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© by Jeffery Beam

The Spirit of the Hive
 (Sung text for setting by L. Hoiby)
 Matches original text
Language: English 
Back in the shaggy
underbelly
of the hive
in the quick amber
of the Queen's chamber
the message
passes, testifies
phenomena of order. 
Come.Come
with me to the sweet
chestnut flower,
the viola and the fox-
glove.
Finger and invade
the low-slung
swinging willow. 
In circuitous dances
it tumbles: 
the one prayer.
Before and after.
Precise as distance. 

Composition:

    Set to music by Lee Hoiby (1926 - 2011), "The Spirit of the Hive", 2001 [ voice, violoncello, and piano ], from The Life of the Bee, no. 2

Text Authorship:

  • by Jeffery Beam , "The Spirit of the Hive", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission

Go to the general single-text view


Researcher for this page: Jeffery Beam

This text was added to the website: 2009-10-29
Line count: 21
Word count: 58

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