Morning Song (Plath Songs) by ShawnKirchner

Morning Song

Love set you going like a fat gold watch. The midwife slapped your footsoles, and your bald cry Took its place among the elements

Our voices echo, magnifying your arrival. New statue. In a drafty museum, your nakedness Shadows our safety. We stand round blankly as walls.

I'm no more your mother

Than the wind that distills a miror to reflect its own slow Effacement at the wind's hand.

All night your moth-breath Flickers among the flat pink roses. I wake to listen: A far sea moves in my ear.

One cry, and I stumble from bed, cow-heavy and floral In my Victorian nightgown. Your mouth opens clean as a cat's. The window square

Whitens and swallows its dull stars. And now you try Your handful of notes; The clear vowels rise like balloons.

19 February 1961

Shawn KirchnerSylvia Plath

  Copyright © 2013 by Shawn Kirchner Publishing, with permission of Faber and Faber Ltd. and the Estate of Sylvia Plath. Licensed copies available through www.ShawnKirchner.com Tubular Bells SOPRANO ALTO TENOR BASS ppp q = c. 84 Love p energico setyougoing,- Lovesetyougoing-likeafatgold Love p energico setyougoing,-Lovesetyougoing-likeafatgold Love p energico setyougoing,-gogoing--likeafatgold ...like mp afatgold           

                                                                              PERUSAL ONLY

    mf 5 watch. mf The mf watch. mf The mf watch. mf watch. mf mf midwife-slappedyourfootsoles,- andyourbald 8 and mf your                                                plenty of pedal throughout  S, A   T, B                                                                                                                                                                                  2 PERUSAL ONLY

    cry f Tookitsplace among-theel e-ments. 11 cry... f among-the ele-ments. f Our p voicesecho,-magni- fy mf ing, magniA 14 Our p voicesecho,- magni- fy mf -ing,-magniOur p voicesecho,- magni- fy mf Our p voicesecho,- magni- fy mf ing, p A                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 3 PERUSAL ONLY

    fy f ing, --yourarri-val.- your mf arri-val.pp Poch. meno mosso19 fying,-magni-fy f ing-yourarri-val.- In p liquid a ing,-magni -fy f ing,yourarri-val.- New mp statue. mag f ni -fy--ingyourarri-val.- In p liquid a We mp standroundblankly,pp27 drafty-muse-um,-(m) yournaked-ness-shadows-oursafety.- We mp standroundblankly,- blank mp ly,p We mp standroundblankly,- blank mp ly,drafty-muse-um,-(m) yournaked-ness-shadows-oursafety.- We mp standroundblankly,pp                                                                                                                                                                                                                           4 PERUSAL ONLY

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    nomoreyourmother- Thanthecloud thatdis 43 ...no p whispery moreyourmothernomoreyourmother- Thanthecloud thatdis ...no p whispery moreyourmothertills amirror- to mp reflect-itsown slowEf 46 dis p amirrortills amirror- to mp reflect-itsown slowEf dis p amirror                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   6 PERUSAL ONLY

      face atthewind's hand. 50 ...wind's pp hand. face atthewind's hand. ...wind's pp hand. pp All pp soft-edged nightyourmothbreathPoco allarg. A tempoC54 All pp soft-edged nightyourmothbreath-flickers...All pp soft-edged nightyourmothbreath-flickers-among-theflat pinkroses.58 flickers-among-theflatpinkroses.                                                                  Sopranos                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           7 PERUSAL ONLY

    62 I mp waketolisten:- A pp far sea, A p espress. far sea mf mp ppp 66 A pp far sea moves in my afar sea moves in my A pp far sea moves moves a pp far seamovesinmy                                                 (Tubular bells)                                                                                                                                                                                    8 PERUSAL ONLY

espress.

    D71 ear. One mp cry, mf andIstumble-frombed,cow espress. heav -y-and ear.One mp cry, mf andIstumble-frombed,cow

heav -y-and One mp cry, mf andIstumble-frombed,cow

heav -y-and ear.One mp cry, mf andIstumble-frombed,cow espress. heav -y-and D floral- InmyVicto-ri-an-nightgow(n).- (oo) 76 floral...- ...nightgown.- Your p mouthopens-cleanasacat's. floral...- ...nightgown.floral...- nightgown.- Your p mouthopens-cleanasacat's.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           9 PERUSAL ONLY

    niente ...its pp dull stars. Take time A tempo 81 ...and p swallows...- And mp nowyoutryYourhandfulof ...and p swallow(s)...- (oo) The mp window-square whitens...- Andnowyoutry Your mf mp mf 87 ...you mp tryYourhand ful mf -ofnotes;Yourhandful-ofnotes; notes; mf Yourhandful-ofnotes; (oh) mf ...youtryYourhandful-ofnotes; handful-ofnotes;tryYourhandful,-Yourhandful-ofnotes; mp cresc.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           10 PERUSAL ONLY

    mp E91 The mp clear vowelsrise The mp clear vowelsrise mp  E The mp clear vowels 95 like balloons. The mp clear vowels like balloons.                 A   B II      notes need not be uniformly smooth, some accents here and there, like random coos or cries or calls, with swells and ebbs too              S II    T II / B I                                                                                                                         11 PERUSAL ONLY

    The mf99 rise like bal loons. The mf rise like bal loons. clear vowelsrise like balloons. 102 The mp clear vowelsrise like balloons.   S I  (S II)    T I  (T II / B I)                                                                                                                         12 PERUSAL ONLY

  The mp clear vowels F106 clear vowelsrise like balloons. The mp clear vowelsrise The mp clear vowelsrise like balF   Altos      falsetto  B II                                                                        13 PERUSAL ONLY

    rise like balloons. 110 The p clear vowelsrise like balloons. loons. likeballoons.114        only falsetto                                                                                                                                 14 PERUSAL ONLY