by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence (1885 - 1930)
Song of a man who has come through
Language: English
Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me! A fine wind is blowing the new direction of Time. If only I let it bear me, carry me, if only it carry me! If only I am sensitive, subtle, oh, delicate, a winged gift! If only, most lovely of all, I yield myself and am borrowed By the fine, fine wind that takes its course through the chaos of the world Like a fine, an exquisite chisel, a wedge-blade inserted; If only I am keen and hard like the sheer tip of a wedge Driven by invisible blows, The rock will split, we shall come at the wonder, we shall find the Hesperides. Oh, for the wonder that bubbles into my soul, I would be a good fountain, a good well-head, Would blur no whisper, spoil no expression. What is the knocking? What is the knocking at the door in the night? It is somebody wants to do us harm. No, no, it is the three strange angels. Admit them, admit them.
Authorship:
- by D. H. (David Herbert) Lawrence (1885 - 1930) [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 John Plant , "Song of a man who has come through", first performed 2009 [ voice and piano ], from Babel is a blessing, no. 6 [sung text not yet checked]
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- FRE French (Français) (Jocelyne Fleury) , "Le chant d'un homme qui a réussi à traverser", copyright ©, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this page: Malcolm Wren [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2023-03-04
Line count: 23
Word count: 174