Yesterday & Tomorrow

by Blake

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about

This is the fourth installment in a series I call blake + poet. I am attempting to illuminate well loved and unknown poetry by setting it to original music. You can watch the video on YouTube here:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLpJf5tYUj0

I chose Yesterday & Tomorrow by Paul Laurence Dunbar to highlight voices of color in the fight against racism. EVERY dollar you pay to download this song will go to The Black Resilience Fund, an emergency fund dedicated to healing and resilience by providing immediate resources to Black Portlanders.

lyrics

Yesterday I held your hand,
Reverently I pressed it,
And its gentle yieldingness
From my soul I blessed it.

But to-day I sit alone,
Sad and sore repining;
Must our gold forever know
Flames for the refining?

Yesterday I walked with you,
Could a day be sweeter?
Life was all a lyric song
Set to tricksy meter.

Ah, to-day is like a dirge,—
Place my arms around you,
Let me feel the same dear joy
As when first I found you.

Let me once retrace my steps,
From these roads unpleasant,
Let my heart and mind and soul
All ignore the present.

Yesterday the iron seared
And to-day means sorrow.
Pause, my soul, arise, arise,
Look where gleams the morrow.

credits

released August 12, 2020

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about

Blake Portland, Oregon

Blake is an artist based in Portland, OR. His latest project is an album of original music set to the poetry of William Blake. His YouTube series blake + poet takes this idea further using some of the worlds best loved poetry as inspiration for original musical compositions. ... more

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