by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894)
By the sea
Language: English
Why does the sea moan evermore? Shut out from heaven it makes its moan, It frets against the boundary shore; All earth's full rivers cannot fill The sea, that drinking thirsteth still. Sheer miracles of loveliness Lie hid in its unlooked-on bed: Anemones, salt, passionless, Blow flower-like; just enough alive To blow and multiply and thrive. Shells quaint with curve, or spot, or spike, Encrusted live things argus-eyed, All fair alike, yet all unlike, Are born without a pang, and die Without a pang, and so pass by.
Text Authorship:
- by Christina Georgina Rossetti (1830 - 1894) [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 William Baines (1899 - 1922), "By the sea", 1919, first performed 1956, from Five songs, no. 3 [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Ferdinando Albeggiani
This text was added to the website: 2009-01-21
Line count: 15
Word count: 88