Issuu

Tulips

*The tulips are too excitable, it is winter here.

Look how white everything is, how quiet, how snowed-in. I am learning peacefulness, lying by myself quietly

As the light lies on these white walls, this bed, these hands.

I am nobody; I have nothing to do with explosions. I have given my name and my day-clothes up to the nurses And my history to the anesthetist and my body to surgeons.

I didn't want any flowers, I only wanted To lie with my hands turned up and be utterly empty. How free it is, you have no idea how free---The peacefulness is so big it dazes you, And it asks nothing, a name tag, a few trinkets. It is what the dead close on finally: I imagine them Shutting their mouths on it, like a Communion tablet.

The tulips are too red in the first place, they hurt me. Their redness talks to my wound, it corresponds. Before they came, the air was calm enough, Coming and going, breath by breath, without any fuss. Then the tulips filled it up like a loud noise.

The tulips should be behind bars like dangerous animals; They are opening like the mouth of some great African cat, And I am aware of my heart: it opens and closes Its bowl of red blooms out of sheer love of me. The water I taste is warm and salt, like the sea, And comes from a country far away as health.

18 March 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 SOPRANO ALTO TENOR The p tulips aretooexci-ta-ble,-itiswinter-here.Lookhowwhiteev'ry-thing-is,how Calmly, freely, with natural declamatory ebb and flow q = c. 60 The p tulips aretooexci-ta-ble...- Lookhowwhiteev'ry-thing-is,how Oo pp                                long 

    *Stanza 1 (complete), stanza 5 (complete), stanza 6 (lines 1 and 4), stanza 8 (lines 1-3), stanza 9 (lines 2-7)                                                              PERUSAL ONLY

      quiet,-howsnowedin.- I pp amlearning-peace ful-ness,-lying-bymyself-quiet-ly Asthe 6 quiet,-howsnowedin.- I pp amlearning-peace ful-ness,-lying-bymyself-quiet-ly I pp amlearning-peace ful-ness,-lying-bymyself-quiet-ly...lightlieson thesewhitewalls,thisbed, thesehands. più mosso poco a pocoA13 Asthelightlieson thesewhitewalls,thisbed,thesehan(ds).n mm I mp amnobo-dy;-Ihave I mp amnobo-dy;-Ihave 21 nothing-todowithexplo-sions.-Ihavegiven-mynameandmydayclothes-uptothenurses-andmy nothing-todowithexplo-sions.-Ihavegiven-mynameandmydayclothes-uptothenurses-andmy                                                                                                      N.B.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             2 PERUSAL ONLY

      poco meno mosso I p didn't-wantanyB27 niente I p didn't-wantanyhisto-ry-totheanes-the-tist-andmy mf body-tosurgeons.histo-ry-totheanes-the-tist-andmy mf body-tosurgeon(s).-n p flowers. Ionly-wanted-Toliewithmyhandsturnedupandbeutter-ly-empty.33 flowers. Ionly-wanted-Toliewithmyhandsturnedupandbeutter-ly-empty.oo How mp freeitis,youhavenoide-a howfree---- Thepeaceful-ness-is so 41 How mp freeitis,youhavenoide-a howfree----Thepeaceful-ness-is sobig it How mp freeitis,youhavenoide-a howfree---p How mp freeitis,youhavenoide-a howfree---p                                                                                                                                         N.B.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    3 PERUSAL ONLY

    bigit dazes- you. p poco più mosso pp C 47 dazes-you. niente And p misterioso itasksnothing,-anametag,afewtrinkets.- Itiswhatthedeadclose niente And p misterioso itasksnothing,-anametag,afewtrinkets.- Itiswhatthedeadclose 55 onfinal-ly.- Iima-gine-themShutting-theirmouthsonitlikeaCommun-ion-table(t).onfinal-ly.- Iima-gine-themShutting-theirmouthsonitlikeaCommun-ion-tablet.                                                                                               S      T  B                                                                                                                                                      4 PERUSAL ONLY

This page has been intentionally deleted to protect the copyright of this score. To purchase, please visit: ShawnKirchner.com SKPublishing I II III II III II III II III II III II III II III II III

      Com mp ing-andgo ing,-breathbybreath,without-any-fuss. più mosso73 breathby breath, mp without-any-fuss. mp Com ing-andgo ing,-with out-fuss. Then mf espress. thetulips-filledit Then Then mf espress. the the tu tu lips... lips -filled it uplikealoudnoise.Thetulips-shouldbebehind-barslikedanger-ous-ani-mals;-Theyare 80 up likealoud noise.The The tu tu lips lips... shouldbe behind-bars likedan ger-ous-an i-mals;-They They f en dehors are are And pp Iamaware-ofmyheart: Tempo primoE86 pp Mm pp AndI 'm am a a ware ware of ofmy my heart: heart: open-ing-like f en dehors themouthofsomegreatAfri-can-cat. Mm pp open-ing-likethemouthofsomegreatAfri-can-cat.                                                                                                T  B                 dull hit to center of chest with closed fist                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     6 PERUSAL ONLY

    sempre pp (it) it o opens- and pens closesits Its blooms bowlof red out blooms of outof love sheerlove of of me. me. The The93 sempre pp itopens-andcloses-Itsbowlofredbloomsoutofsheerloveofme. The The pp sempre pp The The wa water-Itaste teris is warm warm and and salt, salt, like like the the sea, sea, Andcomes from And 101 water-Itaste iswarm andsalt,likethesea, Andcomesfromacountrywater-iswarm,iswarmandsalt,like like the thesea, sea,Andcomes fromfar And awa wa ter-Itaste teris is warm warm and and salt, salt,like like the the sea, sea, Andcomes                          (only a few sopranos on top line)                       (to "m" on 2nd beat)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     7 PERUSAL ONLY

  far comesfromacoun a tryway... far away-as niente health. 108 far away,- andcomesfromacoun try-faraway- ashealth. comes way, from And far comesfromacoun a tryway, far a far waya as way health. ashealth. fromafar- as health.           (to "m" on 2nd beat)                                                                                            8 PERUSAL ONLY