I saw a peacock with a fiery tail
Language: English
I saw a peacock with a fiery tail, I saw a blazing comet drop down hail, I saw a cloud with ivy curled around, I saw a sturdy oak creep on the ground, I saw a pismire swallow up a whale, I saw a raging sea brim full of ale! I saw a Venice glass sixteen foot deep, I saw a well full of mens' tears that weep, I saw their eyes all in a flame of fire, I saw a [horse high]1 as the moon and higher, I saw the [sun at twelve o'clock at]2 night, I saw the man [who]3 saw this wondrous sight!
About the headline (FAQ)
View original text (without footnotes)1 Bachlund: "house, as big"
2 Bachlund: "sun, even in the midst of"
3 Bachlund: "that"
Text Authorship:
- from Volkslieder (Folksongs) , written c1665, published in Westminster-Drollery, Or a Choice Collection of the Newest Songs & Poems Both at Court & Theaters, first published 1671 [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 Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "I saw a peacock", 2011 [high voice and piano] [ sung text checked 1 time]
- by Geoffrey Bush (1920 - 1998), "The wonder of wonders", from Songs of wonder, no. 3 [ sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 12
Word count: 109