Heard through lids slammed down over darkened glass [ ... ]
The Head of the Bed
Song Cycle by Milton Byron Babbitt (1916 - 2011)
For Robert Penn Warren At the mountainous border of our two countries there is a village; it stands just below a pass, but some of the older houses lie higher up along the road, overlooking more of the valley than one might think. The border has never been heavily guarded, and our countries are peaceful. Theirs lies beyond the pass; in the other valley a large village looks up toward the mountains and toward us. The border itself is marked only by an occasional sign; but then there is the Trumpeter. His clear, triadic melodies break out through the frosty air, or through the swirling mists. From below, from above, the sound is commandingly clear, and it seems to divide the air as the border divides the land. It can be heard at no fixed intervals, and yet with a regularity which we accept, but cannot calculate. No one knows whether the Trumpeter is theirs or ours.
1. Heard through lids slammed down over darkened glass [sung text checked 1 time]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 1, first published 1975, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
2. Where, where, where? Where is here? Where is Herr Haar [sung text checked 1 time]
Where, where, where? Where is here? Where is Herr Haar [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 2, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
3. Floor lamps and their shadows warmed the room where [sung text checked 1 time]
Floor lamps and their shadows warmed the room where [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 3, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
4. Slanting lean, gray rain washing the palace [sung text checked 1 time]
Slanting lean, gray rain washing the palace [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 4, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
5. Coarse breath fanning the closed air by his ear [sung text checked 1 time]
Coarse breath fanning the closed air by his ear [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 5, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
6. He felt his hand feeling another hand [sung text checked 1 time]
He felt his hand feeling another hand [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 6, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
7. Down the shaded street, toward an avenue [sung text checked 1 time]
Down the shaded street, toward an avenue [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 7, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
8. The Hyperboreans gathered him up [sung text checked 1 time]
The Hyperboreans gathered him up [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 8, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
9. Leaving that unfair, seasonless land was [sung text checked 1 time]
Leaving that unfair, seasonless land was [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 9, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
10. Beyond the cold, blue mountain and beyond [sung text checked 1 time]
Beyond the cold, blue mountain and beyond [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 10, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
11. Half his days he had passed in the shadow [sung text checked 1 time]
Half his days he had passed in the shadow [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 11, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
12. When, as if late some night of festival [sung text checked 1 time]
When, as if late some night of festival [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 12, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
13. He awoke. Low in the sky in August [sung text checked 1 time]
He awoke. Low in the sky in August [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 13, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
14. Grayish flakes like clay are falling as if [sung text checked 1 time]
Grayish flakes like clay are falling as if [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 14, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
15. The bright moon offends him: he plucks it out [sung text checked 1 time]
The bright moon offends him: he plucks it out [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by John Hollander (b. 1929), appears in Tales Told of the Father, in The Head of the Bed, no. 15, first published 1974, copyright © [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Total word count: 1640