Three Whole Tone Songs to poems by James Joyce: 

1. ​Bright cap and streamers,
He sings in the hollow:
Come follow, come follow,
          All you that love.
Leave dreams to the dreamers
That will not after,
That song and laughter
          Do nothing move.

With ribbons streaming
He sings the bolder;
In troop at his shoulder
          The wild bees hum.
And the time of dreaming
Dreams is over — -
As lover to lover,
          Sweetheart, I come.

2. Silently she's combing,
Combing her long hair
Silently and graciously,
With many a pretty air.

The sun is in the willow leaves
And on the dappled grass,
And still she's combing her long hair
Before the looking-glass.

I pray you, cease to comb out,
Comb out your long hair,
For I have heard of witchery
Under a pretty air,

That makes as one thing to the lover
Staying and going hence,
All fair, with many a pretty air
And many a negligence.

3. ​The twilight turns from amethyst
To deep and deeper blue,
The lamp fills with a pale green glow
The trees of the avenue.
 
The old piano plays an air,
Sedate and slow and gay;
She bends upon the yellow keys,
Her head inclines this way.
 
Shy thoughts and grave
        wide eyes and hands
That wander as they list--
The twilight turns to darker blue
With lights of amethyst.

Please click on the button below to hear "3 Whole Tone Songs" as performed by the composer:

DavidEdgarWalther · 3 Whole Tone Songs (Joyce): Walther