This poem by Sara Teasdale speaks of the world through the eyes of someone who lives to be in love. It isn’t until the end of the poem that we understand this passion comes from a longing to be in love. Where there is love, there is beauty. This setting opens and closes with a moment of stillness and presence, sung by a solo or small group of sopranos. It then flows like a river as we float along, recognizing the beauty that surrounds us. Every voice has a chance to express the beauty that surrounds them. When all voices come together with “Oh, let me love with all my strength,” there forms a unity of one spirit and one heart. The voices break apart with the text, “Careless if I am loved again,” as each voice evokes a sense of humility and vulnerability. After that moment, the music and text bring us back to the passion and longing for love, but with a bit more self-reflection and awareness, as we continue to float down life’s river. The longing fades into a final moment of stillness and clarity for the “beauty of the earth.”
Until I lose my soul and lie
Blind to the beauty of the earth,
Deaf though shouting wind goes by,
Dumb in a storm of mirth;
Until my heart is quenched at length
And I have left the land of men,
Oh, let me love with all my strength
Careless if I am loved again.
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