by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
Inauguration Ball
Language: English
At the dance and supper room, I could not help thinking what a different scene they presented to my view a while since. Filled with a crowded mess of the worst wounded of the war Tonight beautiful women, perfumes, the violin's sweetness, the polka and the waltz. There the amputation, the blue face, the groan The glassy eye of the dying, the clouted rag, the odor of blood And many a mother's son amid strangers passing away untended there.
Authorship:
- by Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892), "Inauguration Ball" [author's text checked 1 time 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 Ned Rorem (1923 - 2022), "Inauguration Ball", published 1971 [ tenor, baritone, and TTBB chorus a cappella ], from War Scenes, no. 4 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-07-31
Line count: 7
Word count: 79