I wake at three, in some slight pain.
I hear no sound of clock or rain,
No chorus of the stars, no gong,
Mosquito, siren, horn or plane.
Only my heart beats slow and strong.
I listen to its certain song.
It does not sympathize but strives
To beat all night and all day long.
Whether my spirit soars or dives,
My blood, at its compulsion, drives
Through its elastic chambers, through
My arteries, my veins, my lives.
Above all, to my heart I’m true.
It does not tell me what to do.
It beats, I live, it beats again.
For what? I wish I knew it knew.
Beautiful poem, set in music by Alec Roth and sung by the excellent Mark Padmore, whose fine, light, aerial tenor makes it sound contemporary and timeless. I couldn't find it on YouTube, you have to buy the album... Or pay for Amazon Prime. But every note and every word are worth it.
Even without the music it is a poem of note. It has a certainty, even in its uncertainty, that is congenial to a mood part of serenity and part of wry irony. I like it.
ReplyDeleteYes, and beautifully crafted from the very first line: that pain should be "slight" whereas all the tone of the poem indicates the opposite is a brilliant choice. Also interesting in the last stanza, the way to rhyme "true" and "knew"... Vikram Seth is definitely a discovery. See his Dark Night here, another gem:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.alecroth.com/assets/Uploads/Docs/Dark%20Night.pdf