M5: Young Adulthood M6: Middle Age M7: Retirement M8: Death

5. YOUNG ADULTHOOD: ACQUIRING MATURITY; CONFLICT BETWEEN RATIONALE & EMOTION

BOND AND FREE - ROBERT FROST Love has earth to which she clings With hills and circling arms aboutWall within wall to shut fear out. But Thought has need of no such things, For Thought has a pair of dauntless wings. On snow and sand and turf, I see Where Love has left a printed trace With straining in the world’s embrace. And such is Love and glad to be. But Thought has shaken his ankles free. Thought cleaves the interstellar gloom And sits in Sirius’ disc all night, Till day makes him retrace his flight, With smell of burning on every plume, Back past the sun to an earthly room. His gains in Heaven are what they are. Yet some say Love by being thrall And, simply staying, possesses all In sev‘ral beauty that Thought fares far To find fused in another star.

6. MIDDLE AGE: SEEKING GREATER PURPOSE; RESOLUTION, WISDOM

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN - ROBERT FROST Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

7. RETIREMENT: CONTENTMENT, REFLECTION, RESIGNATION

NATURE – HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW As a fond mother, when the day is o’er, Leads by the hand her little child to bed, Half willing, half reluctant to be led, And leave his broken playthings on the floor, Still gazing at them through the open door, Nor wholly reassured and comforted By promises of others in their stead, Which, though more splendid, may not please him more; So Nature deals with us, and takes away Our playthings one by one, and by the hand Leads us to rest so gently, that we go Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay, Being too full of sleep to understand How far the unknown transcends the what we know.

8. DEATH: RETURN TO THE SPIRIT WORLD

REQUIEM FOR A LOVED ONE (music only) This movement features the orchestra and choir.