Swamp’s Shore, for Soprano and Orchestra

Instrumentation: Soprano and Orchestra

Duration: 7 min

Text: The Book of Songs (诗经) This translation by Arthur Waley (1889-1966) was originally published in the Ancient Chinese Classic of Poetry, London: Allen & Unwin, 1937. Rev. ed. New York: Grove Press, 1987.

Program Note:

The Book of Songs is a collection of Chinese poems and folk songs dating back to 200 B.C. “Swamp’s Shore” is only one of the very beautiful love poems, chosen from the Airs of Chen. It is particularly attractive for its arbitrariness – is this a real man in the young lady’s life, whom she cannot be with? Perhaps this is a pleasurable fantasy she composed to entertain her mundane reality? The beauty of this poem is that it doesn’t matter if the “man so fair” is real. What is more overwhelming than the beautiful pain of unrequited love? What is more aching than yearning to be loved and to love?

 

 

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