The Origin of the Dead Sea
The music sears, romantically intense,
As well it might because it is a sea
On fire. It is a sparseness that is dense
With utteration of severity.
The darkest wine dark ocean set to flame
Sings out like pain’s eternity in time.
It is an agony too hard to tame
But tamed by love’s renunciation. Climb
That hardest mountain range and you must hear
A music stripped of everything untrue.
For this performance only strength is clear
Along the Dead Sea peaks crushed down by blue.
For Barraqué, Michel became that phrase
Transposing Sodom’s fever to a blaze.