Whitacre: The Seal Lullaby (SATB, Piano)

This loving and dreamlike work by Eric Whitacre captures the undulating rhythm of a mother rocking her child to sleep.

The text is a classic by Rudyard Kipling, that begins with the mother seal singing softly to her young pup:

"Oh! Hush thee, my baby, the night is behind us,
And black are the waters that sparkled so green.
he moon, o'er the combers, looks downward to find us
At rest in the hollows that rustle between.

Where billow meets billow, then soft by the pillow;
Ah, weary wee flipperling, curl at the ease!
The storm shall not wake thee, nor shark overtake thee,
Asleep in the arms of the slow-swinging seas."

Duration: ca. 4:00