A Most Controversial Piece of Poetry
The entire St. Olaf choir concert was breathtakingly beautiful, but there were a group of three pieces by the barely-older-than-me composer Eric Whitacre that have stayed with me for the past few days. It would be safe to say that I am seriously hooked on music by Eric Whitacre now. I had actually sung some of his music before, and really liked it, but I didn't really pay attention that he had written it.
His composition "Seal Lullaby" was exquisite, but unfortunately is so new that there don't seem to be any recordings of it yet. It is a musical setting of a poem by Rudyard Kipling.
But, the point of this post is really to take note of a particular piece in the concert that was a choral setting for this poem by Octavio Paz. The music is so beautiful. Dr. Peds agreed that the music was really an amazing musical masterpiece, but the poem made him more than slightly squirmy.
Here is the text:
A Boy and Girl
Stretched out, stretched out on the grass
a boy and a girl savoring their oranges
giving their kisses like waves exchanging foam.
Stretched out, stretched out on the beach
a boy and a girl savoring limes
giving kisses like clouds exchanging foam.
Stretched out, stretched out underground
a boy and a girl saying nothing
never kissing giving silence. For silence.
by Octavio Paz
You can listen to the music at this website about the composer. In the left hand corner there is a little tab that says MP3 PLayer, and there is a list of choral music and music for symphonic winds by the composer.
I think that this is probably one of my very favorite pieces of non-sacred music ever written. That is how excited about it that I am. And I happen to love the poem! I think it's mysterious. The musical setting in particular seems to lead the listener to believe that the boy and girl have died. And I am dying to know the rest of the story! How did it happen, and when? When the were young? When they were old? Together? At different times? Or maybe not at all? I just want to get to know them better. If I had the time and the writing skills, I think the poem probably could inspire an entire novel!
Dr. Peds couldn't get past the exchanging foam part. It made him turn a little green, and he has forbidden me to play the music to our children, in fear that it will corrupt them.
Literary friends, I would love for you to listen to the music and tell me what you think! (That includes you, Gramma Jan).
While you're at the website, listen to the choral version of "Sleep" also. It's beautiful as well.
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3 Comments
Carm
the KISSES aren’t exchanging foam, which is a wee bit gross… but the CLOUDS and the SEAS are… I think that kissing is nice. And it’s about the meeting of the two… giving and getting sweet kisses… like clouds or seas intermingling, it doesn’t have to be some kind of scandalous image, I don’t think.
rachelzana
Carm, I didn’t think it was scandulous either, but my husband just can’t get the picture out of his head that the boy and girl are changing foam along WITH the clouds and waves. Or maybe it’s just the juxtaposition of foam so close to the word kiss that gets him? I don’t know?
dr peds
ok look, everyone knows poems are all about individuals who want to leave words out so that meaning is implied within. Therefore, this is not like a book of fiction which explains things bluntly to the side of the head. thus the two are exchanging foam, which ever two that is…..and…..who said it was kisses….ya … now you see.