The Cloud

from Stanzas for Music by Kerri Joy

/

about

Looking to the romantic poets for inspiration, I stumbled upon the magnificent poem “The Cloud” by Percy Shelley one day while perusing a newly purchased antique anthology of Byron, Keats, and Shelley, . It was far too long to use in its entirety as a song, so I set to adapting it in a way that felt true to the poem, but accessible to a contemporary piece of music. It reminds me of our connection to universal collective consciousness, the cycles of life, and the expansive capacity of our imaginations. I owe a great deal of thanks to the members of "Blas Meala" for helping me flesh out the arrangement during those long rehearsals at the Celtic Junction in Saint Paul.

lyrics

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,
From the seas and the streams, the seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid in their noonday dreams.
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet buds every one,
When rocked to rest on their Mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.

I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.
Sublime on the towers of my skiey bowers,
Lightning, my pilot, sits;
In a cavern under is fettered the thunder,
It struggles and howls at fits;

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.

Over earth and ocean, with gentle motion,
This pilot is guiding me,
Lured by the love of the genii that move
In the depths of the purple sea;

I am the daughter of Earth and Water,
And the nursling of the Sky;
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores;
I change, but I cannot die.

credits

from Stanzas for Music, released June 6, 2022
Lyrics: Percy Shelley. Music, vocals, violin: Kerri Joy.
Acoustic guitar: Cole Michelson. Electric cello: Matthew Probst.
Electric guitar, Sitar, Rainstick, Effects: Joshua Parlanti.
Upright bass: Matthew Blake. Drums: John Hanson.

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Kerri Joy Brittany, France

Fiddle player and vocalist Kerri Joy splashes out with a nuanced and boldly lyrical sound; hers is a journey through a myriad of musical expressions; born out of years of collection, growth, introspection, and adventures.

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