Devotional Poetry: Taking inspiration from poet Francis Thompson

The source of the title and lyrics for Amaranthine (which means “eternal” or “undying”) is the 1890 poem “The Hound of Heaven,” the most celebrated work of English author Francis Thompson. This poem is a quasi-metaphysical reversal of traditional devotional poetry where the believer seeks peace, comfort, and refuge in God’s embrace. In Thompson’s poem, the protagonist seeks instead for a hiding place, hoping to avoid becoming prey to the relentless “hound” of God’s eternal love, even while reluctantly comprehending that the divine conquest is inevitable and, ultimately, good. Lloyd’s heartfelt setting—a monodrama in which God’s voice is alluded to but not verbalized—includes cyclic musical references across the movements, connecting them symbolically in infinite circles.

For this work, Lloyd wove a contemporary musical texture from threads steeped in the Romantic late- and post-tonal traditions of Britten, Strauss, Wagner, and other opera composers.