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The Sun Just Touched the Monring

11/2/2020

1 Comment

 
Quite a number of years ago, I wrote a song based on Emily Dickinson's poem "The Sun Just Touched the Morning," but I never actually wrote it down.  My notes for the song are really nothing but a bunch of chicken scratch. (see below on the right).  Today I sat at the piano and wrote it out, and I've posted it down below.

Here's the poem:

The Sun – just touched the Morning –
The Morning – Happy thing –
Supposed that He had come to dwell –
And Life would all be Spring!

She felt herself supremer –
A Raised – Ethereal Thing!
Henceforth – for Her – What Holiday!
Meanwhile – Her wheeling King –
Trailed – slow – along the Orchards –
His haughty – spangled Hems –
Leaving a new necessity!
The want of Diadems!

The Morning – fluttered – staggered –
Felt feebly – for Her Crown –
Her unanointed forehead –
Henceforth – Her only One!

Below: 
 When I say my notes were nothing but "chicken scratch," I wasn't joking:
Picture

Below is the music.  Click the images to enlarge.   Here are a couple of things to note:

     *  For the lyrics, I repeat the third and fourth lines of the poem.
     *  Also, from the seventh line, I repeat the words "for Her -- What Holiday!"
     *  For the eleventh line, I omitted the word "a" (so "Leaving a new necessity" is "Leaving new necessity). 
     *  I made a change with the music too -- you'll see that I've omitted the 13th bar of music on Page 1.
     *  I don't have a metronome to note the exact speed -- but play it slow to moderate.



Here are the complete lyrics:

The Sun – just touched the Morning –
The Morning – Happy thing –
Supposed that He had come to dwell –
And Life would all be Spring!
Supposed that He had come to dwell –
And Life would all be Spring!

She felt herself supremer –
A Raised – Ethereal Thing!
Henceforth – for Her – What Holiday!
For Her – What Holiday!

Meanwhile – Her wheeling King –
Trailed – slow – along the Orchards –
His haughty – spangled Hems –
Leaving new necessity!
The want of Diadems!

The Morning – fluttered – staggered –
Felt feebly – for Her Crown –
Her unanointed forehead –
Henceforth – Her only One!

​PAGE 1
Picture
Picture
Picture

As an introduction to the song in the video below, I played the first 8 measures an octave higher -- and then I played the song as written.. 
1 Comment
Joshua Spence link
10/17/2022 08:09:20 am

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Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Jim Asher

    This blog contains original songs I have written based on the poetry of Emily Dickinson and other poets.

    TO FIND A PARTICULAR SONG:

    Click in the archives below to access songs based on a particular poet or click on a specific poem title.

    Archives

    November 2020

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    After Great Pain A Formal Feeling Comes
    Carolina Cabin
    E. E. Cummings
    Emily Dickinson
    Langston Hughes
    The Last Night That She Lived
    The Moon Was But A Chin Of Gold
    There Is A June When Corn Is Cut
    The Sun Just Touched The Morning
    When God Lets My Body Be

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