i. A Soul Selects Her Own Society	ii. A Loss Of Something Ever Felt I	iii. Abraham To Kill Him	iv. I Heard As If I Had No Ear	v. To Die Without The Dying	vi. I Should Not Dare To Be So Sad	vii. Remembrance Has A Rear And A Front	viii. The Props Assist The House	ix. Lay This Laurel On The One	x. Color, Caste, Denomination
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i. The Soul Selects Her Own Society #303  The Soul selects her own Society – Then – shuts the Door – To her divine Majority – Present no more –  Unmoved - she notes the Chariots – pausing At her low Gate - Unmoved - an Emperor be kneeling Upon her Mat  -   I’ve known her-from an ample nation Choose One - Then close the Valves of her attention - Like Stone. ii. A Loss Of Something Ever Felt I #959  A loss of something ever felt I – The first that I cound recollect Bereft I was – of what I knew not Too young that any should suspect  A Mourner walked among the children I notwithstanding went about As one bemoaning a Dominion Itself the only Prince cast out –  Elder, Today, a session wiser And fainter, too, as Wiseness is – I find myself still softly searching For my Delinquent Features.  And a Suspicion, like a Finger Touches my Forehead now and then That I am looking oppositely For the site of the Kingdom of Heaven. iii. Abraham To Kill Him #1317  Abraham to kill him Was distinctly told – Isaac was an Urchin – Abraham was old –  Not a hesitation – Abraham complied – Flattered by Obeisance Tyranny demurred –   Isaac – to his children Lived to tell the tale – Moral – with a Mastiff Manners may prevail.

iv. I Heard, As If I Had No Ear #1039  I heard, as if I had no Ear Until a Vital Word Came all the way from Life to me And then I knew I heard.  I saw, as if my Eye were on Another, till a Thing And now I know ‘twas Light, because It fitted then, came in.  I dwelt, as if Myself were out, My Body but within Until a Might detected me And set my kernel in.  And Spirit turned unto the dust “Old Friend, thou knowest me,” And Time went out to tell the News And met Eternity. v. To Die Without The Dying #1017  To die – without the Dying And live – without the Life This is the hardest Miracle Propounded to Belief.  vi. I Should Not Dare To Be So Sad #1197   should not dare to be so sad So many Years again – A  Load is first impossible When we have put it down – The Superhuman then withdraws And we who never saw The Giant at the other side Begin to perish now.

vii. Remembrance Has A Rear And A Front #  Remembrance has a Rear and a Front – ‘Tis something like a House – It has a Garret also For Refuse and a Mouse. Besides the deepest Cellar That ever Mason laid – Look to it by its Fathoms Ourselves be not pursued. viii. The Props Assist The House #1142  The Props assist the House Until the House is built And then the Props withdraw And adequate, erect, The House support itself And cease to recollect The Auger and the Carpenter – Just such a retrospect Hath the perfected Life – A past of Plank and Nail And slowness – then the Scaffold drop Affirming it a Soul. ix. Lay This Laurel On The One #1393  Lay this Laurel on the One Too intrinsic for Renown – Laurel – veil your deathless tree – Him you chasten, that is He!   x. Color – Caste -  Denomination #970 Color – Caste – Denomination – These- are Time’s Affair – Death’s diviner Classifying Does not know that they are there – As in sleep – All Hue forgotten – Tenets – put aside – Death’s large – Democratic fingers Rub away the Brand – If Circassian – He is careless – If He put away Chrysalis of Blonde – or Umber Equal Butterfly –  They emerge from His Obscuring – What Time – knows so well – Our minuter intuitions – Deem implausible.

Recorded: Lawrence University, Conservatory of Music, Appleton, Wisconsin, 2006 Karen Leigh-Post (mezzo-soprano)Barbara Boren (flute), Howard Niblock (oboe), David Bell (clarinet), James DeCoursey (horn)  Susan Lawrence McCardell (bassoon), Larry Darling (recording engineer)