JAMES WILDING
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  • slaap klein beminde

slaap klein beminde

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2005
15 minutes
soprano and piano trio
5 ​pages (violin part)
5 pages (cello part)
20 pages (score)
Commissioned by the Chancellor's Trust at Potchefstroom University and premiered there in May 2005
Text setting permission granted by Breyten Breytenbach

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Although Afrikaans is not my home language, this beautiful poem by Breyten Breytenbach had been written in such a direct way, and has so much of an instant appeal on its first reading, that I found a musical realization coming quite naturally.  When conceiving music for this unique instrumentation, I was inspired by Shostakovitch's marvelous work Seven Romances on Verses by Alexander Blok. 

slaap klein beminde
slaap soet slaap swart
nat soos suiker in koffie
wees bly in jou drome
blaas op fluite
koop `n groot huis
eet die oudste pere -
hulle wat soet word in grysheid -
slaap soeter as pere
 
weg die dreigemente
weg die basterwind
die bolletjies reën die plunderson
weg honger en hofsake
weg gebrek aan geld
weg alle kanker
en tandpyn of narkose
en blinde honde
weg die hele idiotedom
behalwe jy
            en as jy so wil
asseblief ook ek
 
ek sal waak oor jou drome
ek spyker die vlieë teen die muur
ek wag gewapend vir die son
            en die wind
            en die reën
as jy lag sal ek lag
en as jy huil
klein beminde ….
moenie huil nie
kyk ek koop vir jou `n hoed
en vars brood so swart, nuwe oë en `n koets
soos pere in kiste
en musiek vir jou ure
en krukke vir jou klagtes
            en as jy wil
Amerika en die maan
ek sny my mooi land
vir jou vry,
 
maar dis vir môre, mañana
slaap nou eers beminde
slaap vinnig, slaap ver
slaap soeter as nagte
en hoër, ligter, liefder
vryer, ewiger
en blyer as `n veer
​sleep little beloved
sleep sweetly sleep darkly
wet like sugar in coffee
be happy in your dreams
blow on flutes
buy a big house
eat the oldest pears - 
those that get sweet with age -
sleep sweeter than pears

away with the threats
away with the bastard wind
the little balls of rain the plundering sun
away with hunger and court-cases
away with the lack of money
away with all cancer
and tooth-ache or anaesthetic
and blind dogs
away with the whole idiot realm
except you
    and if you so wish
me too please

I will watch over your dreams
I nail the flies to the wall
I wait armed for the sun
    and the wind
    and the rain
when you laugh I will laugh
and when you cry
little beloved …
don't cry
look I will buy you a hat
and fresh bread so black, new eyes and a carriage
like pears in coffins
and music for your hours
and crutches for your complaints
    and if you wish
America and the moon
I will cut free my beautiful land
for you,

but that's for tomorrow, mañana
first sleep now beloved
sleep quickly, sleep deeply
sleep sweeter than nights
and higher, lighter, more in love
freer, more eternal
and happier than a feather

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