Clair de lune (Moonlight) by Debussy, violin solo, Ye-jin Han

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“Clair de lune” (French for “Moonlight”) is a beautiful poem written by the French poet Paul Verlaine in 1869, which inspired the third and most famous movement of Claude Debussy’s 1890 Suite bergamasque for piano.

Here is the poem:

Moonlight

Your soul is a chosen landscape
On which masks and Bergamasques cast enchantment as they go,
Playing the lute, and dancing, and all but
Sad beneath their fantasy-disguises.

Singing all the while, in the minor mode,
Of all-conquering love and life so kind to them
They do not seem to believe in their good fortune,
And their song mingles with the moonlight,

With the calm moonlight, sad and lovely,
Which makes the birds dream in the trees,
And the plumes of the fountains weep in ecstasy,
The tall, slender plumes of the fountains among the marble sculptures.

Did the poem resonate with the music?

If you listen to the original piano piece, you’ll be swept away by the harmonies that evoke the image of luminescent moonlight. I hope the violin melody still conveys that same calm, sad, and lovely moonlight.

To me, the full moon symbolizes release and emergence—letting go of what no longer serves us to make space for new opportunities.

Often, we let negative voices cloud our minds and hold us back.
But when I immerse myself in music like this, I let those voices express themselves through music. I listen to those voices with compassion, acknowledge them, and then release them.

It feels like exhaling all the heaviness out of my body. And I find peace again.

What things are weighing you down? Self-doubt, fear, or anger?

Remember, you have the power to release them.

Simply by breathing deeply, writing down your thoughts, acknowledging them, and embracing them with compassion can bring the peace you seek.

Also engaging in activities like yoga, walking, running, or expressing yourself through creative outlets—whether it’s music, painting, or gardening—can help release any negative energy that weighs you down.

In the space created by letting go, you invite peace, gratitude, joy, and love into your life.

And you’ll find that these positive feelings were always within you. You just needed to clear out what wasn’t yours to see the good that was already given to you.

I hope you take the time to express your creativity to find that peace and compassion for yourself this week! 🙂
​
With joy & love,
Ye-jin
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