by Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836 - 1907)
Before the rain
Language: English
We knew it would rain, for all the morn A spirit on slender ropes of mist Was lowering its golden buckets down Into the vapory amethyst. Of marshes and swamps and dismal fens-- Scooping the dew that lay in the flowers, Dipping the jewels out of the sea, To sprinkle them over the land in showers. We knew it would rain, for the poplars showed The white of their leaves, the amber grain Shrunk in the wind--and the lightning now Is tangled in tremulous skeins of rain!
Text Authorship:
- by Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836 - 1907), "Before the rain", appears in Cloth of Gold and Other Poems, first published 1875 [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 Eleanor Everest Freer (1864 - 1942), "Before the rain", op. 10 (Six Songs to Nature) no. 2, published 1913? [ voice, piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2004-02-09
Line count: 12
Word count: 87