Wollumbin / ‘Tyalgum Dawn’

In early morning light
In solitude it stands
A sentinel is proud
Above a subdued land

The catcher of the clouds
Swathed in morning mist
Unfurling from the landscape
Like spiders’ filament

Silhouettes of trees
Sit smudged against the scene
Their tendrils catch the creeping light
Then turn from grey to green

Breezes swirl, caressing
Vast undulating fields
Which ripple from the forest
That clothe this sentinel

As dawn’s first ray alights
Atop the mountain’s brow
Then refracts down through the forest
To hushed and sleepy towns

———

This is an undulating land
Formed in eons past
Its ancient rim, a remnant
Of molten rock and blast

And high above this valley
In forests thick and wise
Trees remain from ancient times
To stand and to remind

And there amongst the undergrowth
A chorus deep within
Resounds the call of early morn
Which echos down the stream

The first peoples, they know
The sacred in this place
The those who came thereafter
The heart within this space

If Wollumbin is the heart
The caldera is the arms
Embracing all who dwell here
In intoxicating charm

As Morning mists unfurl
And reveal a bounty grand
A sentinel stands proud
Above an ancient land

Adapted and used as text for ‘Tyalgum Dawn : for soprano and string orchestra’, composed by Ann-Carr Boyd. Commissioned for the 20th Anniversary of the Tyalgum Festival of Classical Music, 2011. Performed by the Camerata of St John’s and Kacey Patrick (soprano).