PIERCING AS THE FLUTE

You may have noticed a dark haunted presence beneath The Bad Seeds majestic song ‘Galleon Ship’ from the Ghosteen album. This is a recording of Marianne Faithful reciting May Sarton’s beautiful and sombre Prayer Before Work. May Sarton is a wonderful poet, novelist and essayist. Warren has pitch-shifted Marianne reading the poem, reversed it, cut it up and sunk it deep into the song to create the strange, grave subterranean force that lies beneath. Love Susie x https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DjshyO_uT0

Prayer Before Work

Great one, austere,
By whose intent the distant star
Holds its course clear,
Now make this spirit soar
Give it that ease.

Out of the absolute
Abstracted grief, comfortless, mute,
Sound the clear note,
Pure, piercing as the flute:
Give it precision.

Austere, great one,
By whose grace the inalterable song
May still be wrested from
The corrupt lung:
Give it strict form.

May Sarton