Monk Rider: the journey through the Self

"From the valley to the mountain, From the mountain to the hill, Horse of shadow, monk rider. Through houses, through meadows, Through gardens, through fountains, In alliance you walk. From the valley to the mountain, From the mountain to the hill, Horse of shadow, monk rider. Through black cliffs, Behind and ahead, In secrecy you walk. From the valley to the mountain, From the mountain to the hill, Horse of shadow, monk rider. Through desert meadows, Without horizons, In freedom you walk.

From the valley to the mountain, From the mountain to the hill, Horse of shadow, monk rider. Through trackless ways, Through rivers without bridges, In solitude you walk. From the valley to the mountain, From the mountain to the hill, Horse of shadow, monk rider. For it is endless And accounted by no one, In me you walk. Through black cliffs, Through rivers without bridges, In me you walk."

Every fado is beautiful and has a deep meaning. But of course some have a more spiritual meaning than others. “Monk rider” is an example. It was written by Fernando Pessoa and every word goes far beyond its material meaning: every single word is a symbol in this poem. This fado tells about a monk (a reflexive, introspective,lonely, spiritual human being) that rides his horse, a “horse of shadow” I dare to say our fears, our desires, the beast within us, the “shadowed” beast (the Minotaur in the centre of our own psychological labyrinth), our Self, our Soul after all... and he rides this dark animal “Through houses” (shelters, places of quietude, human warmth,) “through meadows” (places of action) “Through gardens” (pureness of feelings, the contemplation, meditation), “through fountains” (the fluidity of time, the purification) ” Through trackless ways, Through rivers without bridges,” “Through black cliffs”…through the hardest and most sinuous ways, in the most difficult and lonely journey, this monk rider keeps on walking “From the valley, to the mountain, From the mountain to the hill” meaning with this going from the darkest side of oneself to the brightest! From the Shadow to the Light. This is a lonely, constant, endless, “without horizons” way to go.

This is the journey of self discovery. “Know yourself, defy your limits” was Socrates motto meaning with this that if you want to value the light, the perfection you first have to go deeper, and experience the darkness.

For this video, Mariza (of course, who else?) chose for scenario the “Quinta da Regaleira” in Sintra* one of the most mystical places of Portugal. And she brilliantly transformed this poem into a Fado. A Fado for life. A lesson for Humans. In a world of “busy people” a poem made song tells how to conquer ourselves. How lucky are we?

*The name “Sintra” has its origin in the word “Cynthia“, symbol of the moon in the celtic mythology. The Romans called it “Mons Lunae“, meaning “the hill of the moon“, and there were deeds sacrifices in its honour. This mystical stigma has been maintained until our times.
Sintra is a romantic getaway for people from all around the world, and has always been a place of election by kings and nobles as a country resort, and praised by writers and poets.