Notes:
Whitman’s beautiful poem addresses the self-doubt that we
all possess as we make our way through life. At the end of the poem,
the questioning is set aside with the realization of fragile self-awareness.
A keyboard ostinato “shadows” this vignette, making way for
a lyrical middle section. The shadows return in the piano as the vocal
line presents the ending of the poem, and we are left to wonder if there
really is no doubt.
Texts:
That Shadow My Likeness
That shadow, my likeness, that goes to and
fro, seeking a livelihood,
chattering, chaffering;
How often I find myself standing and looking at it where
it flits;
How often I question and doubt whether that is really me;
—But in these, and among my lovers, and caroling my songs,
O
I never doubt whether that is really me.
-Walt Whitman |
