by Vivian Locke-Ellis (1878 - 1950)
Nocturne
Language: English
When sets the sun on yonder hill His white clouds slowly follow him; Hours have they to linger still. Mountain-pastured, cool and dim. When at last the folded sky Waiting dumbly for the stars, Lets the wool-winged phantom fly, Lures the great owl from his bars. Then the little grass-lamp glows, And the blackest snails untwine; And the cautious hedgehog goes Under the light-uddered kine. But the tribes of haunted night, Omened bird and bat and toad, They must out of sound and sight Where shepherd takes the road; His white flocks are on the hill, Hours they have to wait for him, While the wool-winged bat is still, And the great owl’s eyelids dim.
Authorship:
- by Vivian Locke-Ellis (1878 - 1950) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Nocturne" [ voice and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2022-04-18
Line count: 20
Word count: 115