I'd been wanting to write a piece for women's voices for ages, but it took a trip to Venice to fully inspire me. The melody was sketched out while sitting on the steps of the Basilica Santa Maria Della Salute.
The poetry centres around the myth of the Phoenix. Legend has it that the Phoenix would reign the skies for a thousand years, then would build its own funeral pyre, and dance while he burned. After death, the Phoenix would rise from his own ashes to reign again.
lyrics
Once lord of a thousand year
Master over all, you flew
You flew, you sang, lord over all
Now here you lie, ash at our feet
Your throat, now stopped, no longer sings
Your wings, now crushed, no longer beat
Once lord of a thousand year
Now here you lie, ash at our feet
You flew, you sang, lord over all
You danced in fire of your design
But fire consumes: all songs must end
And here you lie, ash at our feet
But spirit cannot be consumed
And love (though frail) cannot be crushed
Your song cannot remain unsung
Your ash will not return to earth
From ash you stir, from ash you stir
From ash you rise, from ash you rise
Before us all, the glorious arc-en-ciel
Reaching, yearning, hungry for the sky
Before us all, you rise, you rise
Before us all, you rise and fly.
credits
from Alter Ego,
released February 19, 2010
Suba Sankaran - Voice
In a word... multifaceted. Toronto-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer. From a neo-classical choral opus
to an unabashed rock song, I've probably written it... or at least working on it. I'm fortunate enough to make my work my play, touring across North America, Europe, and Asia. Visit me at www.dylanbell.ca...more
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