukranos whose song
filled the summer air amid the flowers
that starred each knoll and dingle. The blessed haze
flooded that sunlit region; birds and bees
made lulling humming music. He reached, at noon,
the sparkling jasper temples of Kiran
and, at the river's edge, the nestled temple
- idyll of subdued delight - where Ilek-Vad
comes once a year to pray to Oukranos
who sang to him when he was still a boy.
At night he hears the chanting of the god
across the ebon water; and at dawn
he hails the rising sun with hands uplifted,
his gold and azure eyes ablaze with light.

_____________________________________

This poem has been 'lifted' from the text of 'The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath' by H.P. Lovecraft. The story is so nearly a poem that it took minimal work to make these iambic pentameters: my homage to a wonderful American author. As with Milton and Poe, much of the music resides in the place names and the names of the people. The paintings are of course by the great and mystical Henri Rousseau. The music is the equally magical L'enfant et les sortileges by Ravel.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• lovecraft
• dream-quest
• of
• unknown
• kadath
• charles
• bryant
• english
• poetry
• spoken
• word
• henri
• rousseau
• ravel

[SanguineUltima]

This is quite probably my single favorite story of all time. Your rendering of this sample from it into poetic form brings music to my heart.

[brychar66]

Thanks very much. I could do a lot more with Lovecraft if time allowed :)

[SpaceSolo]

very lovely work, i must say, you capture the atmosphere and mood of lovecrafts world with your wonderful reading voice. I would love to hear you read Nyarlatothep

[brychar66]

many thanks :)

[lavanguardiadelsol]

who are the pictures from? who is the painter someone knows?

[brychar66]

- see the notes on the right of the screen!

[Wtfxxl13]

Everytime i read one of Lovecraft's dream stories I have to ponder what his mind was filled with on the metaphysical level. I would like to believe that all the stories he came up with are based in something more substantial than his dreams, like he had a connection to something grander...oh well, I guess we'll never know (at least until cloning technology is legalized for humans...)

[qiay]

Wonderful! Most amazing story I've ever read. Reading "Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath" makes me think of Drakan: Order of the Flame and Drakan: Ancients Gates video games. The scenery and images from that video game seem to go together very well with the story.

[dltanner99]

Horror novel see video book trailer

[jacksterner]

In an interview, Lovecraft claimed to have not much use for his DREAM-QUEST FOR UNKNOWN KADATH. That's a puzzle because it's one of his best creations and has quite a bit to do with his CTHULU MYTHOS stories. It seems to me that all of his other-world entities, in one way or another, come from the same place and could easily share the same space.

[Omegatonyisgod]

why is lovecraft purple in the first picture? did he eat wonkas berrie candy?

[motorheadanthrax]

this is a decent story , although it doesn't match the cthulu mythos masterpieces

[ksol1460tv]

@Wtfxxl13 - HPL once said: Life has no meaning other than what we dream into it.

KTJ

[StevenLoos]

Beautifully done, I am subscribing. You are fantastic, and I am indeed becoming a fan.

[BaldotheDon]

I'm only a little embarrassed to admit that it took about two days before I remembered why your voice seemed so familiar, Mr Bryant. The Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 sound a lot like you!

I think that "The Tree" by Lovecraft would benefit much from the melancholy your voice would infuse it with.

[eihwazone]

fantastic reading an the use of Henri Rousseau an Ravel, who is a fav of mine....was magic.

[rattrameggeagoth]

he was just a little insane.