W.S.Merwin
This song cycle was inspired by the poem ‘Utterance’ which I read as part of the ‘Poetry in Motion’ series posted in New York City subways in the ‘90’s.
At that moment I was expecting to set only the one poem, so I quickly copied it down, put it on my piano and there it stayed for a number of years. Then when I finally did come around to setting it, it lead me inextricably into the fascinating world of W.S.Merwin and his extraordinary output, and in fact I wrote a cycle of six songs for baritone and piano (two of which were recorded and can be heard here).
I have no doubt I will come back to Merwin’s wonderful body of work in the future.
Utterance
Sitting over words
very late I have heard a kind of whispered sighing
not far - like a night wind in pines or like the sea in the dark
the echo of everything that has ever
been spoken
still spinning its one syllable
between the earth and silence
The First Year
When the words had all been used
for other things
we saw the first day begin
out of the calling water
and the black branches
leaves no bigger than your fingertips
were unfolding on the tree of heaven
against the old stained wall
their green sunlight
that had never shone before
waking together we were the first
to see them
and we knew them then
all the languages were foreign and the first
year rose