by Amy Lowell (1874 - 1925)
A Fixed Idea
Language: English
What torture lurks within a single thought When grown too constant, and however kind, However welcome still, the weary mind Aches with its presence. Dull remembrance taught Remembers on unceasingly; unsought The old delight is with us but to find That all recurring joy is pain refined, Become a habit, and we struggle, caught. You lie upon my heart as on a nest, Folded in peace, for you can never know How crushed I am with having you at rest Heavy upon my life. I love you so You bind my freedom from its rightful quest. In mercy lift your drooping wings and go.
Authorship:
- by Amy Lowell (1874 - 1925), appears in A Dome of Many-Coloured Glass [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 Jennifer Higdon (b. 1960), "A Fixed Idea", 2013 [ soprano, violin, cello and piano ], from Love Sweet, no. 5, confirmed with a CD booklet [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2021-02-20
Line count: 14
Word count: 104