Audio Sample
*Full voice demo and piano track available as separate download with book purchase
Text background: This is the final stanza from the larger poem “Lamiat Alajem,” published in the collection “Specimens of Arabian Poetry” (1796), p. 163-164. Written during 11th-12th century Seljuq Empire in what is now modern-day Iran.
Background information summarized from “Specimens of Arabian Poetry”: Abou Ismael served the Seljuk Sultans of Persia sometime during the 11th-12th centuries, and was a native of what is now modern-day Isfahan, a city in Iran. Scholars believe that this poem was composed during the poet’s flight from his homeland during a time of political upheaval. The plot of the larger poem centers around a poet travelling at night in the desert, where he encounters an old friend and wrestles with questions of love, morality, and the meaning of life.
Through Folly’s Wilds
Voice: Treble
Range: D4-B4
Part of book: “A Traveler’s Heart: Solo Songs for the Developing Treble Voice” (sold by Brilee Music)
Difficulty: Beginner/Early Intermediate
Poem by: Mauid Eddin Alhassan Abou Ismael Altograi
Text:
As through life’s various walks we’re led,
May wisdom hover o’er our head!
May she our words, our actions guide,
Our faults correct, our secrets hide!
May she, where-e’er our footsteps stray,
Direct our paths, and clear the way!
Till, every scene of trouble past,
She brings us to repose at last.
Teach us to love that peaceful shore,
And roam through folly’s wilds no more!
Teach us to love that peaceful shore, and roam through folly’s wilds no more!