Sweet Love Remember'd

Everyone who knows me knows that I'm in love with the BYU Singers. The seed was planted long before I ever went to BYU. But my freshman year my admiration for the group grew into maybe a bit of an obsession. Ok, I became a little bit of a self proclaimed Singer-stalker. My first day of classes at BYU, their amazing director, Dr. Staheli invited me to come listen to their rehearsals whenever I wanted, and I never looked back. For my entire time at BYU, I went to Singer's rehearsal at least 3 times a week, and usually more. How could I not? Beautiful music was happening on campus and I sure didn't want to miss it. I even arranged my schedule so that I never had class during singers if I could help it. This was one addiction that was actually good for the soul.

That very first year, the Singers learned a song called Sonnet 29 - Sweet Love Remember'd by Lane Johnson. That song spoke to my soul, and the tiny parts of it that I remembered have been stuck in my head ever since. Today I discovered a wonderful site called Grooveshark, one of those places where you can make playlists and listen to them. Amazingly, the singers' performance of this song at the ACDA conference in 2005 was part of this website! Among other treasures that I remember from that same year. I count it as a tender mercy. I wish I could figure out how to share the song on my blog, but for now it is posted to my facebook profile.

When in disgrace with fortune and men's eyes,
I all alone beweep my outcast state,
And trouble deaf Heaven with my bootless cries,
And look upon myself, and curse my fate,
Wishing me like to one more rich in hope,
Featured like him, like him with friends possess'd
Desiring this mans art, and that man's scope,
With what I most enjoy contented least:
Yet in these thoughts myself almost despising,
Haply I think on thee, and then my state
Like to the lark at break of day arising
From sullen earth sings hymns at heaven's gate;
For thy sweet love remember'd such wealth brings
That then I scorn to change my state with kings.