The Soul, Like the Moon
The soul, like the moon, is new, and always new again.” – Lalla
The Soul, Like the Moon
Soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion.
Duration: 9:00
Premiere: March 13, 2012. LUNAR Ensemble. Lisa Perry, soprano. Gemma New, conductor.
Publisher: Jake Runestad Music. Contact us for rental information.
Listen:
Lunar Ensemble. Lisa Perry, soprano. Gemma New, conductor.
Text:
Lalla (14th-century sufi/mystic poet from the Kashmir region of India)
Day will be erased in night.
The ground’s surface will extend outward.
The new moon will be swallowed
in eclipse, and the mind in meditation
will be completely absorbed
by the Void inside it.
The soul, like the moon,
is new, and always new again.
[And I have seen the ocean
continuously creating.]
Since I scoured my mind
and my body, I too, Lalla,
am new, each moment new.
My teacher told me one thing,
live in the soul.
When that was so,
I began to go naked,
and dance.
Dance, Lalla, with nothing on
but air. Sing, Lalla,
wearing the sky.
Look at this glowing day! What clothes
could be so beautiful, or
more sacred?