Dear England, I'm pleased to report I've been invited for a campus interview at Lebanon Valley College. LVC is located in Annville, a small town in Pennsylvania about 35 miles east of the state capital, Harrisburg. It's a picturesque part of the country, and I am excited to visit next Wednesday and meet the faculty at the English department.
Check out the video below, the Ballad of Paul Morphy, a strange and haunting tribute to the famous chess player!
"This video is a tribute to the great chess genius Paul Morphy (1837-1884). The accompanying song is in the style of the old parlor songs of the Stephen Foster era and is delivered by Anchor Méjans. Some images are taken from "public domain" films at Prelinger Archive."
I discovered this video on YouTube and was struck by the uncanny similarities - especially the lines "retreating into dreams was his release." Yes, we're definitely dealing with the same Morphy!
Here are the lyrics:
Paul Morphy lived his life in black and white
For him there was no gray
No wrong nor right
Just strategy
Nights and days -
Confined by notes in squares upon a page
No friends to adore
Only royals and pawns
And there was no way out of his sad fate
No there was no way out of his sad fate
Alas alas alas for him -
checkmate
Paul Morphy wanted peace
But peace was scarce
Retreating into dreams was his release
Paul Morphy lived his life in black and white
For him there was no gray
No wrong nor right
No friends to adore
Only royals and pawns
And there was no way out of his sad fate
No there was no way out of his sad fate
Alas alas alas for him -
checkmate
Sing along!
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