Earth Teach Me

2022. SATB and Chamber Orchestra / 6 min

Score PDF

This meditation on the earth is based on a Native American prayer Earth Teach Me.

The text was perhaps first translated into English by Sioux Chief John Yellow Lark in the late 19th century.

The prayer fills me with joy and hope and this setting sparkles with beauty, warmth, and heart.

For SATB and chamber orchestra (1st and 2nd Violin, Viola, Cello, Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon), this original and melodious setting is perfect for high school, university, or community choir.

Premiering Spring 2025.

Text from Earth Teach Me as translated by Chief John Yellow Lark

 

Earth teach me stillness

 as the grasses are stilled with light.

Earth teach me suffering

 as old stones suffer with memory.

Earth teach me humility

 as blossoms are humble with

 beginning.

Earth teach me caring

 as the mother who secures her

 young.

Earth teach me courage

 as the tree which stands alone.

Earth teach me limitation

 as the ant which crawls on the

 ground.

Earth teach me freedom

 as the eagle which soars in

 the sky.

Earth teach me resignation

 as the leaves which die in

 the fall.

Earth teach me regeneration

 as the seed which rises in the

 spring.

Earth teach me to forget myself

 as melted snow forgets its life.

Earth teach me to remember

 kindness as dry fields weep

 in the rain.