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by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835)

The voice of love
Language: English 
When shadows o'er the landscape creep,
And twinkling stars pale vigils keep;
When flower-cups all with dewdrops gleam,
And moonshine floweth like a stream;
   Then is the hour
That hearts which love no longer dream, --
   Then is the hour
That the voice of love is a spell of power!

When shamefaced moonbeams kiss the lake,
And amorous leaves sweet music wake;
When slumber steals o'er every eye,
And Dian's self shines drowsily;
   Then is the hour
That hearts which love with rapture sigh, --
   Then is the hour
That the voice of love is a spell of power!

When surly mastiffs stint their howl,
And swathed in moonshine nods the owl;
When cottage-hearths are glimmering low,
And warder cocks forget to crow;
   Then is the hour
That hearts feel passion's overflow, --
   Then is the hour
That the voice of love is a spell of power!

When stilly night seems earth's vast grave,
Nor murmur comes from wood or wave;
When land and sea, in wedlock bound
By silence, sleep in bliss profound;
   Then is the hour
That hearts like living well-springs sound, --
   Then is the hour
That the voice of love is a spell of power!

Confirmed with Poems Narrative and Lyrical, Third Edition, Boston: William D. Ticknor & Company, MDCCCXLIV (1844), pages 179-180

Text Authorship:

  • by William Motherwell (1797 - 1835), "The voice of love", appears in Poems Narrative and Lyrical, in Songs [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 Heinrich Julius Heintze (1811 - 1860) , "Die Stimme der Liebe" ; composed by Heinrich August Marschner.
      • Go to the text.

Researcher for this page: Sharon Krebs [Guest Editor]

This text was added to the website: 2012-04-09
Line count: 32
Word count: 195

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