Thus Spake the Mother (2024)
for SSA choir | 00:03:30
by Melissa Dunphy | text by Sri Ananda
Commissioned by the William & Mary Society of 1918 for the W&M Barksdale Treble Chorus (Dr. Jamie C. Bartlett, director) celebrating 100 years of treble music making at W&M.
Thus Spake the Mother
From Snow-Birds by Sri Ananda Acharya (1919)
Forward! Forward! Carry my banner beyond the Boundary!
Cross the ditches, break the hedges, and march unto the Beyond!
Soar into the firmament and pluck the light of the stars,
Dive unbreathing into the billows and seize the secret of the lightless sea,
Scan and control what mighty powers lie hidden in the soul’s unfathomed deeps.
Nature will bring her long-saved treasures to serve and nurture you,
But you shall lead Humanity by the hand with gentle, ceaseless, sweet, unasking love.
Artwork by Faith Ronquest
Performances
- 21 Apr, 2024: Barksdale Treble Chorus at Music Arts Center, William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA