Where Water Falls

Parallel to Goethe and Schubert’s Gesang der Geister über den Wassern (“Song of the Spirits over the Waters”), the three ancient Chinese poems in this piece also offer a profound meditation on the relationship between nature and the human soul. These classical Chinese texts, centered around the majestic waterfalls of Mount Lu, evoke a similar sense of awe and introspection found in Goethe’s verse. Through the imagery of water—a symbol of impermanence, hidden depths, and spiritual longing—both traditions explore the mystery of life, shaped by unseen forces and drawn inevitably toward a greater, transcendent power.

The poems juxtapose moments of stillness with sudden turbulence, mirroring the emotional and existential ebb and flow of human experience. They reflect on the fragility of life, the beauty of nature, and the quiet resilience of the spirit in the face of time and change. Together with Goethe’s and Schubert’s work, they form a cross-cultural dialogue that bridges centuries and geographies.

Musically, brief quotations from Schubert’s Wassern are woven into the fabric of the piece, subtly reinforcing the connection between the two worlds. Scored for three male voices and three low-string period instruments, the work features texts sung or spoken in Chinese, German, and English. This multilingual setting highlights the universality of the themes, while the timbral blend of historical instruments lends a timeless resonance.

I am deeply grateful to KlangForum Heidelberg e.V. for the commission, which offered a meaningful opportunity to explore a transcultural journey—from East to West, from the ancient to the contemporary—through the shared language of poetry and music.

I. Gazing at the Waterfall on Mount Lu (Li Bai); 望廬山瀑布(李白)

日照香爐生紫煙，遙看瀑布挂前川。飛流直下三千尺，疑是銀河落九天。

Incense burner peaks glow in purple haze,
A distant cascade gleams in the sunlit blaze.
Down it plunges, three thousand feet in flight—
Could it be the Milky Way spilling from the height?

II. The Hidden Face of Mount Lu (Su Shi); 題西林壁(蘇軾)

橫看成嶺側成峰，遠近高低各不同；不識廬山真面目，只緣身在此山中。

A ridge from the side, a peak straight ahead,
Its shifting forms by distance and height are led.
The mountain’s true face remains unseen
As we are inside its endless green.

III. Where Mist and Rainbows Meet (Zhang Jiuling); 湖口望廬山瀑布泉(張九齡)

萬丈洪泉落，迢迢半紫氛。 奔飛流雜樹，灑落出重雲。
日照虹蜺似，天清風雨聞。 靈山多秀色，空水共氤氳。

Ten thousand feet the torrent falls,
Its misty spray a purple pall.
Through scattered trees, it leaps and flies,
Bursting forth where clouds divide.

In sunlight, rainbows thread the sky,
Clear winds bring whispers from on high.
Grace veils the sacred peak;
Sky and water merge in mist.