1. I can't resist sharing this beautiful song -- it is copyrighted, of course, but what the hell...
Dream with me tonight,
tonight and every night,
wherever you may chance to be,
we're together if we dream
the same sweet dream;
and though we may be far apart,
keep me in you heart
and dream with me.
The kiss we never dared
we'll dare in dreaming,
the love we never shared
can
still have meaning,
if you only dream a magic
dream with me tonight,
tonight and every night,
wherever you may chance to be,
we're together if we dream.
Words and music by Leonard Bernstein; sung by Marilyn Horne on her CD
"I Will Breathe a Mountain", RCA 09026-68771-2 (songs by Barber, Bolcom, Bernstein)
(I tried to put up an mp3 of this, but it didn't work; so go beg, borrow, or steal the CD and listen. Don't bother buying it, unless you like modernist cacophony, which most of the other songs are. Hmph.)
2. Here's another-- a hymn tune I call "Islands", written years ago when I was really into Bach's chorale settings; but for copyright purposes, we'll say ©2004, Roger F. Mills. The tune, of course, fits any 8 6 8 6 text, but I intend it to accompany this poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, which used to appear as Hymn No. 441 in the Episcopalian hymnal I grew up with-- the first and only time I recall this sung in our church, long ago in the dusty plains of South Dakota, I was immediately captivated by its image of tropic isles and palm trees . For unknown reasons, it is not included in the present hymnal. So take a pew, listen, and sing along.
1. I know not what the future hath
of marvel or surprise,
assured alone that life and death
God's mercy underlies.2. And if my heart and flesh are weak
to bear an untried pain,
the bruised reed He will not break,
but strengthen and sustain.3. And Thou, O Lord, by whom are seen
Thy creatures as they be,
forgive me if too close I lean
my human heart on Thee.4. And so beside the silent sea
I wait the muffled oar:
no harm from Him can come to me
on ocean or on shore.5. I know not where His islands lift
their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
beyond His love and care. Amen.
"fosi tambranipan"
to give an idea of the meter, stressed syllables are underlined
aposimim tolisa ri tambranipan
vara handa-makandapo sawun kitra--
kile anjupi yale kiçeva surañ.
a sisami
pañ pasam kilama nuraç.
"Sailing to Tambranipa" (in a rather free translation):
Our ship called at Tambranipa
just to load and unload cargo, take on water--
you and I barely had time to visit the mountains.
Oh my love,
How fair the moments we shared.
Tambranipa is a mythical paradisical island, rather like Bali without the tourists. As I mention somewhere in the website (alphabet page, I think), this is said/sung, like Auld Lang Syne, when friends are going away and may not be coming back.
Some years back,at my request, Herman Miller very kindly composed this music for it for it, in a 10-tone scale, which is traditional Kash.
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