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by Eleanor Elde Darby (1809 - 1870)

Starlight
Language: English 
Ah no! tho' dear the sunshine bright,
the gladd'ning golden glance of Day;
not half so dear to me that ray
as the pale, silv'ry soft starlight,
which calls up Mem'ry's starry beam
to gild the past, the twilight stream!

It smiles on me with magic power
and checking Times' too rapid flight,
brings back that well-remember'd night,
that sweet, that sad, that parting hour,
whose mingled joyance and regret
I never, never can forget!

The dash of the eternal sea,
the voice of God was in our ears;
o'er us the blue sky's myriad spheres,
those worlds where we one day may be!
Heav'n, heav'n itself hath writ above
those lustrous lines of hope and love!

And in our hearts was a mix'd feeling
of pain and pleasure, friendship's glow,
o'erbrimming e'en to overflow,
too tender for the lip's revealing!
Immortal as those orbs of light,
an as our souls that own its might!

They smile on me like angels fair!
at sight of them sweet tears arise, 
delicious dews, and fill mine eyes. 
Oh! lovelier they than all noon's glare; 
a thousand, thousand times more dear!
For when they smile, my friend is near!

Text Authorship:

  • by Eleanor Elde Darby (1809 - 1870) [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 Wilhelm Neuland (1806 - 1889), "Starlight" [ voice and piano ], also set in German (Deutsch) [sung text checked 1 time]

Settings in other languages, adaptations, or excerpts:

  • Also set in German (Deutsch), a translation by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist ; composed by Wilhelm Neuland.
    • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Johann Winkler

This text was added to the website: 2024-12-26
Line count: 30
Word count: 196

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