Effortlessly, Love flows from God into Man
A setting of medieval poet Mechtild of Magdeburg. Composed in 2000.
Instrumentation: Choir (SATB) and strummed piano
Duration: 5 min.
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Commissioned by Faith Partners/American Composers Forum
NOTE: Mechtild of Magdeburg's poetry represents the mystical spiritual life of 13th c. Germany.
Effortlessly,
Love flows from God into man,
Like a bird
Who rivers the air
Without moving her wings
Thus we move in His world,
One in body and soul,
Though outwardly separate in form,
As the Source strikes the note,
Humanity sings -
The Holy Spirit is our harpist,
And all strings
Which are touched in Love
Must sound.
Mechtild of Magdeburg (13th c.)
Translated by Jane Hirshfield
Women in Praise of the Sacred, Harper Collins