Sea Calm Moonlight Night : Carmel Island Mezzo-Soprano
by Jason Huffman poetry of Langston Hughes
Sea Calm How still, How strangely still The water is today, It is not good For water To be so still that way.
Moonlight Night: Carmel Tonight the waves march In long ranks Cutting the darkness With their silver shanks, Cutting the darkness And kissing the moon And beating the land’s Edge into a swoon.
Island Wave of sorrow, Do not drown me now: I see the island Still ahead somehow. I see the island And its sands are fair: Wave of sorrow, Take me there.
Poems Copyright 1994 by The Estate of Langston Hughes, by permission of Harold Ober Associates Incorporated Cover:
Detail from “Slave Ship (Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying, Typhoon Coming On)” by Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1840
Sea Calm π≡∝≠ with expressive rubato ο ο ο 3 Τ 4" 6" Œ %ϖ ϖ ˙ αœ œ αœ ∀ϖ How
still,
It
is
not
ο
+ ι ‰ ι œ − œ µœ œ ˙ ∀œ ϖ 3
How strange-ly still
Τ ο ι % Œ œι Œ œι Œ ∀ œ− ∀˙ − −
+3 ι‰ œ µœ œ ˙
good
The wa-ter
4"
œ œ œ, œ, ϖ
For wa - ter
To be
Jason Huffman poems by Langston Hughes
Τ ϖ
that
n
way.
Moonlight Night : Carmel π≡•≠ ∏ ε ο π ο Ε ο Τ 3 4 3 α˙ % 3 œ œ ∀œ œ ˙− 3 αœ œ− œ œ ∀˙ 3 ∀ϖ œ œ − = = = To-night the waves march In long ranks Cut ting the dark ness ο
%Ó
7
µœ ∀œ œ œ œ œ ∀ œ œ œ
∀œ ∀œ
With their
Sil
-
the
moon
π≡∝≠ Ο ˙ %
ο
accel.
%œ I
œ
see
œ the
of
Ε œ Ι œ−
is-land
ο Τ œ œ ∀ œ % µœ ∀œ ϖ rit.
and its sands are
fair:
ver
shanks,
n
π ∏ œ ˙−
œ
Cut-ting
the
ο
Island ∀œ
sor - row,
˙
œ ∀œ
do
ο
not
rit.
Τ œ ∀œ œ ∀œ ϖ
œ
drown
π≡∝≠ ˙ Wave
Τ ∀˙−
œ
me
rit.
of
sor-row,
Τ Œ
now:
I
œ œ œ ∀œ ˙
ϖ
a swoon.
accel.
Still a - head some-how.
œ ∀˙
Take
rit.
And
ο œ ∀œ ∀œ
Τ Œ
n ο + ι ‰ œ
π
5
Edge in - to
3
n
dark - ness
œ œ ∀œ ∀œ ˙
And bea-ting the land's
ο œ œ œ
Wave
µ˙
π≡ϒ≠ ∏ ο Ο π ι œ œ, œ, − ∀ œ ϖ
Τ, , = ι œ 2 œ αœ− 3ϖ %3 3 = kis-sing
οπ≡ƒ≠ ι =œ − ∀œ =
rit.
rubato
6"
to - day,
4"
ϖ
so still
is
n
me
see
the
π Τ ϖ
there.
Ε œ ∀œ− Ι
is-land