by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835)
Song
Language: English
What woke the buried sound that lay In Memnon's harp of yore ? What spirit on its viewless way Along the Nile's green shore ? -- Oh ! not the night, and not the storm, And not the lightning's fire ; But sunlight's touch -- the kind -- the warm -- This woke the mystic lyre! This, this, awoke the lyre! What wins the heart's deep chords to pour Their music forth on life Like a sweet voice prevailing o'er The sounds of torrent strife ? -- Oh! not the conflict midst the throng, Not e'en the triumph's hour ; -- Love is the gifted and the strong, To wake that music's power! His breath awakes that power!
Authorship:
- by Felicia Dorothea Hemans (1793 - 1835), "Song" [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):
- [ None yet in the database ]
Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:
- Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Ferdinand Freiligrath (1810 - 1876) , "Lied" ; composed by Friedrich Gernsheim.
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2011-04-01
Line count: 18
Word count: 112