**I would imagine it is an allusion to mountainous conditions, with one
wheel over the edge of a precipitous cliff path. Could Horns of the Morning
refer to a crescent moon?? Or is there a mountain in the Himalaya range? I
am thinking of the Horns of Hattim as an analogy (where the crusaders got
wiped out near the Sea of Galilee).
________________________
Professor Tim Connell
Director of Language Studies
City University
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
tel + 44 (0)20 7040 8265
fax + 44(0)20 7040 8575
www.city.ac.uk/languages
-----Original Message-----
From: Andrew Lycett [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, November 28, 2002 12:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: screw-guns
Can this really be true? After two years of trying (originally with a very
ancient computer) I seem at last to have cracked how to post to the list.
Hooray!
My query is about Screw-guns. Does anyone have any idea what RK is getting
at when he writes
There's a wheel on the Horns o' the Mornin', an' a wheel on the edge of the
Pit
Editions of Barrack-room Ballads seem to suggest that this is a reference
to Psalms 139:9 (as in The Widow at Windsor)
But the psalm refers to 'wings of the morning' (as does TWaW)
And that sort of meaning seems odd in the context of Screw-guns.
How does RK get from wings to horns?
Or is there some other meaning/allusion that escapes me?
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