39 Songs from Classical Indian Love Poems
Lyrics © 1977, Columbia University Press; used with permission
Music © 2005 Donald C. Dilworth
Lyrics © 1977, Columbia University Press; used with permission
Music © 2005 Donald C. Dilworth
The text for these songs comes from Sanskrit poems from Classical India, which I have set in a 20th century style for mezzo-soprano, baritone, and piano.
They have never been performed; the recordings you hear were made entirely with MIDI synthesizers. If you would like to see a copy of the music, please send me an email.
Click on the links below to hear the songs.
They have never been performed; the recordings you hear were made entirely with MIDI synthesizers. If you would like to see a copy of the music, please send me an email.
Click on the links below to hear the songs.
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1. Vishnu
Praise to Vishnu His hands fondle in secret The large breasts of Laksmi As though looking there For his own lost heart. |
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2. Spring
Alone in her husband's house she hears From far away the slow warm Spring Vibrating sound of black bees Moving among the birds Tremulous music of love she hears Shyly longs. |
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3. Near Death
Near death By the sacred Tapi river I will tell the truth Even now my eyes return to the the stand of reeds By the water. |
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4. The River
Along this river The Asoka trees their branches bending with bees Used to swing But now time dear friend Has only left the stumps. |
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5. Age
When the men were young And the village full of beauty And she more lovely than ever Now they tell of another age And I who have grown old Listen spellbound. |
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6. The Dark Earth
Sky dark Black smudgefire clouds Earth dark Thick blanket yes Young grass yes Now is the time Those whose lovers are not with them Call softly to death. |
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7. Darkness
Darkness almost gone let it go Moon rising let it rise Friend where my lover is waiting I must go. Whether they see me or not Clutched in the lap of this house it seems A hundred ages I have been held. If the night to come is like this Dear friend oh tell me How death is different. |
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8. Night
Middle of night Season of rains Season for love Clouds heavy clouds Rolling thunder Small village asleep in soft rain Traveler in tears Girl whose lover is far away Hears the singing shuts her eyes Over what she sees Longing, weeping, later and later in the dark. |
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9.When He Comes Back
When he comes back to my arms I'll make him feel what nobody ever felt Me, everywhere me Vanishing into him Like water into the clay of a new jar. |
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10. Sorrow
Not sorrow that she is far from me Not sorrow that she is taken from me Sorrow only to think of her age passing. |
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11. The Hunter
Deer standing alone Doe from a distance Watching with such longing That the hunter watching in the leaves Remembered the wife he loved And lets the bow fall. |
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12. The Wanderer
Deep in night A lonely wanderer listens to heavy moving clouds Crashing all over sullen heaven The longing overcomes him Tears fill his eyes He sings the agony of his loneliness Then the villagers know that travelling away from someone we love is like dying They will not speak of it Suddenly even their pride is far behind them. |
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13. The Flute
Friend I am cursed Maybe or not see him again Yet by itself sound of his flute If into my ears should fall Enough. |
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14. The Love Hut
Love hut of reeds hidden in thicket Birds flying up from it Clatter of wings young wife at her housework Hears it feels all her limbs Melt all at once. |
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15. At the Water Fountain
Just as with eyes raised The traveler at the well Drinking water that she pours Lets it run through his fingers To make her go on pouring So she pours the thin stream Thinner. |
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16. The Herding Girl
Look look! Is it not beautiful here? Here's a thicket of reeds, bamboo trees lie down to sleep for a moment here Here look at this field, traveler A girl herding cows said to the young man passing by Surprising him as he sat by the road Her whole body moving as she spoke. |
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17. The River Crossing
There, there where the reeds are tall Is the best place to cross the river She told the traveller With her eye on him. |
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18. Clouds
Traveller there's nothing in this deaf village but stones You look out at the horizon clouds You see high breasts I can tell If you feel like staying Why don't you? |
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19. The Monk
The monk he stares at her navel And she at the moon his face The crows steal both their spoon and their bowl. |
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20. Rain
I like sleeping with someone different Often When my husband is in a foreign country And there's rain in the streets At night and wind And nobody. |
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21. Sugarcane
Don't worry about this young girl being very frail Have you ever seen a mango blossom break from the weight of a bee? You should squeeze her when you are alone Very hard and show no mercy Sugarcane softly pressed does not yield its full juice. |
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22. The Love God
Bana and Asana trees in full flower Bees shrill from joy With drawn bow Merciless arrow Moves at his pleasure Today through the forests The love god. |
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23. Something Bit Me
When hundreds of prayers at last brought him back from long travels And somehow the day had been got through All his friends fools Fools never thinking of the hundreds of longing wishes That led her through the day All his friends fools Fools talking, talking Until she jumped up saying Something bit me! And shaking the end of her sari Wanting him so much Blew out the lamp. |
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24. The Quarrel
In their quarrel she pretended to be asleep Until he, shaking with passion, Started to take off her dress Thief! She sad laughing And boldly she bit him. |
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25. Twilight
Red, red, also in love Twilight At the hands of moon her lover Stars her eyes wide at his touch Oh! Happily she abandons dress and sky. |
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26. He Kissed Me
I know I shook like a vine He kissed me Touched my two breasts as he pleased Pushed the necklace aside I remember that much But what came next the letting go The body turning to water But after that I keep trying to remember But I cannot. |
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27. Sandbanks
Slowly rivers in Autumn show sandbanks Bashful in love first love Woman showing thighs. |
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28. Elegy
Even though she was awake Even though the sky jewel was up Even though her friends were at the door Even though her unlawful serpent lover had loosened his embrace She still did not move. |
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29. Look at the Forest
Beautiful branches Swaying in heavy wind Beautiful throat song of cuckoo's joy Singing of bees look Oh you with beautiful limbs At the forest hung with bright flowers. |
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30. When the Night had Gone
Deep in love Cheek leaning on cheek We talked of whatever came to mind Just as it came slowly With our arms entwined tightly around us And the hours passed and we did not know it Still talking when the night had gone. |
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31. Sounds She Uttered
Her eyes in sleep afterwards Her body my love Sounds she uttered then Without meaning yet not without meaning My heartbeat even now Echoing them. |
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32. How Have You Come to Be So Thin?
How have you come to be so thin? Why are you trembling? Why are you so pale you simple girl? And she answered the lord of her life These things happen for no reason. Crying as she said it And turning away To let the tears fall. |
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33. She Let Him In
She let him in She did not turn away from him There was no anger in her words She simply looked straight at him As though there had never been anything between them. |
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34. The Cart
Woman wanting more Not having come Seeing a cart in the middle of the village Blessed indeed the hub of the wheel With the axle in it All the time. |
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35. If You Leave Me Now
Lush clouds in sky Dark sky of tears My love if you leave me now she said And could not say more Twisting my shirt toe gripping dust What she did after that All words are helpless to repeat And they know it and they give up. |
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36. Separation
My husband before leaving on a long journey Is still in the house speaking to the gods And already separation Is climbing like bad monkeys Up to the window. |
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37. If You have Decided to Go
To go, if you have really decided Then you will go Why hurry two or three oh little while stay While I look at your face Living we are water running from a bucket Who knows whether I will see you And you will see me again. |
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38. A Long Time Back
A long time back when we were first in love Our bodies were always as one Later you became my dearest And I became your dearest alas And now my beloved lord And now you are my husband I am your wife Our hearts must be hard as the middle of thunder Now what have I to live for? |
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39. Deep in the Heart
Living here far away I am yours you are mine Love was not made of bodies only Deep in the heart is where we are one. |