by Robert Graves (1895 - 1985)
Star‑Talk
Language: English
'Are you awake, Gemelli, This frosty night?' 'We'll be awake till reveillé, Which is Sunrise,' say the Gemelli, 'It's no good trying to go to sleep: If there's wine to be got we'll drink it deep, But sleep is gone for to-night, But sleep is gone for to-night.' 'Are you cold too, poor Pleiads, This frosty night?' 'Yes, and so are the Hyads: See us cuddle and hug,' say the Pleiads, 'All six in a ring: it keeps us warm: We huddle together like birds in a storm: It's bitter weather to-night, It's bitter weather to-night.' 'What do you hunt, Orion, This starry night?' 'The Ram, the Bull and the Lion, And the Great Bear,' says Orion, 'With my starry quiver and beautiful belt I am trying to find a good thick pelt To warm my shoulders to-night, To warm my shoulders to-night.' 'Did you hear that, Great She-bear, This frosty night?' 'Yes, he's talking of stripping me bare Of my own big fur,' says the She-bear, 'I'm afraid of the man and his terrible arrow: The thought of it chills my bones to the marrow, And the frost so cruel to-night! And the frost so cruel to-night!' 'How is your trade, Aquarius, This frosty night?' 'Complaints is many and various And my feet are cold,' says Aquarius, 'There's Venus objects to Dolphin-scales, And Mars to Crab-spawn found in my pails, And the pump has frozen to-night, And the pump has frozen to-night.'
Authorship:
- by Robert Graves (1895 - 1985), "Star-Talk", appears in Over the Brazier, first published 1916 [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 Ivor (Bertie) Gurney (1890 - 1937), "Star-Talk", 1920, published 1927 [ voice and piano ], revised 1925 [sung text not yet checked]
- by Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872 - 1958), "Star-Talk", fragment [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2008-12-11
Line count: 40
Word count: 243