Is she singing or not?

English translation: yes and no

02:21 Jan 27, 2010
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Other
English term or phrase: Is she singing or not?
Hello everyone,

Good morning Lailel. I am Rosalia, and so thrilled to be here sitting with you. Actually, I am lying on the grasses as we make this connection. It is a beautiful place to be, so close to Mother Earth’s heart that I can feel her beat. I pass it on to you now. Catch it. You will feel the love and warmth emanating from both our hearts now. You are doubly electrified and your cells are churning faster.

So now we begin. If you could hear the melody I would sing to you, for you love singing. Our hearts twine in the melody and our souls merge to its rhythm. Everything is in song here. There are choruses everywhere—the bees, the trees, the particles of air, all create their own arias of healing, soothing melodies that rejuvenate our souls.

Well, it's difficult for me to understand whether the person who says "If you could hear the melody I would sing to you, for you love singing" is singing after saying the phrase in question. And if she's not singing, is "would" implied in the sentence "Our hearts twine in the melody and our souls merge to its rhythm", i.e. should it be understood as "Our hearts would twine in the melody and our souls would merge to its rhythm"?

Thank you.

PS: it's so-called telepathic conversation (channeling) between the author of the book and a person who lives under the ground.
Mikhail Korolev
Local time: 05:17
Selected answer:yes and no
Explanation:
I think the ambiguity of the second sentence of the paragraph has to be understood in terms of the structure of the paragraph as a whole. There is a shift from literal human singing in the first sentence to the figurative song of nature in the last two sentences.

First sentence - "If you could hear the melody I would sing to you, for you love singing." This refers to literal singing, but as Deborah says she is not in fact singing. The "if...would" structure indicates a counterfactual condition.

Last two sentences - "Everything is in song here. There are choruses everywhere—the bees, the trees, the particles of air, all create their own arias of healing, soothing melodies that rejuvenate our souls." As Maurite says, the musical references here (song, choruses, arias, melodies) are metaphors for the rhythm of nature and the way nature speaks to us.

The problematic sentence you are asking about, the second sentence, marks a transition between the first sentence and the last two. It is deliberately ambiguous: it refers both to the literal singing of the previous sentence (at this level of meaning, it could be read as you suggest, "Our hearts would twine in the melody and our souls would merge to its rhythm," but it also serves to introduce the metaphorical meaning of singing that is expanded in the rest of the paragraph, where singing is a trope for communion with nature and happens all the time. So the two types of time that are present in the sentence (when I sing / all the time) parallel the two types of singing (human singing / song of nature) and the sentence mediates between them.
Selected response from:

John Detre
Canada
Grading comment
My thanks to everyone.
Thank you, John.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
4 +5yes and no
John Detre
4 +1no
Sheila Wilson
4not
Deborah Hoffman
4yes but metaphorically, not with her voice
Maurite Fober


  

Answers


12 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
is she singing or not?
not


Explanation:
No she's not singing, and you're right the second sentence should read "our hearts would twine." Leaving the "would" out makes it seem more immediate, as if the experience is actually happening rather than being imagined.

Or, perhaps she is speaking of the other people with her, and this is the "Our hearts twine in the melody," not the person she is speaking too.


Deborah Hoffman
Local time: 22:17
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
is she singing or not?
yes but metaphorically, not with her voice


Explanation:
It helps to think 'new age' here as it's a bit like the way a yoga or meditation teacher speaks (e.g. "now we see the colour of our heart chakra and feel it spinning"). Rosalia is talking about the beat/pulse/song of the earth and nature. She means that the life or energy in herself merges harmoniously (resonates or vibrates) with that of other lives (bees, trees, particles). That feeling of life all around is the 'song'. Definitely not 'would'. And no - she's not singing in a 'la-la-la' way:)

Maurite Fober
Australia
Local time: 12:47
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +5
is she singing or not?
yes and no


Explanation:
I think the ambiguity of the second sentence of the paragraph has to be understood in terms of the structure of the paragraph as a whole. There is a shift from literal human singing in the first sentence to the figurative song of nature in the last two sentences.

First sentence - "If you could hear the melody I would sing to you, for you love singing." This refers to literal singing, but as Deborah says she is not in fact singing. The "if...would" structure indicates a counterfactual condition.

Last two sentences - "Everything is in song here. There are choruses everywhere—the bees, the trees, the particles of air, all create their own arias of healing, soothing melodies that rejuvenate our souls." As Maurite says, the musical references here (song, choruses, arias, melodies) are metaphors for the rhythm of nature and the way nature speaks to us.

The problematic sentence you are asking about, the second sentence, marks a transition between the first sentence and the last two. It is deliberately ambiguous: it refers both to the literal singing of the previous sentence (at this level of meaning, it could be read as you suggest, "Our hearts would twine in the melody and our souls would merge to its rhythm," but it also serves to introduce the metaphorical meaning of singing that is expanded in the rest of the paragraph, where singing is a trope for communion with nature and happens all the time. So the two types of time that are present in the sentence (when I sing / all the time) parallel the two types of singing (human singing / song of nature) and the sentence mediates between them.

John Detre
Canada
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
My thanks to everyone.
Thank you, John.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  British Diana: Exactly right, thanks for this analysis !
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Diana

agree  Annett Kottek (X): Great explanation!
3 hrs
  -> Thanks Annett

agree  juvera: It seems, that your "cells are churning fast". :-)
7 hrs
  -> I am "doubly electrified" by your generous comment!

agree  Rolf Keiser
11 hrs
  -> Thanks Goldcoaster

agree  Paula Vaz-Carreiro
4 days
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6 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
is she singing or not?
no


Explanation:
I read this sentence as directly linked to the previous one.

The first sentence ends "for you love singing"; the second starts with an implied, though unsaid "when there is singing,"

In other words: "When I sing, (or anyone else sings), our hearts twine ..." "When" here is synonymous to "whenever", of course.

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 02:17
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alexandra Taggart: "...blood seethes and sings" while she talks/writes
10 hrs
  -> Thanks for the agree, Alexandra, though I don't fully understand the comment
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