Poetry collection

[Solovei]

So the tributes to the songs are also posted here.
This one came from that comment thread of page 220.
This supposed to be a song for children. Everyone from former Soviet Union countries know it. Ohters may listen to it here: http://youtu.be/V-TithD7izM?list=PLFEC1C3CD4189786B There are also some translations, including Finnish and Swedish versions, they are beautiful, but I love Japanese one the most.

Oh my gosh, I hadn't heard this in years! Thanks for this little bit of childhood nostalgia
Now we just need a "Lalli in the Fog" spinoff and we will be all set!

[Zlatoglazka]

Now we just need a "Lalli in the Fog" spinoff and we will be all set!

We have it! That was a page 209:

Lalli as Yozhik ('a child-hedgehog'),
Baidy - 'bear cub' - Medvezhonok,
Moose as Loshadka (this means 'sweety horse'),
Fog as the Fog (ah, Tuman). And
One thing we miss is them cry out their names,
Calling each other again and again...
Well, they were trying at least once.

[P__]

I believe this should be posted here, right ?

this song went through my earphones earlier today, so obviously I had to do something about it. Try to guess who should sing it ^^


Go on and o-pen your eyes
'Cause all you need is magic sight
You will be the best of the guides
Go safely tonight (oh yeah)

While you go I will wait and stay
And how I wish, I wish you wouldn't go
So hurry please, come back to me
Don't lenghten my misery

Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on
Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on

I have only one desire
And it's to be safe with you
But you scout without tire
to find us a way (oh it's true)

Don't cross any trolls nearby
Lalli please, don't make me cry
'Cause boy without you I feel low
But oh I know you need to go

Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on
Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on

Tomorrow I hope you'll be there
I wish you wouldn't give me a scare
'Cause boy without you I feel low
But oh I know you need to go

Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on

And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on

Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on

Scout tonight
And come back before dawn
Run till morrow
Tomorrow we'll ride on

Tomorrow we'll ride on
Tomorrow we'll ride on
Tomorrow we'll ride on
Tomorrow we'll ride on

[Clayres]

I believe this should be posted here, right ?

this song went through my earphones earlier today, so obviously I had to do something about it. Try to guess who should sing it ^^

[the thingie]

*straight face*
Tuuri, obviously.

[JoB]

Tuuri, obviously.

With The Magically-Quintupled Onni Band as background singers trying to steal the lines, especially those that do give leave 'til morn'.

[slim kittens]

from page 222

I think of this as Turri's song

DOWNTOWN

If you feel down and life is taking you nowhere
You could always go, downtown
If you feel bored and you would like an adventure
There's a place I know: downtown

Go see Torbjörn, Siv and Trond and join the expedition
You will get to drive a cat with manual transmission,
What could go wrong? There'll be more excitement for you
You'll get to meet some strange creatures, and murder them too

So go
Downtown, all your friends envy you
Downtown, and it's for science, too
Downtown, you're gonna be someone, now.

If this train is safe, why is it covered with saws,
And we are taking it, downtown?
Providence saved us from the teeth and the claws
and yet we roll along, downtown

I imagined this would be a hunting expedition,
Shoot some trolls and grab some books to help and fund our mission
Why did I come? I'd sleep so much better tonight
If I was home, but then Onni would know he was right

And I'm
Downtown (I'm having second thoughts)
Downtown (what was I thinking?)
Downtown, everything's waiting for you

If you get lost, don't let the giants surround you,
There are hidey-holes, downtown
Don't move around, don't make a sound. If you do,
You might alert the trolls, downtown

I wish that we had brought a cat to guide us in the city,
A grade A type, a brave feline, a real trustworthy kitty,
Damn the expense! This is your fault, Trond, I blame it on you,
And if we meet again, I've something special for you

I hate
Downtown (were those eyes watching you?)
Downtown (what was that sound?). I hate
Downtown, something is looking for YOU....

Downtown, downtown....

[slim kittens]

page 234

My favorite Rolling Trolls song

GIMME SILENCE

(hypnotic instrumental intro)

Oh, there's danger threat'ning,
Our very lives today
If we don't keep our silence,
Oh yeah, we're gonna melt away

Trolls, children! They're just a shout away, they're just a shout away
Trolls, children! They're just a shout away, they're just a shout away

OooH, tHErE's sSooMEthiNG crEEePin'
doWn oURr veery sSTrEEEtsS toDAaY
If WEe dooN'T kEeEP ourr SSIileeNCe,
tHEy'LL tUUuRn and RUUn aWAYyy

FooOD, chIILdrEEN! It'Ss jUUSt a SnaATCH awAAAy, it'ss jusSST a sssnAAAtch aWAyyy
fOOD, chIIIILdren! iIt'S juSSt a snAAtChH AawAy, it's jUUSSt a snAatCHH awaAyY

(hypnotic instrumental break)

Beasts, Giants! They're just a shout away, they're just a shout away
SwEEEdes, NorWEEgiAAnss! TheEy're JusSt a sSNnaAtch aWAay, thEEy're jUsSt a sSsnatch awayYy
Trolls, DAnIsH! They're just a shout away, tHeEy're jUsSt a SsnaAtch aWAAAAy

Mmm, the trolls are threat'ning,
Our very lives today
Gimme, gimme silence,
Or we're gonna melt away

Eyes, talons! They're just a shout away, they're just a shout away
They're just a shout away, they're just a shout away, they're just a shout away

I tell you wealth, children, it's just a book away, it's just a book away
It's just a book away, it's just a book away
It's just a book away, book away, book away

[Gwenno]

So, new to the forum, but seeing as someone on today's page let me know there was a poetry/song board I thought I might add this little christmas piece for you all to enjoy:

Silent night, Trolly night,
Nought is safe, from this blight,
Round the nest there’ll be grosslings galore,
Tortured souls who are human no more,
Sleep and leave us in peace,
Sleep and leave us in peace

Silent night, Trolly night,
Far away, is morning’s light,
Hide from prowling beasts, don’t make a sound,
Maybe elsewhere these grosslings be bound,
Sleep and leave us in peace,
Sleep and leave us in peace

Silent night, Trolly night,
Blessed cats, be our sight,
Yowl at danger and pounce on our fears,
Let us know when these monsters are near,
Sleep and leave us in peace,
Sleep and leave us in peace

[slim kittens]

Many thanks to MegaJar, elebenty, Ceceoh, Prestwick, JaneB, FrogEater, thefinalstair,
Frank Royce Harr and Guest

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
a library that was troll-free.

On the second day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the third day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the fourth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the fifth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the sixth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the seventh day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
seven cats a'meowing,
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me:
eight clear escape routes,
seven cats a'meowing,
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
nine old city maps,
eight clear escape routes,
seven cats a'meowing,
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
ten Dalahästens,
nine old city maps,
eight clear escape routes,
seven cats a'meowing,
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
eleven boxes of 6.5mm ammo,
ten Dalahästens,
nine old city maps,
eight clear escape routes,
seven cats a'meowing,
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-free.

On the twelve day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
twelve still and silent,
eleven boxes of 6.5mm ammo,
ten Dalahästens,
nine old city maps,
eight clear escape routes,
seven cats a'meowing,
six motley adventurers,
five Shakespeare plays,
four scouts a'yawning,
three sticks of dynamite,
two of Mikkel's cookies,
and a library that was troll-freeeeeeeeeeeee!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

[slim kittens]

from page 237

Edward Lear, meet Edward Gorey

THE TROLL AND THE GRADE-A CAT

The Troll and the Grade-A cat met to see
    In the Silent World, who was the best.
The cat sat high in the branches above,
    As the grossling emerged from it's nest.
The Troll looked up to the stars above,
    As a tentacle wrapped round the tree,
'O LoVeLy PuSsY! sO tAsTy AnD fAsT,
    WhAt a WoNdErFuL mOrSeL yOu'Ll Be,
         YoU'lL bE,
         yOu'Ll Be!
WhAt a WoNdErFuL mOrSeL yOu'Ll Be!'

Cat said to the troll, 'You're exceedingly droll
    If you think to get better of me.
I run and I fight, by day and by night,
    Whatever the weather may be.'
Troll's answer to this was a multi-voiced hiss,
   'YoU'rE sO pRoUd YoU cAn MoVe To AnD fRo,
ReGaRdLeSs Of SeAsOn, BuT oUr NuMbErS aRe LeGiOn,
    AnD iNtO oUr BeLlIeS yOu'Ll Go,
         YoU'lL gO,
         yOu'Ll Go,
AnD iNtO oUr BeLlIeS yOu'Ll Go!'

Cat leapt towards the ground as the troll whipped around,
    And took the poor cat by surprise.
And holding him tight on that chill star-lit night
    Drew him close, and he looked in his eyes.
'YoU'rE fAsT, LiTtLe kItTy!  It SeEmS sUcH a PiTy,
   YoU'rE tRaInInG wAs OnLy FoR sHoW.
AnD sOoNeR tHaN sOoN, bY tHe LiGhT oF tHiS mOoN,
    aS pArT oF uS, kItTy, YoU'lL gO,
         YoU'lL gO,
         yOu'Ll Go,
aS pArT oF uS, kItTy, YoU'lL gO!'

'It's quite a surprise that with so many eyes,
    Not one of them managed to see,
While I handled you, my non-feline crew,
    Has followed you, following me.
And even your sight can see flickering light,
    And shadows not made by the dawn.
My crew, by the looks, has been cooking the books,
    And your nest and your brethren are gone,
         Are gone,
         Are gone,
Your nest and your brethren are gone.'

The troll raised his sight as a crack shook the night;
    A frighening, shattering sound.
The troll lost his grip, the cat started to slip;
    And slid without harm to the ground.
The crew carried books to the tank, and the nooks,
    And crannies with treasure did flow
So they called it a day, and headed away
    As fast as the cattank would go,
         Would go,
         Would go,
As fast as the cattank would go.

A good day's hunt and a good day's catch;
    And they drove to the edge of the sea.
Mikkel played some tunes on the squeezebox he brought;
    So glad were they all to be free.
They dined on hare which they caught with a snare,
    (No one had a runcible spoon);
So they ate with their hands, on the edge of the sand,
    And danced by the light of the moon,
          The moon,
          The moon,
They danced by the light of the moon.

[Sunflower]

Edward Lear, meet Edward Gorey

THE TROLL AND THE GRADE-A CAT

The Troll and the Grade-A cat met to see
    In the Silent World, who was the best.
The cat sat high in the branches above,
    As the grossling emerged from it's nest.
The Troll looked up to the stars above,
    As a tentacle wrapped round the tree,
'O LoVeLy p****! sO tAsTy AnD fAsT,
    WhAt a WoNdErFuL mOrSeL yOu'Ll Be,
         YoU'lL bE,
         yOu'Ll Be!
WhAt a WoNdErFuL mOrSeL yOu'Ll Be!'

Slim Kittens, you mad genius!  At last you overcame whatever technical problem was keeping you from posting and the rest of us from appreciating your filksong artistry.

I adore the combination of the Victorian *form* of this ballad with your dark humor.  It would be especially cute sung to the rollicking tune Carly Simon and her sister Lucy wrote for "The Owl and the Pussycat" back in 1970:

[slim kittens]

Thanks Sunflower, glad you're liking these. 

It was Eich who was able to get my account working.  Don't know what he did but I am grateful.

Hadn't heard the Simon's version of "Owl and the Pussycat".  Thanks for the link!

Also, in my head, Sigrun is quite a good dancer.  And Mikkel just seems like the concertina type.   

[LooNEY_DAC]

By the request of-- well, no one, really-- I'm leaving this revised version of my song from pg 249 here.

The Ballad of Pp. 240-249, or, "Look at Lalli"

Lalli, Emil, Sigrun
Searching through the building
Looking for the
Books they’re here to
Try to haul away
Found a book they
Take a look and
Promptly it disintegrates

Look at Lalli
Look at Lalli
Frowning in dismay

Emil broke it
Sigrun choked out
But it wasn’t all his fault
It was moldering and rotted away

So they went on
Then they found the
Clinic and its bodies
And Sigrun slapped the freaked-out Emil
In the Face

Lalli, Emil, Sigrun
Standing ’midst the bodies
Sigrun telling
Emil, “They’re the
Order of the day
Not to worry
Until Lalli freaks
(And is he? I dunno)”

Look at Lalli
Tired Lalli
“Tired is okay”

Lalli, Emil, Sigrun
Climbing up the stairs now
Sigrun stops and
Points up with a
Smile as bright as day
Once they pass the
Glass they’ll be in
Someone’s private library

Look at Lalli
Happy Lalli
Finally knows the way

Tuuri squees when
She sees Mikkel
Piling up that first load
“Can I see them?” she excitedly begged

“Not until the
Protocol says,”
Mikkel told her casually
And Tuuri griped a bit but
Said, “Okay”

Lalli, Emil, Sigrun
Sorting through the bookshelves
Trying to pick which
Books to take and
Which have gotta stay
Lalli’s leaned back
In a chair to
Try to get some shut-eye

Look at Lalli
Sleepy Lalli
Time to hit the hay

Lalli, Emil, Sigrun
Stacking up the books high
Emil thinks that
Mikkel would be
Helpful as a dray
Then he sees how
Lalli’s looking
Freaking at the vent now

Look at Lalli
Worried Lalli
Time to run away

Look at Lalli
Worried Lalli
Time to run away

[slim kittens]

From page 249:

A slow weekend waiting for an SSSS update, so let's go to the mailbag:

Dear Dr. Answer Kittens,
I keep hearing about Schrödinger's cat.  I have a cat too but no one talks about it.  What's the big deal?

- curious

Dear curious,
I'm glad you asked.  Schrödinger's Cat was a thought experiment by Erwin Schrödinger to demonstrate some of the paradoxical implications of quantum mechanics.  It was explained in an amusing way by a talented 20th century writer (Cecil Adams.  Please don't sue me).  Our circumstances have changed greatly since that time, so I've updated it to reflect more contemporary conditions.  I hope this helps.

Schrödinger, Erwin! Professor of physics!
Wrote daring equations! Confounded his critics!
(Not bad, eh? Don't worry. This part of the verse
Starts off pretty good, but it gets a lot worse.)
Win saw that the theory that Newton'd invented
By Einstein's discov'ries had been badly dented.
What now? wailed his colleagues. Said Erwin, "Don't panic,
No grease monkey I, but a quantum mechanic.
Consider electrons. Now, these teeny articles
Are sometimes like waves, and sometimes like particles.
If that's not confusing, the nuclear dance
Of electrons and suchlike is governed by chance!
No sweat, though — my theory permits us to judge
Where some of 'em is and the rest of 'em was."
Not everyone bought this. It threatened to wreck
The comforting linkage of cause and effect.
E'en Einstein had doubts, and so Schrödinger tried
To tell him what quantum mechanics implied.
Said Win to Al, "Brother, suppose we've a cat..."
"A cat?", said Big Al, "Why in heavens do that?
Do you know the expense or the number of days
It takes to train felines to grade Bs or As?
I thought not!  So instead of a cat use a mime,
Politician or tax man...or if you've the time
Catch a troll, and however your project turns out
We won't have lost something that we care about!"
"A troll it is, Al.  We won't use a cat,
And inside a tube we have put that troll at —
Along with a solitaire deck and some Fritos,
A volume of Proust and two dozen mosquitoes,
A bottle of Ripple and, oh, if you got 'em,
One vial prussic acid, one decaying ottom
Or atom — whatever — but when it emits,
A trigger device blasts the vial into bits
Which snuffs our poor troll. The odds of this crime
Are 50 to 50 per hour each time.
The cylinder's sealed. The hour's passed away. Is
Our troll still hissing — or pushing up daisies?
Now, you'd say the troll either lives or it don't
But quantum mechanics is stubborn and won't.
Statistically speaking, the troll (goes the joke),
Is half a troll breathing and half a troll croaked.
To some this may seem a ridiculous split,
But quantum mechanics must answer, 'Tough shit.
We may not know much, but one thing's fo' sho':
There's things in the cosmos that we cannot know.
Shine light on electrons — you'll cause them to swerve.
The act of observing disturbs the observed —
Which ruins your test. But if there's no testing
To see if a particle's moving or resting
Why try to conjecture? Pure useless endeavor!
We know probability — certainty, never.'
The effect of this notion I very much fear
'Twill make doubtful all things that were formerly clear.
Till soon the troll doctors will say in reports,
"We've just flipped a coin and we've learned it's a corpse."'
Said Albert to Erwin, "Your plan is unworkable,
Unless you employ troll doctors quite jerk-able.
There's only one outcome we know that is testable:
The troll's buggered off, joined the Choir Celestial.
You want to determine the troll's eigenstate,
And that's the sole thing, but I tell you it ain't.
You say the result must be other or one,
But I tell you the odds are 100 to none:
If the doctors look in and the troll is deceased,
They'll report it and breathe a huge sigh of relief.
If the troll is alive when the doctors look in,
They won't report anything, ever again.
Or maybe when observation time has arrived,
Our doctors say 'Blank it, I want to survive',
And abandon the lab and go for a beer,
In that case also no report will we hear.
The doctors and troll are quantum-ly entangled,
Are the doctors still breathing or horribly mangled?
I have from good sources, it is not contestable,
That trolls regard doctors as highly digestible.
The result of your test is far more absurd-er:
The act of observing observes the observer.
The doctors change state with the state of the troll,
Or maybe they're smart and don't look in at oll."
Erwin said, "Al, this makes my brain hurt,
I need more quantum wrenches for this kind of work.
The bottle of Ripple!  Al, pull up a chair.
You happen to know where it went to, Mein Herr?"
Al looked around and said, "It beats me.
Maybe the tube?  We'd best go and see."

I confess, I like to torture words.

[Urlana]

Here's a version of "I'll Make A Man Out Of You" from Mulan (

that Brandenfascher, Unclever Title and me put together back at page 242.  ( http://sssscomic.com/comic.php?page=242#comment-1779576642 )

Let's get down to business
To collect some books.
Did they send me newbies
When I asked for pros?

You're the messiest Swede I ever met
But you can bet before we're through
Emil, I'll make a man
Out of you.

Spoiled as a princess
But a pyro within
Once you stop your screaming
Be more like the Finn

You're a hapless, frail, dramatic Swede
And you haven't got a clue
Somehow I'll make a man
Out of you.

Cleanser-man!
You must be swift as the night-scout Lalli
Cleanser-man!
with all the force of the Sigrun too
Cleanser-man!
with all the strength of the raging Mikkel
Mysterious as the insides of a troll

Time is racing toward us
'til the trolls awake
Heed my every order
It's for your own sake.

You're unsuited for the Silent World
So pack up, go home you're through
How could I make a man
Out of you?

Cleanser-man!
You must be swift as the night-scout Lalli
Cleanser-man!
with all the force of the Sigrun too
Cleanser-man!
with all the strength of the raging Mikkel
Mysterious as the insides of a troll