Sacred

I have started this project of putting to music texts from various sacred traditions. So far there are only two pieces here: the famous mantra "Om Mani Padme Hum", put to some rather intense music, and a beautiful french poem called "Les Yeux". So, it's sort of an album in progress.

Om Mani Padme Hum

"Om Mani Padme Hum" is a famous mantra associated with Guan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. I was toying with the idea of recording some sacred music from various traditions, and this one came about quite easily. I first recorded a few takes of spontaneous vocal lines and harmonies, and this pretty much ended up being the final version.

I had assumed it would sound very peaceful, but it turned out sounding rather intense. Then again, Guan Yin is the Bodhisattva who "hears the cries of the world", so it might be quite fitting after all.

Les Yeux

The lyrics are from a French poem called, surprisingly, "Les Yeux" (meaning "The eyes"), from René-François Sully Prudhomme. It's a beautiful poem describing how the eyes surely do not cease seeing after one passes away, but instead do see what is on the "other side".

It's only piano and voice, and I confess I was pretty proud of myself having resisted adding plenty of harmonies.

Here is the French text:

Bleus ou noirs, tous aimés, tous beaux,
Des yeux sans nombre ont vu l'aurore ;
Ils dorment au fond des tombeaux
Et le soleil se lève encore.

Les nuits plus douces que les jours
Ont enchanté des yeux sans nombre ;
Les étoiles brillent toujours
Et les yeux se sont remplis d'ombre.

Oh ! qu'ils aient perdu le regard,
Non, non, cela n'est pas possible !
Ils se sont tournés quelque part
Vers ce qu'on nomme l'invisible ;

Et comme les astres penchants,
Nous quittent, mais au ciel demeurent,
Les prunelles ont leurs couchants,
Mais il n'est pas vrai qu'elles meurent :

Bleus ou noirs, tous aimés, tous beaux,
Ouverts à quelque immense aurore,
De l'autre côté des tombeaux
Les yeux qu'on ferme voient encore.