To sleep, perchance to dream . . . William Shakespeare
February is like the 4 A.M. of the calendar year. I wake up, eager to start the day, but realize the world is still dark and the garden is still sleeping. So, I roll over, snuggle deeper under the covers, and go back to sleep, perchance to dream, of the gardening year to come.
There are a lot of wildly differing viewpoints on sleep, perhaps depending on whether you seek it, fear it, or cannot find it. As a gardener and nature lover, I find myself agreeing with Walt Whitman when he says Now I see the secret of making the best person: it is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth. D.H. Lawrence had a similar view of the natural renewal of sleep. And if tonight my soul may find her peace in sleep, and sink in good oblivion, and in the morning wake like a new opened flower then I have been dipped again in God, and new created.
An unknown pundit and night owl stated Sometimes I stay up so late that I have my morning coffee before I go to bed. When I was performing full time, this would have been my motto! Here are two diametrically opposed points of view, from authors unknown. Sleep… Oh! how I loathe those little slices of death or Consciousness: that annoying time between naps.
Perhaps composer Eric Whitacre expressed the lovely complexity of sleep best, in
his beautiful choral piece “Sleep.” It was originally set to Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” but because of copyright issues he eventually reset it with lyrics created by poet Charles Anthony Silvestri and now prefers this version.
The evening hangs beneath the moon,
A silver thread on darkened dune
With closing eyes and resting head,
I know that sleep is coming soon (See all lyrics)
Not only did Eric compose a poignantly beautiful piece of music in Sleep, he united singers all over the world through the power of YouTube into a virtual choir to perform it. This clip from TED tells the amazing story.
And here is the full video of a 2000+ voice virtual choir singing “Sleep” – a feast for the ears, the eyes, and the soul.
For sleep, one needs endless depths of blackness to sink into; daylight is too shallow, it will not cover one. Anne Morrow Lindbergh
Sweet dreams to all, spring is dawning soon.
On a cold snowy February day, you might enjoy reading this post and hearing a song about Winter.
composerinthegarden 
Thanks for sharing these. I watched (and listened to) all the videos and I felt that deep sense of connection Eric was trying to describe in his talk. Really amazing work. And I love your writing.
Kris, thanks so much for visiting. Eric is an amazing composer and seems to be always searching for new ways to communicate. I appreciate your comments and have been enjoying your site – love the photos!
RE: “So, I roll over, snuggle deeper under the covers, and go back to sleep, perchance to dream, of the gardening year to come.”
This exactly what February is like for me > garden dreams: what to plant, move , shape, introduce … great fun.
Thanks, Karyn. Garden dreams are starting to finally become a reality here, and even though it is oddly warm this early, I am enjoying finally getting out into the garden for real!
🙂
I love the way you described February as the 4am of the calendar year. Perfect. The virtual choir is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. 🙂
Thanks, Robin. The 4AM reference popped out of the blue but seemed to catch my feelings about late winter (or early early early spring) exactly. Glad you enjoyed the post!
Absolutely moving and wonderful- many thanks for posting this!
Tracy, thanks for visiting – so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve watched the videos multiple times and am always touched by them.
Thanks for sharing! This post is wonderful! Especially the music!
Thanks, Mimo, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This moved me to tears, Lynn. Our choir sang Eric Whitacre’s This Marriage a couple of years ago. Although I’d heard of this project, I’d never had a chance to hear more about it or see the videos. Thanks so much for sharing it. Our choir has been invited to participate in a DCINY concert at Lincoln Center over Thanksgiving–quite an honor!
Paula, that is SO great – please let me know how that goes. I love Eric’s music though I have never sung any of it; I met him many years ago when he visited our school and met with our students. I’m considering going to a one day workshop with him in May.
From the words of Whitman to Whitacre’s composition, much going on in this post. Love the music … very calming … and thanks!
Thanks, Frank, I thought that you might enjoy it!
Wow, that was beyond incredible. The way all those voices were merged together as one…wow. Simply fantastic. Thanks for sharing that.
Thanks, Dienna. It is amazing, isn’t it? I am delighted that you enjoyed it so much.
I am using this music to paint by. Thank you for visiting my site and leaving your encouraging words. I am going to check out the rest of your posting, for I also can’t wait for my perennials to start showing signs of life (not likely until March). Truly gardens and good music do go hand-in-hand
Thank you so much for visiting, Lance; I loved your site and your paintings and stories – I think I tracked back to your site from Kerry’s photoblog. We had a lot of spring like weather here but now are back into the February snow weather. That’s the great thing about perennials; even greening up for spring is exciting, a hint of the bloom to come. Enjoy Eric’s music!
Lovely! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Anne, you are very welcome – thanks for stopping by!
Fabulous! Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thanks, Amy. One of my favorites, glad you enjoyed!
Great post. I have no problem falling back asleep at 4 AM. Or at any point for that matter.
Thanks for visiting, Paul. I am following suit; relax and let spring arrive in its own time. A big step for me, I must say. I keep dreaming 🙂 BTW, I have been enjoying your “photographic subject + camera” series – great!
Wonderful and inspiring, as always! Thank you so much.
Thanks, Catherine, this is one of my favorite pieces of music. So glad you found it inspiring, I always feel the same about your posts as well.
Those videos…absolutely remarkable.
Glad you liked them Kerry, they never fail to move me. Beautiful music connecting people all over the world, a great use of technology.