To the names that have left was written in memory of a couple of important people in my life who passed away in 2015 and 2016. The text is based on a poem by Pierre Reverdy.
Les traits du ciel
Le feu qui danse
L’oiseau qui chante
Le vent qui meurt
Les vagues de la glace
Et les flots de rumeur
Dans l’oreille les cris lointains
du jour qui passe
toutes les flammes lasses
la voix du voyageur
Toute la poudre du ciel
Le talon sur la terre
L’œil fixé sur la route
Où les pas sont inscrits
Que le nombre déroule
Aux noms qui sont partis
Dans les plis des nuages
Le visage inconnu
Celui que l’on regarde
Et qui n’est pas venu\
— In Sources du vent © La poésie moderniste France Loisirs P.266
The traits of the sky
The fire that dances
The bird that sings
The wind that dies
The icy waves
And the surges of rumour
In the ear the distant cries
Of the day that passes
All the weary flames
The voice of the voyager
All the powder in the sky
The heel on the Earth
The eye fixed on the road
Where the steps are inscribed
Which the number unveils
To the names that have left
In the folds of the clouds
The unknown face
The one which you watch and
Which has not come\
To the names that have left was composed for Baroque Voices, directed by Pepe Becker.