by Edward Shanks (1892 - 1953)
The moon's a drowsy fool to‑night
Language: English
The moon's a drowsy fool to-night, Wrapped in fleecy clouds and white ; And all the while Endymion Sleeps on Latmos top alone. Not a single star is seen : They are gathered round their queen, Keeping vigil by her bed, Patient and unwearied. Now the poet drops his pen And moves about like other men : Tom o' Bedlam now is still And sleeps beneath the hawthorn'd hill. Only the Latmian shepherd deems Something missing from his dreams And tosses as he sleeps alone. Alas, alas, Endymion !
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Text Authorship:
- by Edward Shanks (1892 - 1953), "Song for an unwritten play", appears in Poems, 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), "The Latmian shepherd", 1920, published 1938 [ voice and piano ], from A First Volume of Ten Songs, no. 2, London: Oxford University Press [sung text not yet checked]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "Endymion", op. 356 (1952) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2009-03-21
Line count: 16
Word count: 85