Don Dilworth, Contemporary Composer
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  Don Dilworth, Contemporary Composer
39 Songs from Classical Indian Love Poems
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.
1. Vishnu

Praise to Vishnu
His hands fondle in secret
The large breasts of Laksmi
As though looking there
For his own lost heart.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


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.

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
.

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.

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.

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.

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
.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
.

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.

27. Sandbanks

Slowly rivers in Autumn show sandbanks
Bashful in love first love
Woman showing thighs.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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