Three Songs on Poems of e e cummings, 1955, Elizabeth Wrancher
Elisabeth Wrancher, soprano; Charles H. Webb, piano



Three poems by e e cummings
1. for also then’s until 3:44
now all the fingers of this tree(darling)have
by e e cummings
now all the fingers of this tree(darling)have
hands, and all the hands have people; and
more each particular person is(my love)
alive than every world can understand
and now you are and i am now and we’re
a mystery which will never happen again,
a miracle which as never happened before-
and shining this our now must come to then
our then shall be some darkness during which
fingers are without hands; and i have no
you: and all trees are(any more than each
leafless)its silent in forevering snow
–but never fear(my own my beautiful
my blossoming) for also then’s until
[song ends here. Poem continues…]
luminous tendril of celestial wish
luminous tendril of celestial wish
(whying diminutive bright deathlessness
to these my not themselves believing eyes
adventuring, enormous nowhere from)
querying affirmation; virginal
immediacy of precision; more
and perfectly more most ethereal
silence through twilight’s mystery made flesh-
dreamslender exquisite white firstful flame
–new moon! as(by the miracle of your
sweet innocence refuted)clumsy some
dull cowardice called a world vanishes,
teach disappearing also me the keen
illimitable secret of begin
2. love is a place 1:00
love is a place
& through this place of
love move
(with brightness of peace)
all places
yes is a world
& in this world of
yes live
(skillfully curled)
all worlds
3. chansons innocentes ii 1:16
hist
little ghostthings
tip-toe
twinkle-toe
little itchy
witches and tingling
goblins
hob-a-nob hob-a-nob
little hoppy happy
toad in tweeds
tweeds
little itchy mousies
with scuttling
eyes rustle and run and
hidehidehide
whisk
whisk look out for the old woman
with the wart on her nose
what she’ll do to yer
nobody knows
for she knows the devil ooch
the devil ouch
the devil
ach the great
green
dancing
devil
devil
devil
devil
wheeEEE
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