The Slave’s Song: As Performed by the Incandescent Sarah McSweeney

Please listen to the incandescent Sarah McSweeney, singer extraordinaire, perform one of my poems from Grendel’s Mother. Rendering a female slave’s poignant wishes as a musical piece, piercing the night with her clear, lucid voice, Sarah invited us into a space of magic and somber eloquence. Now you can hear her sing.

Sarah had the entire audience mesmerized, with tears in their eyes at the book launch for Grendel’s Mother: The Saga of the Wyrd-Wife. Here is the poem as it appears in the book.

I wake

when the moon

still shines on the white-peaked waves.

Sometimes I think that instead of

stoking the fire,

boiling the clothes,

killing the lamb,

tending their every want,

and suffering every shame,

I’ll walk into that water

until I reach my home

across the seas.

Sarah McSweeney. She is a gorgeous singer: so moving and lyrical. Thank you, Sarah! See her website for more information and to hear one of her songs.

Sarah writes about this performance in her beautiful blog post you can read here.  Look at the October 25, 2015 post.

Sarah’s emotion was so genuine, people were utterly moved. The song galvanized the audience. Truly–Sarah has an amazing gift and it’s wonderful she shares it with the world.

Thank you, Sarah, for an unforgettable evening!!  I hope we can collaborate in the future!

#grendelsmotherthenovel

Follow me on Twitter: @medievalwomen

Filed under: Blog