by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)
We are anhungered after solitude
Language: English
We are anhungered after solitude, Deep stillness pure of any speech or sound, Soft quiet hovering over pools profound, The silences that on the desert brood, Above a windless hush of empty seas, The broad unfurling banners of the dawn; A faëry forest where there sleeps a Faun; Our souls are fain of solitudes like these. O woman who divined our weariness, And set the crown of silence on your art, From what undreamed-of depth within your heart Have you sent forth the hush that makes us free To hear an instant, high above earth’s stress, The silent music of infinity?
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Text Authorship:
- by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933), "Silence", appears in Helen of Troy and Other Poems, first published 1911 [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 Ingrid Stölzel (b. 1971), "Silent Music of Infinity", 2021, copyright © 2021 [ soprano and piano ], Composers Edition
Publisher: Composers Edition [external link]  [sung text checked 1 time]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-08-24
Line count: 14
Word count: 101