Music of whispering trees Hushed by a broad-winged breeze Where shaken water gleams; And evening radiance falling With reedy bird-notes calling. O bear me safe through dark, you low-voiced streams. I have no need to pray That fear may pass away; I scorn the growl and rumble of the fight That summons me from cool Silence of marsh and pool And yellow lilies is landed in light O river of stars and shadows, lead me through the night.
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Confirmed with Siegfried Sassoon, THE OLD HUNTSMAN and other poems, William Heinemann, London, 1918, page 75
Authorship:
- by Siegfried Lorraine Sassoon (1886 - 1967), "Before the battle", written 1916, appears in The Old Huntsman and Other Poems, first published 1917 [author's text checked 2 times 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 Harold Blumenfeld (b. 1923), "Before the battle", published 1971 [ SATB chorus a cappella ], from Songs of War [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Ramsden Williamson (1929 - 2015), "Before the battle" [ baritone and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Pierre Mathé) , "Avant la bataille", copyright © 2017, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Research team for this page: Emily Ezust [Administrator] , Pierre Mathé [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2008-10-19
Line count: 13
Word count: 78