Here, at the doorway of my tent, I linger To watch in yours the shadow and the light, The hungry soul within me burning, burning, As the stars burn throughout the Eastern night. Sleep on, I sit and watch your tent in silence, White as a sail upon this sandy sea, And know the Desert's self is not more boundless Than is the distance 'twixt yourself and me. Sleep on, the Desert sleeps around you, quiet, Watched by the restless, golden stars above, Ay, let us sleep; you to your careless waking, I, with my dreams of unrequited love.
Stars of the Desert : Four more Indian Love Lyrics
Song Cycle by Amy Woodforde-Finden (1860 - 1919)
1. Stars of the Desert  [sung text checked 1 time]
Authorship:
- by Adela Florence Nicolson (1865 - 1904), as Laurence Hope, London; John Lane ; New York : William Heinemann, first published 1903
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Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]2. You are all that is lovely  [sung text checked 1 time]
You are all that is lovely and light, Aziza whom I adore, And, waking, after the night, I am weary with dreams of you. [ ... ] I dream of your luminous eyes, Aziza whom I adore! Of the ruffled silk of your hair, I dream, and the dreams are lies. But I love them, knowing no more Will ever be mine of you Aziza, my life's despair. [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by Adela Florence Nicolson (1865 - 1904), as Laurence Hope, "Prayer", appears in India's Love Lyrics [later Garden of Kama and Other Love Lyrics from India], London : William Heinemann, first published 1901
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Confirmed with The Garden of Kama by Laurence Hope, illustrated edition William Heinemann, October 1914, Page 53.
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
3. The Rice was Under Water  [sung text checked 1 time]
The Rice was under water, and the land was scourged with rain, The nights were desolation, and the day was born in pain. Ah, the famine and the fever and the cruel, swollen streams, I had died, except for Krishna, who consoled me—in my dreams! The Burning-Ghats were smoking, and the jewels melted down, The Temples lay deserted, for the people left the town. Yet I was more than happy, though passing strange it seems, For I spent my nights with Krishna, who loved me—in my dreams!
Authorship:
- by Adela Florence Nicolson (1865 - 1904), "The Rice was Under Water", London: John Lane; New York : William Heinemann, first published 1905
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Confirmed with Last Poems: Translations from the Book of Indian Love by Laurence Hope, Project Gutenberg, 2004.
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]
4. Fate  [sung text checked 1 time]
Somewhere, Oh, My Beloved One, the house is standing, Waiting for thee and me; for our first caresses. It may be a river-boat, or a wave-washed landing, [ ... ] Some far-off mountain tent, ill-pitched and lonely, Or the naked vault of the purple heavens only. But the Place is waiting there; till the Hour shall show it, And our footsteps, following Fate, find it and know it. [ ... ]
Authorship:
- by Adela Florence Nicolson (1865 - 1904), as Laurence Hope, "Written in Cananore (II)", London: John Lane; New York : William Heinemann, first published 1905
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Confirmed with Last Poems: Translations from the Book of Indian Love by Laurence Hope, Project Gutenberg, 2004.
Researcher for this page: Iain Sneddon [Guest Editor]