songs & poems
Ayla maakt muziek onder de naam Ayla’s Castle. Music is my castle! Ze schrijft ook liedjes voor speciale gelegenheden en in opdracht.
songs
GRACIAS A LA VIDA (MULTILINGUAL)
Listen here
Inspired by Mercedes Sosa
Original lyrics written by Violeta Parra in 1966
Written and translated for the Earth Charter +25 celebration event where many different languages were spoken. With thanks to all contributors for helping with translation and pronunciation.
(Spanish)
Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto
Me dio dos luceros que cuando los abro
Perfecto distingo lo vero del malo
Y en el alto cielo su fondo estrellado
Y en las multitudes el hombre que yo amo
(English)
Here's to life, which has given me so much
It gave me two ear-shells
catching colourful sound waves
Recording night and day,
crickets and sparrows
Fixing and tearing,
cats purring, horns blaring
Then the tender voice of my beloved
(Dutch)
Dank voor het leven,
dat me zoveel heeft gegeven
Een hart dat doet stromen
en een mens laat dromen
Zie alle vruchten door mensen gedragen
Ik zie al het fraaie,
gunstig ver weg van ’t triviale
En jouw heldere blik als ik naar je kijk
(French)
Merci, la vie! Qui m'a tant donné
Qui m'a donné la voix et l’alphabet
Avec elle, les mots que je pense et déclare
Les valeurs que j'ai apprises
et la lumière qui brille
sur le chemin d’âme de celui que j’aime
(Chinese)
感谢生活 赐予我如此厚礼
予我欢笑 亦让我哭泣
悲与喜 共成歌
一声长叹一声喝
谱成我生命旋律
(Hindi)
Zindagi ka safar hai suhana
Jahan dhoop chhaon ka ana jana
Labon pe hasee-n, aankhon me-n nameen
Yahi is jeevan ka hai ajabtarana
aye zindagi, tera lakh lakh shukrana
(Portuguese / Brazilian)
Graças à vida que me deu tanto
Me deu a marcha de meus pés cansados
Com eles, atravessei cidades e poças
Praias e desertos, montanhas e planícies
E na sua casa, sua rua e quintal
Gracias a la vida!
شكرا لك يا حياة (Arabic)
Mulțumesc vieții (Romanian)
Grantangi fu a libi (Sranantongo)
SYMBOL IN THE SAND
Recording soon
Written for the Earth Charter +25 celebration
at Scheveningen beach, 1 July 2025
If the world would end right now
Imagine right this minute
Would you want your mind to run
Your heart to pound in panic
Or would you hold each other
And make a peaceful sound
May peace prevail
inside everybody here
Now everyone is here
Everyone is here
But only for a moment
Like a symbol in the sand
We’re here only for a moment
And we go hand in hand
May peace prevail inside
stronger than the fear
Don’t be running from the heat
Don’t go running from the storm
We only have this moment
Be the pillar in the sand
It’s time to go beyond
And to make a stand
We’re here to make a stand
May peace prevail inside
stronger than the fear
If the world would change right now
Imagine right this second
Would you be the one to stay
Ready for this day
And would you hold each other
And make a peaceful sound
MONSTER LOVE
Listen here
Your growl is harsh
Your nails are sharp
Your skin is rough
But all I see….
Underneath your scary face
There is no scary love to face
And all the world may hate you
But I just want to love you
And keep you warm inside my bed
NO SACRIFICE
Listen here
I may force you
To cross that bridge
Before it collapses
I may force you
I must force the people
To be free
If only everybody listened to me
To me
Inspired by
Four Essays on Liberty
from Isaiah Berlin
TIME HAS COMETH
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The laurel tree grew
Thirty years it grew
And watched her as she stood beside it
The laurel tree knew
Her freight and her blue
Old means that hath long’go seemed misfit
Of same height it grew
Eyes its eyes’ view
Time has cometh to elevate the kid -
from her tarry
Time has cometh,
This moment foretold,
That the girl moves off on her own
(CHORUS)
And in the pond she dippeth her toes
The last she felt that cold tenderness
This water hath sprinkled the herbs that she et
And softened her sore-burning flesh
At last a farewell
She cutted her roots
But took the lavender fresh
NO MORE CONFINEMENT
Listen here
Being in this room with the door only slightly open
Can’t get out
Where to get out
Taking so long for me to be in the one room… I like to come out and feel the life
Feel the vibes of things happening
Improv with Mhaze on guitar
A QUIET LIFE
Listen here
I remember a time when there was
not much on my mind that I worried of
I didn't need much but I felt a lot
My heart would glow...
When one can tune in to a person's thoughts
by looking him straight in the eyes
Open to hear what is actually there
Not scared of the tragic awareness of life
The world will never quiet down again
The world will never quiet down again
But I could still look people in the eyes
and tell them my desire to live
a quiet life
PAVANE (Liedtekst)
Gewaar van het verleden, verglijden van de tijd
Was al mijn hoop verdwenen, wat nog tot liefde leidt
Zag ik jouw mooie lach
Ging eeuwigheid van kracht
Trachtte ik te verschansen, ving jij mij uit de tijd
Vroeg jij mij om te dansen, vanuit mijn schroom bevrijd
Zie ik hoe dit begon
Waar mijn liefde ontsprong
Gevangen in jouw ogen, al mijn gedachten kwijt
Hoe kostbaar het vermogen, onthouden wat verblijdt
Zie ik jouw mooie lach
De eeuwigheid van kracht
Nederlandse interpretatie van lied van Thoinot Arbeau geschreven voor Bedside Singers Haarlem
gedichten
Uitnodiging
Kom je spelen op het strand
in de zee
en in het zand
Kom wanneer je wordt geroepen
om het buiten op te snoepen
Kom je ook al waait het hard
Kom je spelen in de regen
Weer kiest geen mooie dag
Kom je spelen aan de kust
Ook al zit het tegen
De zee is als een notenschrift
Hoge golven lage rust
We zullen samen luisteren
Samen aan de kust
Geschreven voor familie
Daar buiten
Iets voelt anders
Ik wil niet weten wat er is
Maar iets voelt anders, iets groots
Ik durf de gordijnen niet te openen
De ramen niet te openen
Alsof het oorlog is
Bereid ik me voor, voor als het zo ver is?
Kan ik het aan
Zoiets groots
Geschreven tijdens het maken van de korte film Eredaad over WOII verzetsstrijder Hannie Schaft
The storm inside
The storm I hear around the house
The heavy storm I hear
No pause for still, no space for breath
A trail of will of strength and theft
Of anything not fast secured
But nowhere real to go
The storm, it came for me, it feels
The storm is telling me
There is much too much too much
Blazing through the frail
Too many fucking stuffs blowing through my mind at once
And no one thing that satisfies enough
Or anything that sticks concurrent
What….
Is it that I want
That’d settle the winds
The wind blowing through the labyrinth
And nothing to be found as signs of indication
Because the one who caused the labyrinth
Has gotten used to being lost (to indignation)
To whatever was the goal of building pathways to loose ends
Ah, every now and then it feels like yes I’m on a track
When the wind turns another corner and it is lost again