This edition was prepared by Richard DeMattia — free to download, print, rehearse and perform.
Epistle to be Left in the Earth (1973)
Staff Notation • Secular
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Epistle to be Left in the Earth (1973) by Caroline S. Arnold — Lyrics
…It is colder now,
there are many stars,
we are drifting
North by the Great Bear,
the leaves are falling,
THe water is stone in the scooped rocks,
to southward
Red sun grey air:
the crows are
Slow on their crooked wings,
the jays have left us:
Long since we passed the flares of Orion.
Each man believes in his heart he will die.
Many have written last thoughts and last letters.
None know if our deaths are now or forever:
None know if this wandering earth will be found.
We lie down and the snow covers our garments.
I pray you,
you (if any open this writing)
Make in your mouths the words that were our names.
I will tell you all we have learned,
I will tell you everything:
The earth is round,
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About Epistle to be Left in the Earth (1973)
Caroline S. Arnold’s Epistle to be Left in the Earth, from 1973, is a secular SATB choral work in English. The text contemplates a group adrift in a bleak, cold landscape as their journey progresses northward. The lyrics speak of falling leaves, frozen water, and the slow flight of crows, creating a palpable sense of decline and impending end. As the group faces an uncertain fate, accepting that they may never be found, the narrator pleads with any future discoverer of this message to remember their names. The music likely reflects the stark, poignant, and existential themes of this profound text.
