thronged only with flowers​

for ssaattbb (2022)

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commissioned by NYCGB

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(This is an earth sutra.)

In the Cretaceous period, flowers appeared and carpeted the world with astonishing rapidity.

The blossoming of flowers converted fruit into sugar through the magic of sunlight. The fruits allowed plants to lure animals who savoured their sugars, converted them into energy and proteins, transporting their seeds and proliferating life elsewhere - a new world of warm-blooded mammals came alive.

 

Without flowers, there would be no us.
No love.
No poetry.
No science.
No music.

 

Lyrics:

花“hua”: /hwɑː/ - flower
树“shu”: /ʃu:/ - tree
天“tian”: /tjen/ - sky
地 “di”: /di:/ - land
山 “shan”: /ʃʌn/ - mountain
河 “he”: /hɛr/ - river
风 “feng”: /fəŋ/ - wind
水 “shui”: /ʃwei/ - water
泥 “ni”: /ni:/ - mud
尘 “chen”: / ʃwei/ - dust
土 “tu”: /tu/ - soil
沙 “sha”: /ʃA / - sand
花“hua”: /hwɑː/ - flower
花“hua”: /hwɑː/ - flower
“无花无我无花” wu hua, wu wo, wu hua – no flower, no me, no flower
Wu: /woo/
Wo: /u̯ɔ/
(Repeat)

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