The Sacred Sistrum of Ancient Egypt

In Khamsin, The Devil Wind of The Nile, this ancient instrument is described as being used for worship as well as entertainment.

Excerpt:

With expectant stillness at its height, [the High Priest of Ptah] intoned the old sacred chants, his rich baritone echoed by the pure high voices of his temple chantresses. The simple notes of a lonely flute rang out, a harp adding its melodic strings.

Sistrum-players rattled their papyrus stems. The beat quickened. With nothing more than belts around slim waists, the undulating chantresses mesmerized the crowd; it often fell to these lithe servants of the gods to keep the beer-drowsed audience alert.

Jim Bennett's New "Fortress: Poems 6"

At last, Canadian Poet Jim Bennett has published a new poetry book, Fortress: Poems 6. 

I was delighted to receive a copy from the author. Below is my Review of this delightful (and as usual, challenging) volume and I am proud to add his special poetry to his previous five.

 My Review:

After an extended hiatus, we can finally welcome another volume, the sixth, in Jim Bennett’s poetry collection. This one, I felt, was earthier than the previous ones, lusty and even outright sexy. There is also a bit of political tongue-in-cheek, as in ReForms of Intelligence. All encompass Bennett’s usual complexity of thought. Through his mastery, he makes one think, imagine a parallel to one’s own life. He is sly in his choice of words and verse, forcing you to re-read those poems until you get it – sometimes maybe not.

Starting out with Possession, I felt I had gone home again without estrangement of place or time. Silence is brief and profound, whereas Chorus adds a dose of sex; as do several other poems.

The book ends with Fortress of Solitude. To me, a contemplation of a waning life: reflective, sad even, resigned, yet gratified to have been witness to it.

And that is how my first reading of this 70-poem volume left me: Gratified – and most glad that I can add Poems 6 to Bennett’s previous five poetry books on my shelf. But it won’t gather dust there, for the depth and complexity of those poems cry out to be re-read and re-discovered time and again – as they will be for sure.

US: Fortress-Poems-6-Jim-Bennett

CA: Fortress-Poems-6-Jim-Bennett-Canada

Website: http://jim-bennett.ca/

A Tribute to Harriet Doerr

Invited to write about one of my favorite authors, I chose American writer Harriet Doerr; one of many I could have singled out for Helen Hollick's Discovering Diamonds blogspot.






Doerr's sparse yet descriptive style fascinates me as it is as captivating today as it was when she wrote about these Mexican adventures.

Here is my Tribute to Harriet Doerr:

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/p/guest-inge-h-borg

Also, check out Helen's interesting Home Page
for recently reviewed and Discovered Diamonds by contemporary Indie authors:

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/

A Curse for Egypt - The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam?

The monster dam is set to open "sometime in 2017" along the Blue Nile in Ethiopia, the largest hydroelectric project not only in that country but in the whole of Africa.

 (Photo: Ghetty Images)

Its conflict with Egypt over water rights forms the basis of

The Nile Conspiracy.

Egypt receives 80% of its water. Will the filling of this monster reservoir threatens to strangle the Blue Nile?

Needless to say, the Egyptians are very worried - especially as it will take 5 to 15 years to fill the huge catch basin from the Blue Nile flowing out of Lake Tana.

The Axe, The Shield, and The Triton - A Discovered Diamond

Author James M. Hockey was born on the slopes of the Iron Age hill fort of Ham Hill. During the Roman period the IInd Legion had a camp here. This fort is only eight miles from the Cadbury hill fort, the favored if speculative location for Camelot and Arthur during post-Roman times. It is in this countryside that Alfred the Great hid and plotted the defeat of the invading Danes.

Moving just two miles down the road Hockey spent the early years of his life under the shadow of St. Michaels Hill, the scene of one of the last abortive rebellions against the Normans after 1066.

It is hardly surprising that history is in his blood and that his writing is set in this historic countryside.

 

Read my review of Hockey's Book 1

The Axe, The Shield, and The Triton 

of his 3-book

Tales of Bowdyn Series 

on Helen Hollick's Discovering Diamonds website.

https://discoveringdiamonds.blogspot.com/

 

It is easy to see why this dark ages novel

was honored with the coveted

Discovered Diamond

Award

 Treat yourself here to Hockey's complete series:

US - https://www.amazon.com/James-M.-Hockey

UK -https://www.amazon.co.uk/James-M.-Hockey

Spicy Recollections

Check out three spicy recollections about 

Love, Lust and Betrayal

 (No, this is not autobiographical - although I do love pearls).

http://www.amazon.com/Intermezzos-Three-Short-Romances

(If you find them amusing, a brief review would be most appreciated.)

A Taste

I'd like you to taste 

 a short (somewhat irreverent) story 

showing off my non-historical side

(You might find, it's my 'hysterical side')

http://www.amazon.com/Inter-Galactica