Sea Slumber Song

"Sea Slumber Song" a poem by the Hon. Roden Noel and was set to music by Sir Edward Elgar as the first song of his song-cycle "Sea Pictures".

Lyrics

The poem here is as sung in "Sea Pictures". [cite book|title=Program Notes for the Forty-Fifth Season|author=Chicago Symphony Orchestra|date=1936|publisher=Orchestral Association]

"Italicised" text indicates lines repeated in the song but not in the original poem.

Sea Slumber SongSea-birds are asleep,The world forgets to weep,Sea murmurs her soft slumber-songOn the shadowy sandOf this elfin land;

"I, the Mother mild,Hush thee, O my child,Forget the voices wild!"Hush thee, O my child,Hush thee"

Isles in elfin lightDream, the rocks and caves,Lull’d by whispering waves,Veil their marbles"Veil their marbles bright",Foam glimmers faintly whiteUpon the shelly sandOf this elfin land;

Sea-sound, like violins,To slumber woos and wins,I murmur my soft slumber-song,"My slumber-song",Leave woes, and wails, and sins,

Ocean’s shadowy mightBreathes good-night,Good-night…"Leave woes, and wails, and sins,""Good-night… Good-night…""Good-night…""Good-night…""Good-night… Good-night…"

Elgar's setting

The sea's lullaby ("I, the Mother mild") is evoked by bass drum and tam-tam and strings repeating a phrase that reappears later in the song cycle. At "Isles in elfin light" the music changes key to C major before returning to the oceanic theme. [Beales, Brendan "Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Concert Programme" for performance at the Royal Albert Hall 6 April 2008]

References

Further reading

* — Del Mar's notes on how to conduct the Sea Slumber Song