But come, hearken to my words, for it is learning that increaseth wisdom. [...]
I shall tell thee a twofold tale. At one time it grew together
to be one only out of many, at another it parted asunder so as to be many
instead of one; [...]
Yet each has a different prerogative and its own peculiar nature,
but they gain the upper hand in turn when the time comes round.
And nothing comes into being besides these, nor do they pass away. [...]
On the earth many heads sprung up without necks
and arms wandered bare and bereft of shoulders.
Eyes strayed up and down in want of foreheads. [...]
As divinity was mingled still further with divinity,
these things joined together as each might chance,
and many other things besides them continually arose.
Shambling creatures with countless hands.
Many creatures with faces and breasts looking in different directions were born;
some, offspring of oxen with faces of men, while others, again, arose as offspring of men with the heads of oxen, and creatures in whom the nature of women and men was mingled, furnished with sterile parts.
Compilation of quotes from:
Empedocles of Akragas in Early Greek Philosophy, edited by John Burnet, 3e edition. London: A & C Black Ltd. 1920. Pp. 197-250. see here
American-born soprano Claron McFadden is a resident of the Netherlands. She studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York and graduated cum laude in 1984. She made her operatic debut in 1985 at the Holland Festival in Hasses l'Eroe Cinese. She is known for her very varied repertoire, ranging from Baroque to Contemporary music.
