What dream you in the night-time When you whisper to the moon? What say you in the morning? What do you sing at noon? When I hear your voice uplifting, Like a breeze through branches sifting, And your ripples softly drifting To the August airs a-tune.
Lend me your happy laughter, Ste. Marie, as you leap; Your peace that follows after Where through the isles you creep. Give to me your splendid dashing, Give your sparkles and your splashing, Your uphurling waves down crashing, Then, your aftermath of sleep.
This elegant portrayal of the Ste. Marie River has a modern sensibility that singers will find very effective and accessible for a variety of performance occasions. More advanced breath control is needed in the piu mosso section, but the exhilaration in the rise and fall of the river’s rapids, imitated in the sweep of the voice and piano lines, make the efforts more than worthwhile.
