Insomnia

Song Cycle by John Plant

1.
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
I love to kiss hands
I love to bestow names 
and even to open doors! 
Wide open
into the dark night.....

I leave my sleeping house.
Winds of July sweep my path.
Somewhere - from a window - faint music. 
Ah! Tonight let the wind blow till dawn 
straight through the thin walls of my chest.

A black poplar. Light in a window. 
Bells in the tower. A flower in my hand. 
A footstep, but no one behind me
A shadow - but of me, nothing.

Flames, like threads of golden beads.
In my mouth, the taste of the leaves of night. 
Shake off the vestiges of day.
Friends, understand: you're dreaming me.

Text Authorship:

  • by John Plant , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Based on:

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Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

2.
 (Sung text)

Language: English 
Black as the pupil drinking the light 
I love you, keen-eyed night!
Grant me a voice to sing your praise 
O primal mother of songs!
The bridle of the four winds 
lies in the palm of your hand.

Calling you, declaring your glory, 
I am only a seashell
whose ocean has not yet died.

Night! Too long have I gazed on human eyes! 
Set me on fire, black sun, night!

Text Authorship:

  • by John Plant , copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Based on:

Go to the general single-text view

Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]

IMPORTANT NOTE: The material directly above is protected by copyright and appears here by special permission. If you wish to copy it and distribute it, you must obtain permission or you will be breaking the law. Once you have permission, you must give credit to the author and display the copyright symbol ©. Copyright infringement is a criminal offense under international law.

Total word count: 180